History of Korean MA

as hanmun was introduced to silla by the tang kingdom, i wonder if in the civil/military exams the seven military classics had to be studied by officers.

 

From the perspective of a Tang Soo Do practioner who was done some research into the history of Tang Soo Do. There is a tendancy for the history of TSD to be shown as a centuries old shown influenced by subak (mentioned in the muye dobo tongji).

My initial research came up with this:


The Kokuryo Dynasty (37 to 668 A.D.)
Along the streams of the Aproh River there are tombs dating back about 1,500 years. The walls of these tombs show murals of Tang Soo Do at that time. There is no evidence that indicates the status of the art at that time.

The Silla Dynasty (668 to 935 A.D.)
The art of Tang Soo Do is present in various Buddhist sculptures of that period along with the “Thirteen Shaolin Monks”, Dal Ma Dai Sa, Mo Ryun Dai Sa (two well known Buddhist monks who practices martial arts), as well as the presence of the So Rin (Shaolin) temple in China. Many thousands of Buddhists studied Tang Soo Do at that time, a subject worthy of considerable study.

The Ko Ryo Dynasty (935 to 1392 A.D.)
At this time there are historical books such as the 18 volumes containing the ancient history of Ko Ryo, and the 14 volumes of Yul Chun, which shows the popularity of Tang Soo Do about 800 years ago. At the period of the 16th king, Ui Jong in Ko Ryo dynasty age, there was a man whose name was Ui Moon Yi. He was a favourite with King Ui Jong because he was very good in Soo Bahk Ki (technique). He was Dai Jung which means commander of the military. Later in this period, during the time of the 19th king, Myong Jong, there was a rebel army that attacked the kingdom and which was led by Kim Po Dang. Ui Moon Yi said that, “There is nothing to worry about, so long as I am alive”. After the war was won, many people said that “it is only due to Ui Moon's skills”.


According to the record of the 36th volume of the old history books of Ko Ryo, about 600 years ago, period of the 30th king, during the Kyi Sa year King Choong Hye made a trip to Sang Shun Jung and enjoyed seeing Tang Soo Do demonstrated. An entry in the 18th volume of the History of Koryo, written in this Dynasty 800 years ago, mentions We Moon Lee who was appointed to the post of army commander by the 16th King Ui Jong, for his expertise in Tang Soo Do as a combat technique as well as a form of fitness training.

The Yi Dynasty (1392 to 1907 A.D.)

According to the 32nd volume of the Korean history book “Tae Jong Sil Rok”, King Sang Wang was born in July of the Byong Sin (about 500 years ago). The king had a big party attended by his son and other relatives. They enjoyed seeing soldiers performing in a Tang Soo Do presentation.

Other books besides Tae Jong Sil Rok give evidence of the practice of Tang Soo Do during the YI Dynasty. An especially important and useful book was the Muye Dobo Tongji (Military Arts Manual). It was the culmination of several earlier publications where an original description of six techniques was added to until its final content of 24 techniques was published. These techniques were derived from various schools of martial artistry. The presence of this book during the Yi Dynasty establishes the existence of Tang Soo Do beyond any reasonable doubt. The books increased the popularity of Tang Soo Do to the point at which the army used Tang Soo Do competitions as potential recruitment opportunities.

Training in Tang Soo Do varied in technique from one place to another, depending on the method, style, period and location. Archery, for example, was most popular under King Se Jo, 7 monarch of that period. Later, during the reign of King Sun Jo, the book “Chun Bo” was written describing the techniques of Gun Bong (basic stick art) by Han Kyo. In addition, the “Hyun Rung Ji” (Name of Book) described Sip Pal Ki (18 techniques) for the Juk Chang Tchang (the long spear). Such study became popular and the name Sip Pal Ki was most commonly to refer to the martial arts. Later in this same period, a book of 24 techniques of Ki Yee (the art of horsemanship) was added to Sip Pal Ki. Ja Be was another term commonly used to refer to Tang Soo Do. By and large, despite the presence of scrolls, books and statuary, the arts were handed down by word of mouth to the present day.
Towards the end of the Yi Dynasty, a style of fighting developed called Taekkyon, which employed only foot techniques. (Taekkyon is not related to the current Tae Kwon Do). There are still people who practice the techniques and who have seen Taekkyon used by older people in Korea. Taekkyon is uncommon and was banned by the Japanese during their occupation but has been named as a national treasure by the South Korean government.

Taekyon developed from ancient Tang Soo Do, and modern Tang Soo Do has benefited by incorporating the superb foot techniques into its style. Other popular martial arts at the time included Sip Pal Ki (18 technique style), Sam Sip Yuk Ki (36 technique style), Sip Pal Ban (18 techniques), Sip Pal Jong (18 techniques), Sam Sip Yuk Jong (36 techniques), and of course Tang Soo Do.

The various martial arts of Korea were practised to the end of the Yi Dynasty (1907). The study of these arts halted during the Japanese occupation of Korea, ending in 1945. At that time modern Tang Soo Do began.

This is relating just to pre 1945 events.

Post 1945 -


The modern development of Tang Soo Do is heavily indebted to Grand Master Hwang Kee who formed the Moo Duk Kwan (Korean Martial Art Academy) on 9th of November 1945.Grand Master Kang Uk Lee, now 10th Dan and one of Grand Master Hwang Kee's most senior students, introduced Tang Soo Do to the United Kingdom and South East Asia in the early 1970s. His inspiration and guidance were instrumental in the increase in popularity and development of Tang Soo Do in Europe. The following is an account of how Grand Master Hwang Kee set up the modern Tang Soo Do organisation and how it evolved into a global organisation.

Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Kee was born on 9th of November, 1914. His first contact with martial arts was at the age of 7 when he witnessed a man defeat several attackers with various hand and foot movements. He then followed the man home and from a distance he attempted to copy the movements. One day he plucked up the courage and asked the man to teach him but was refused on account of his young age. Nevertheless, he could not forget this experience and continued to practise what he had seen. In May 1936 he was working for the rail road company in Manchuria and he met a Chinese Master Yang, Kuk Jin. After several requests a friend, Mr Park, and himself were accepted as students.

As Grand Master Hwang Kee began to learn martial arts under the Chinese martial arts master, Master Yang, in 1936. The training with Master Yang may have influenced the Moo Duk Kwan system. A major teaching point of the Chinese martial arts systems is that of legendary thinker Confucius, a very influential teacher even to this day his teachings are still widely held in high esteem through his version of the ethic of reciprocity: do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you, this may have also had an influence in the process of bowing before sparring, coupled with the bow being a mark of respect in Japan and humility (a disposition to be humble), two features that should be found in any martial artist regardless of the style that they practice. Another major development of Tang Soo Do is the twisting of the hip, the hip twist allows for much more power to be generated into every move. Grand Master Hwang Kee recognised this and such every move in Tang Soo Do features this hip twist, one key idea is that less you do and the bigger the effect the greater the accomplishment. This can be seen in the hip twist, a tiny movement with massive power.

The training consisted of basics and conditioning (strengthening of bones to resist larger loads of material, related to Wolff's Law which states that “bone in a healthy person or animal will adapt to the loads it is placed under. If loading on a particular bone increases, the bone will remodel itself over time to become stronger to resist that sort of loading. The external cortical portion of the bone then becomes thicker as a result. The converse is true as well: if the loading on a bone decreases, the bone will become weaker due to turnover, it is less metabolically costly to maintain and there is no stimulus for continued remodelling that is required to maintain bone mass.” This means that bones become stronger if they are put under more stress. Wolff's Law was developed by the German Anatomist/Surgeon Julius Wolff (1836-1902) in the 19th century).

During the Japanese occupation we are presented with the reason as to why we have little information regarding the history of Tang Soo Do and other Korean past events. Means of cultural suppression included “altering” public monuments, including several well-known temples, palaces, scripts, memorials, and statues. Songs and poems originally dedicated to Korean Emperors were re-written to adore the Japanese Emperor. Carved monuments underwent alterations to the Chinese characters to delete or change part of their meaning. Sungnyemun, a virtual symbol of Korea, was altered by the addition of large, Shinto-style golden horns near the roofs (later removed by the South Korean government after independence). The primary building of Gyeongbokgung was demolished and the Japanese General Government Building was built in its exact location. The Japanese colonial authorities destroyed 85 percent of all the buildings in Gyeongbokgung. The Korean History Compilation Committee confiscated and burned Korean history books. Many ancient Korean texts that were discovered mentioning Korean military and cultural exploits or Japan's behaviour as the Wokou were deleted methodically; in general, the awareness of Korean history among Koreans declined during this period; meaning that while the old generation of Koreans could not forget their history, the new generation grew up with little or no awareness of their own heritage. This however led to renewed interest into Korean heritage by a number of people. The large resentment of the harsh treatment of Koreans eventually led to a revival of Korean nationalism, including in-depth research projects into Hangul, the Korean alphabet, which resulted in the standardization of the Korean writing system by scholars such as Lee Hui-Seung (이희승) and Choe Hyeon-bae (최현배) in the 1930s, as well as underground publications of books about historical Korean figures. Historians, such as Shin Chae-ho, were active in trying to present a Koreanised version of ancient history using textual material.

Together with Tae Geuk Kwon and Dam Toi form and application (both styles of martial art). He returned to Seoul in August 1937 and began work for the Chosun railway in 1939. After the end of World War Two in 1945 Grand Master Hwang Kee founded the Moo Duk Kwan school which means “Institute of Martial Virtue”. It was his aim to better peoples lives through martial art. He had a philosophy which brought together the Taoist view of nature (there is an interdependent relationship between all things); the virtue of Buddhism and the conduct of Confucian ethics (ancestors and deities, the etiquette of daily behaviour and social and political institutions). Central to this theme were the basic principles used by an elite warrior corp. and created by a Buddhist monk many centuries before. He too believed that the martial artist should be a scholar.

Hwang Kee first used the name “Hwa Soo Do” to describe his art, unfortunately this was unsuccessful. At the beginning of 1947 he started to teach Tang Soo Do (Moo Duk Kwan, Tang being a more widely known term in Korea). However on the 25th of June, 1950 the Korean War began. Grand Master Hwang Kee had to move his training further south of Seoul, he taught at Cho Ryang train station in Pu San city during 1951. After the end of the war, in 1953 he returned to teach in Seoul, by May 1955 he was able to lease a building in front of the central station which became the legendary “Joong Ang Do Jang”. Grand Master Hwang Kee then began to develop the art scientifically by incorporating the twisting of the hips with each move to increase its effectiveness.

The police, schools and the military all sought instruction of Tang Soo Do and as a result of this the number of Do Jangs grew all over Korea. The Moo Duk Kwan system was also taught at the Naval and Air Force Academy of Korea, around this time the art was in constant demand by American servicemen in the region.

In 1957 Grand Master Hwang Kee came across the Moo Yei Do Bo Tong Ji. It is the oldest and most valuable historical documentation of the ancient Korean art known as “Soo Bahk”. He then spent many years interpreting the text to understand its meaning. On the 30th of June, 1960 he incorporated Moo Duk Kwan as as the Korean Soo Bahk Do Association as the traditional martial art of Korea.

In May of 1961 there were discussions of unifying all of the Kwan styles in Korea under one name. The Moo Duk Kwan was the most successful of the Kwans and it was proposed that the Moo Duk Kwan should have 3 of 21 seats on the board of directors and that the new name would be known as Tae Kwon do. Tang Soo Do had not been considered as it has Chinese connotations (Tang refers to the Chinese Tang Dynasty (June 18, 618 – June 4, 907) and translated means way of the China Hand). Tang Soo Do is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese characters 唐手道. Tang Soo Do literally means "Chinese hand way". The same characters are pronounced karate-dō in Japanese. The first character, 唐, (which initially referred to China) was later changed to 空, by Funakoshi Gichin (creator of Shotokan Karate) to mean "empty" rather than "China". Outside of the far east, the term "Tang Soo Do" has primarily become synonymous with the Korean martial art promoted by Hwang Kee. Grand Master Hwang Kee refused to take part in the unification process as he felt that Soo Bahk Do was the traditional martial art of Korea.

Increasing pressure was put on Soo Bahk Do and many remaining members moved over to the newly formed Tae Kwon Do. Attempts were made to shut down the Soo Bahk Do Association. In 1965 Grand Master Hwang Kee made legal proceedings against the Korean government in the high courts of justice. He won the lawsuit in November 1965 and the Soo Bahk Do had an ensured future however the government continued the fight in the supreme courts in January of 1966. In the June of 1966 the courts ruled in favour of Grand Master Hwang Kee and he was the victor once again. This would allow him to run his organisation without interference and thereby work to rebuild his organisation.

By the 1970s sanctions were eased and Moo Duk Kwan schools were established in the UK, USA, Greece, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Malaysia, Brunei and Australia. The United Kingdom Tang Soo Do Federation was established in 1974 as a designated branch of the Korean Soo Bahk Do association. It was headed by Master Lee, Kang UK then a 7th Dan. He was promoted to 8th Dan in 1979 and later formed his own organisation in 1989 very similar to Hwang Kee's. Thus leading to the creation of the United Kingdom Tang Soo Do Federation (UKTSDF).


However, whilst this was what I had found I had some questions about it. There is a widely held belief that Tang Soo Do is centuries old and is a fully indigenous art to Korea if that is the case then why are formations found in the Japanese and Okinawan systems that predate recorded Tang Soo Do history? If TSD was as significant as the research shows then it would mentioned in the muye dobo tong ji but there is no mention of TSD only Subak is mentioned.

It seems to me that this could almost be a nationalistic move to try and preserve the history of Korea and everything in itdespite there being no evidence for it, much like the many martial arts schools that claim to be related to the shaolin temple but have no evidence to support this.

Don't get me wrong here I enjoy TSD immensely and I enjoy training but sometimes the truth is sexed up to make it appear more interesting than it truly is and that can lead to people becoming mislead in their search for what TSD is or any martial art is for that matter.

Martial fact or martial myth? I can't say really I havn't done enough research but invariably a lot of research is covered up by hidden agendas and some writers writing just what they want the reader to read and nothing else.

Hope that helps...

 

Power plant

I studied Tang soo do mu do kwan back in the day from Kim Ki Whang in Silver Spring , Md.-It was understood that Northern China kicking techniques heavily influenced the style.
In those days ( early 70's ). Tang soo do used more variety of kicking than tae kwon do. This changed due to the tournament competition ( we would "steal" techniques from one another ). After a while, everybody used the same stuff.

 

The problem with TANGSOODO, is that noone has ever actually identified the Chinese Connection. Hwang Kee needed to be much more forthcoming about what material he got from where and to what extent. If he truely studied at a Chinese Government gym in Manchuria while working for the railroad he needed to come up-front and say so. If he took information out of books rather than learn it in a class, he needed to say so. The KMA has no-end of trouble because modern Korean practitioners were anything but transparent about what they were doing. My own personal opinion is that the Korean practitioners are far more interested in exploiting their history for what they can get out of it than anything else.

 

Adding more controversy about Tang Soo Do..... I read about Master Won Kuk Lee, founder of Chung Do Kwan, to be the first ever to use the term: "Tang" with "Soo" and "Do". And not Hwang Kee, who later used it.

 

AMEN BRUCE

The deal is that many instructors from Korea who came to the U.S. simply made up their own history, rank, and arts. They lied.

The new Korean government documentary is an effort to report the legit founders and traditional martial arts arts taught in Korea.

Example: Joo Bong Lee is NOT the founder of Hwarang do in Korea. He MAY be the founder of his OWN American Hwarang do.

There will be many red faces soon.

 

Yeah...well..... its been years now and every time somebody asks about the truth the answer always seems to include some fear of offending people, loss of "face" and so forth. Maybe its about time we got the truth out in the open, got the red faces over with and moved on. Its kinda like those TITANIC t-shirts that read "The boat sank; get over it!!" I see the same thing with the Korean practices. "The so-&-so's lied; get over it already!!"

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

Joo Bang Lee claimed to be the founder of MODERN Hwa Rang Do, not the founder of Hwa Rang Do from ancient Korea. He admits to the help of forming Hwa Rang Do to what it is, with people like: Jin Han Jae, In Hyuk Suh, Kim Wu Tak, etc. The thing is, everyone assumes these things, or that these masters are lying, until they train under them. I have been fortunate enough to talk with many of these great men and they all said the same thing: if they were only to teach the historical "ancient" forms and techniques, they would not have all that much to teach.
In Kuk Sool Won, In Hyuk Suh is more than proud to admit he came up with the color belt forms...which were developed during the Kuk Sool Hap Hyul Hwe period, and if you notice, the forms in Hwa Rang Do look VERY similiar to what we're doing. Hmmm....I even remember being taught Go Geup Hyung very similiar to a way I saw from Tae Joon Lee's own school (a demo there). Some masters are flat out liars and say they are the decendents of some ancient lineage. Others just teach. I say, ignore the liars and focus on the teachers!

 

OK-but those books written by Lee I bought in the late 70s are titled :"The Ancient Martial Art of Hwarang Do". Not the ancient philosophy of same. They are still sold under the same titles today.

 

Yes, ok.
But now, are we going to believe the so called "official" truth?
After so many years?
What about Myong Jae Nam, Myung Kwang Sik, Bong Soo Han, Choi Yong Sul, etc... who already passed away... who is left to face and answer these "new questions" ?
Every human activity has money somehow, behind it. And with money, there's always politics. And now, are we going to face the new R.O.K. politics on K.T.M.A.s?
Remember, there is no objective truth... at least in history. It is impossible to know what really happened on those years, who was who, etc. The "truth" is an artificial human construct.
Maybe we should focus on our own knowledge, and who taught us all of these: our teachers. Respect.

 

I would also like to mention that there was information put out not so very long ago by LEE Joo Bang's son, Tae-Jon that once more identified his father as the 50-something inheritor of the Hwa Rang tradition. Now, when a kids own father qualifies his statement and the son reverts to the original declaration what are the rest of us suppose to think?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L6wLtalQYc"]YouTube - Hwa Rang Do: The Untold Story of the Formation of the Modern Korean Martial Arts - Part 1[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s31shy-TdrE&feature=related"]YouTube - Hwa Rang Do: The Untold Story of the Formation of the Modern Korean Martial Arts - Part 2[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w4HiCrv2bI&feature=related"]YouTube - Hwa Rang Do: The Untold Story of the Formation of the Modern Korean Martial Arts - Part 3[/ame]

 

A very interesting presentation. For myself, it seems to bear the classic hallmarks of Korean marketing. If one were to change the names and few other details this could be the same story told by SUH In Hyuk, or JI Han Jae or anyone else ---with the identified personality taking the lead part as "savior of Korean martial traditions".

Just once I would like to meet someone who says, "I gave my word to work with all other practitioners---regardless of their practice or what reward I might reap--- and thats what I did". Instead, what I get repeatedly is that it "must be my way, or no way at all."

Thanks all the same, though.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

Sorry,not sure what your point is.I merely showed that the titles of some books calling something "ancient" had not been changed over decades.Yeah,I know it's marketing.

Truth is an artificial human construct-well,I shan't get into semantical/philosophical debate. I will however use the words in a language as the language defines the meaning of said words.

From Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language-"truth ...c) the quality of being in accordance with experience,facts,or reality:conformity with facts."

No objective truth in history? What's that mean?It's not an objective truth that the Mongols established the Yuan dynasty,or that Japan was subjected to the detonations of two atomic bombs in 1945,or that the Army of Northern Virginia was defeated-(as in failed to accomplish their objective)- on the field in a three day battle in Pennsyvania,U.S.A. in July of 1863?

Your statement simply isn't truthful.Objectively speaking.

I am enjoying reading your posts in the discussions here.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled historical wrangling-something which is unfortunately all too common in many of our martial spheres.

 

Agreed.... there is this blurry line where reporting history becomes an evaluation of history. For instance....it is a historical fact that the US military dropped atomic devices on two cities in Japan. In reporting that event a person might choose to represent it as an act of war---pure and simple--- while another might argue that it never occured because (as they see it) it was never an act of war but an act of mass-murder or even genocide.

In the case of the various issues that developed after WW II regarding Korean Military traditions there simply was no level playing field and a host of people were vying with each other for leadership and dollars. I think, in this way, one can say that various events took place, but the interpretation or "spin" on these events has, by now, eclipsed the actual events.

There is also one other piece that deserves recognition.

Over the last few decades people have come to the fore to dig-into these historical events. There have been huge debates (aka: "flame wars") about who did what and to whom. Sometimes there is a revelation that finally debunks this or that misrepresentation. All well and good. However, I have noticed that in the months following these "insights" the common practitioner gradually reasserts the original "faulty information" simply because it is more pleasing or "fun" to believe the incorrect information than accept the accurate information. Just people being people.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

Background of Korean martial arts
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xz_6MUYHcM&feature=related"]YouTube - Background of Korean martial arts[/ame]


The Korea tradition martial arts in Korea were created after WW2 entirely.

Or it is the copy of other countries.


ITF Hp
"Taekwondo is copying of Japanese Shotokan　Karate"



[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7BoI4gWXN4"]YouTube - （字幕）クムド（KUMDO)ã¯æ造ã€éŸ“国人もèªã‚ã¦ã„ã‚‹[/ame]



[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtZ2lYKDHA8"]YouTube - Hwarang History[/ame]


Kumdo Fraud - Bonguk Geom
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0NObemdQDE&feature=related"]YouTube - Kumdo Fraud - Bonguk Geom[/ame]

When the armed forces of Hideyoshi invaded and attacked to Korea, in a march by the foot, it is approximately 1 month in time when it needed it till they let soul fall.
（Distance from Pusan to Seoul is 800km.）

It proves that it was inferior in Korean military power.
The king escapes first.

Yu Song-Ron（柳　成龍）which at that time, was Korea bureaucrat leaves it.

There are 100 generals in Korea.
However, there is none of the generals training a soldier.

（Yu Song-Ron is an ancestor of Korean popular actor Ryu Si-wong.）

 

Unfortunately, these are exactly the sorts of misrepresentations that make this thread necessary. Its not that your comments aqre totally inaccurate, but that are not totally accurate either and its this very problem that allows the Korean traditions to be misrepresented. It may be worthwhile to furnish some citations, yes?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

http://www.geocities.jp/bxninjin2004/themeoftoday_e/themeoftoday_ec.htm


As for Kim which wrote this sentence, house arrest seems to be in a state now by the Korea government.

In Korea, it is only Taekkyon to use the traditional dress.
However, the Korean who talked on a net said.
"Taekkyon is play of the old child"

By the way, in the historical materials in China, Japan ruled the Korean Peninsura southern part.
Silla and Kudara submitted a prince to Japan as a hostage.
This is the same in the Japanese historical materials.

However, I educate you to the child that Korea ruled China and Japan in Korea.



I report that the Chinese for the history forgery by Korea flies into a rage by the yesterday's Chinese NetNews.

As a famous example.

The Iris Festival clause is the festival that has begun to mourn over the death of the Chinese military commander.
There is this in Japan, and I change in a Japanese style, but it is China in the origin.

But I registered it with Unesco as culture of the Korea origin in Korea.

 

This all very old information. You are mixing actions and motive of Post-WW II individuals and using that to denigrate 600 years of martial tradition. The educated people with whom I communicate already know what a mess the Occupation and Post-Occupation did to the Korean culture. These same folks also know that the Japanese played the same head-games with their own traditions as well. So did the Chinese. I guess I am failing to understand your point. Help?

BTW: I am also more than a little concerned that the videos that I watched are as uninformed against the Korean traditions as many modern Korean sources are for traditions. Do any of you folks ever actually get out of your apartments and research something on your own?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

The man in the second video is an angry little boy. I got to the "no horse kicking possible" explination, and I have to agree....however, it wasn't used for men going at full charge. It was used for horseman that were occupied at the moment while another man ran up and then kicked him off (stationary target more or less). I've watched a few of his rants and while he is educated about Japanese martial arts, he does not bother to look into the history of Korean martial arts. Sorry, this comment does not help the current discussion, but the man is dangerous because he has only half the facts.