Hapkido

Discussion in 'Hapkido' started by Anth, Mar 27, 2008.

  1. MJR

    MJR Valued Member

    Jang In-Mok

    Jang In Mok

    We now come to a most interesting development that does not appear in much of the Hapkido literature. Still living today in Taegue city is Grandmaster Jang In Mok who also trained under Takeda Sokaku. Grandmaster Jang is eighty three years old which makes his birth year 1912. He has a scroll that lists his training record in the Daito Ryu. Even though Jang In Mok was born later than Choi Young Sool they were contemporaries in Japan studying under Takeda and they both returned to Taegue city in Korea in 1945. Jang is a doctor of oriental medicine and massage but also used to teach Hapkido. As his career was mainly as a doctor he did not produce large numbers of students. Further research on Grandmaster Jang's early years in Japan is presently continuing and should he provide us with any further information it is certain to improve our resolution into this window of the past.


    Firstly I have to compliment the author the job he did in putting together the article as a whole. It is both thorough and fair.

    One caveat though, I understand the reason for doing so, but the use of a separate heading for Master Jang In-Mok seems to indicate that Master Jang was a huge contributor to the history of hapkido whereas I think it more accurate to point out that the master's influence in terms of both numbers and the content of the art was rather narrow. From what I understand he taught rather an orthodox form of daito-ryu without kicking techniques rather than modern hapkido although some of his students did embrace the name when they chose to promote the art.

    The facinating thing though is the fact that we are much surer about the source of Master jang's training than we are of Master Choi's and pictures of his certificates from Daito-ryu master, Matsuda, as well as pictures of him with his teacher and future Shorinji Kempo founder Doshin So can be found in Kimm He-Young's book "History of Korea and Hapkido".

    The omission of Kim Yun-Sang from the article is worth mentioning also.

    Of course the news about Jang's legitimacy was fresher when the article was written and Kim Y.S. has become more important in recent years as well.

    Good article!
     
  2. 47MartialMan

    47MartialMan Valued Member

    Good to see some good comments on Hapkido
     
  3. Bruce W Sims

    Bruce W Sims Banned Banned

    Well, yes......but don't you agree that there is a cultural context as well?

    Think about the nature of Korean Hapkido and Japanese Aiki-jujutsu. I think a well-informed person would agree that it gets very difficult to discern one from another. But then you factor in the Korean culture and its priorities and values and those of the Japanese culture and its priorities and values and suddenly that difference between the two practice widens, doncha think? Or am I just making a distinction without a difference? I mean, otherwise why even HAVE a Korean practice.... if its already originated in Japan wouldn't you want to be closer to the origin? Thoughts?

    Best Wishes,

    Bruce
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2012
  4. 47MartialMan

    47MartialMan Valued Member


    KUDOS!

    But if certain arts originated somewhere else, does not lend it to be the best. The origins of martial arts is shrouded in time. One art had stemmed or contain information as another, that which the one preceding did the same. To simply choose one thinking it is the best from a origin or span of a culture seems to be superfluous
     
  5. SJ_Starkiller

    SJ_Starkiller New Member

    Just received my first degree black belt in Hapkido, couldn't be more happy. The thing I loved about this style is it's focus on complete self-defense.
     
  6. timex

    timex Valued Member

    Congratulations on your black belt-ENJOY-and keep training!!!
    Have trained in Hapkido for years-it is a good self defense art, and I like it!
    What I don't like is all the bickering on the Hapkido threads about the history of Hapkido--I hardly read these kinds of posts-and prefer training as best as I can. Again-CONGRATULATIONS, AND KEEP TRAINING1:)
     

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