Where Did Bruce Lee Get the Idea for the "Fighting Without Fighting" Scene in Enter the Dragon?

 

Where did Bruce Lee get the idea for the "fighting without fighting" scene in Enter the Dragon? 

Introduction

One of my favorite scenes in Bruce Lee's 1973 movie Enter the Dragon takes place during the journey to Han's Island. Another martial artist named "Parsons" who has been bullying the boat's crew confronts Lee. Was this an invention of Mr. Lee, or did he get the idea from someone else?

Note that although this is my own investigation, the following basic story has been known for decades. 

The Scene

Enter the Dragon, 1973

You can watch the scene online, or read the script that follows.

Parsons: Do I bother you?

Lee: Don't waste yourself.

Parsons: What's your style?

Lee: My style? You can call it the art of fighting without fighting.

Parsons: The art of fighting without fighting? Show me some of it.

Lee: Later. Alright. Don't you think we need more room?

Parsons: Where else?

Lee: That island. On the beach. We can take this boat.

Parsons: Ok.

[Parsons enters the boat. Lee begins entering the boat, and then lets it float away as Parsons reacts with anger.]

Parsons: Hey what in the hell are you doing? Hey, are you crazy? Pull me in! Pull me in! 

Lee: Don't try to pull yourself up, or I'll let go of the line.

The Origin of the Story

Honchō Bugei Shōden chapter 5, translated by John M. Rogers

It turns out the story originated with Tsukahara Bokuden (塚原 卜伝, 1489-1571), a samurai contemporary of Miyamoto Musashi (1582-1645). 

There are apparently many different accounts of the story. Bernie Gourley notes that the most famous version appears in the Kōyō Gunkan (甲陽軍鑑). Dr Oleg Benesch 2011 thesis states that the Kōyōgunkan (甲陽軍鑑, Martial Records of Kōyō) "is a collection of texts recording the tactics of Takeda Shingen, and is believed to have been compiled in 1656; i.e. well into the Edo period." 

I found a paraphrased version of the story in Dr Stephen Turnbull's 2008 book The Samurai Swordsman: Master of War. Dr Turnbull bases his version on a 1991 article in Monumenta Nipponica, volume 45 number 4. John M. Rogers wrote the article, titled "Arts of War in Times of Peace. Swordsmanship in Honchō Bugei Shōden, Chapter 5."

[Note that Dr Turnbull cites chapter 6 of the Honchō Bugei Shōden and consequently the wrong article in Monumenta Nipponica.]

In the article, Roges translates and annotates chapter 5 of the Honchō Bugei Shōden 本朝武芸小伝. Rogers states that the book "is the oldest survey work on the history and traditions of the classical Japanese martial arts." The title has been translated as A Short Tale of the Martial Arts in Our Country, or as Arts of War in Times of Peace. 

Hinatsu Shirōzaemon Shigetaka wrote the book in 1714 and published it in 1716. It was first published in Japanese in modern times in 1883, and Rogers' own translations of chapters 3, 4, and 5, dealing with archery and swordsmanship, appear to be the only English material available. 

The Original Story

Illustration of Combat of Tsukahara Bokuden on Lake Biwa, Edo or Meiji era, artist unknown

Turnbull's version of the story appears below, from The Samurai Swordsman: Master of War:

"Tsukahara Bokuden remains a very important figure in the early history of the master swordsmen, and there are many stories told about him, of which the best is undoubtedly his amusing but telling encounter with a boasting samurai on a ferryboat. 

The man in question, who had managed to terrify the passengers with his bragging about his prowess at sword fighting, picked on the silent Bokuden, who alone had remained unintimidated, and challenged him to a fight. 

Bokuden politely declined, saying that he never wielded his sword in such circumstances. The furious samurai poured scorn upon what he took to be cowardice, and asked Bokuden to name his school of sword fighting, to which Bokuden replied, 'the Munekatsu-ryū,' or 'the style that wins without a sword.'

This reply made the samurai all the more angry, and he ordered the boatman to stop at a nearby island so that he could teach the stranger a lesson. As they reached the island’s beach, the samurai leapt ashore, and took up a guard position with his sword, screaming for Bokuden to disembark and fight him. 

At that moment, Bokuden took the ferryman’s pole and drove the boat away from the shore, leaving the samurai stranded. 

To the samurai’s yells of protest, Bokuden shouted back to him, 'See, this is what I meant by the Munekatsu-ryū! After all, I have just defeated you without a sword, haven’t I?'"

The original version from the Honchō Bugei Shōden has a bit more detail, but this version captures all the essential details.

Conclusion

Bruce Lee may have liked demolishing Japanese martial artists in his movies, but he certainly enjoyed using their work for inspiration. See the earlier post Did Bruce Lee Invent the Six Diseases? for another example of borrowing material from Edo period samurai.

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