History - The Origins of Tae Kwon Do

Brief Historical Outline

Two hundred years after the birth of Christ, Korea was divided into three kingdoms: Koguryo, Paekche and Silla. These three kingdoms formed the peninsula now known as Korea. This era in Korean history is often referred to as a warring period in which war and killing were a way of life. China invaded many times from the North while Japanese Samurai came from the South and Manchurian and Mongolian troops invaded from what is today known as the Soviet Union.

All these invasions were ultimately defeated by the Sun Bae and Haw Rang warriors.

Founded in the Koryo Kingdom was the Sun Bae Warrior. In order to become a Sun Bae Warrior one had to have superior honor, courage and warrior skills.

Silla was the birthplace of the Hwa Rang Warrior, the most significant factor in the establishment of power and the unification of the peninsula.

The Hwa Rang warrior followed in the footsteps of the Sun Bae, yet harmonised their martial skills with the law of nature (Yin and Yang) - The quality of life, every positive has a negative; black/white, light/dark, hard/soft, good/bad, war/peace etc. The Hwa Rang, "flowering youth", were specially selected members of the nobility. They were taught to become models of the culture as well as chivalrous warriors. In addition they were taught dance, literature, the arts and sciences, healing, archery, charioteering and a military art known as Tae Kyon, a training especially concerned with foot techniques, and Kwon Bop, hand combat. These arts are the foundation to the modern forms of Martial Arts

A famous buddhist priest, Won Kang Bopsa, developed the Hwa Rang system. Buddhism was the state religion of the time, and helped to develop education and the arts, as large numbers of monks travelled north to study in China and brough back new knowledge. The code of honor on which the Hwa Rang was based was loyalty to the nation, respect and obedience to one's parents, faithfulness to one's friend, courage in battle and avoidance of unnecessary violence and killing.

Kokuryo Dynasty (37 - 669 AD)

Along the stream of the Aproh River there are tombs dating back about 1,500 years. The walls of the tombs show murals of Martial Arts of that time

Silla Dynasty (668 - 935 AD)

The Martial Arts is present in various Buddhist sculptures of that period along with the "Thirteen Shaolin Monks". Dal Ma Dai Sa and Mo Ryun Dai Sa, two well known Buddhist monks who practiced martial arts, as well as the presence of the Shaolin temple in China.

Ko Ryo Dynasty (935 - 1392 AD)

The Ko Ryo dynasty picked up the Martial arts gauntlet from its predecessors and elevated it to a great popularity among its common people. Records indicate that the Ko Ryo dynasty practiced Tae Kwon Do (termed Subak at that time) as a martial art as well as a sporting activity.

Yi Dynasty

During the Yi dynasty books were written to teach Tae Kwon Do. These gave the teachings to the people rather than restrict it to the military. Towards the end of the Yi dynasty a fighting art called Tae Kyun was practiced but was never classed as a martial art as there was lack of mental discipline. It was like a form of street fighting.

Also Subak's importance as a martial art declined, but retained its popularity as a recreation for the common people. The subsequent occupation of Korea in the early 1900's saw an end to the Yi dynasty and a restriction to the practice of martial arts.

Japanese Occupation

During the Japanese occupation the martial arts were again supressed for fear of general uprising. The terminology for the Korean martial arts again changed several times. It was known as Kong Soo (empty hand), Tang Soo (Tang Hand) and Hwa Soo (Hwa Rang hand) until the title Tae Kwon Do was officially adopted in 1955.

Modern Times (post 1945)

With the end of the Japanese Occupation and Worl War II, the martial arts were once again allowed to flourish. Each major school or Kwan were founded and recognised as key figures in the formation of Tae Kwon Do as we know it today. Each school emphasised slightly different techniques and trained different styles known as Tang Soo Do, Kwon Bop, Bong Soo Do, Kong Soo Do and Soo Bak Do. Other smaller schools also existed such as Hap Ki Do, Kul Sool Won etc. Dissention between the various Kwans prevented the formation of a central regulating board for ten years. yet, during those years, the martial arts gained a strong foothold when the newly formed Korean armed forces (1945). This set a great turning point for Korean martial arts. In 1952, at the height of the Korean war, President Syngman Rhee watched a demonstration by Korean Masters and was so impressed that he order training in the martial arts as part of regular military training.

Following the end of the Korean War in 1953, the Korean 29th Infantry Division was established on Che Ju island. This unit was responsible for all Tae Kyon training in the Korean Army. Two years later on the 11th of April 1955 representatives of seven of the Kwans formed a committee. They were lead by General Choi Hong Ki. The name Tae Kwon Do was accepted by the Kwan masters as the new title for the Korean Martial Art. They way of the hand and foot because it accurately describes the nature of the art. Later in 1972, for having dealings with North Korea, General Choi was banished from South Korea. He moved to Canada and set up the Headquarters of the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF).

Until the formation of the Korean Taekwondo Assocation on the 14th December 1961, and indeed the next few years thereafter, there remained much animosity between the various masters. The first leaders of the Korean Taekwondo Association saw the potential for spread and growth and used their authority to send instructors and demonstration teams to every continent. Tae Kwon Do had begun to blossom, that had developed for being an effective fighting system that more and more schools sprung up everywhere. Also, the South Vietnamese government requested instructors to train its troops.

The History of Moo Duk Kwan

The Mood Duk Kwan name is well known internationally, however there are very few practitioners who have an accurate knowledge of the Moo Duk Kwan and its history. It was the largest and strongest martial art style in Korea until April 1961. In May of 1961 it faced a political conflict that has lasted over 30 years and has caused extreme difficulties for its development. It has been a confusing period for all Moo Duk Kwan practitioners not knowing what actually happened during this period since 1961. The political conflicts have created a lack of visbility and have stifled the rightful presentation of the Moo Duk Kwan led by Hwang Kee. This is why many martial arts practitioners have limited or inaccurate knowledge of the Moo Duk Kwan and its history. In celebration of the 50th anniversary Hwang Kee has just published a book on the history of the Moo Duk Kwan. Grand Master Hwang Kee.

The martial art of Tang Soo Do is 50 years old. It began when Grand Master Hwang Kee began teaching is Seoul, Korea in the fall of 1945. He mastered Soo Bahk Do and Tae Kyun by the age of 22. In 1936, Master Kee travelled to northern China where he encountered a Chinese variation of martial artistry called the Tang method. He studied the Tang method of Kung Fu from 1936 to 1945 and combined it with Soo Bahk Do to develop what he would call Tang Soo Do. Grand Master Hwang Kee has been the driving force behind the spread of Tang Soo Do throughout the world. He continues to head up the Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation from his headquarters in Seoul, Korea.

Soo Bahk Do was first developed by the Silla Dynasty (818 - 935 AD), but flowered during the Koryo dynasty (935 - 1392 AD) Tang Soo Do derives its hardness from Soo Bahk Do and its softness from northern Chinese Kung Fu. Grand Master Kee said his art is 60% Soo Bahk Do, 30% northern Chinese Kung Fu and 10% southern Chinese Kung Fu. Tang Soo Do Moo Duk kwan means "a brotherhood and school of stopping inner and outer conflict and developing virtue according to the way of the worthy hand". Some have shortened this definition to "Art of the knife hand". Here is what Grand Master Kee said about his art: "It is not a sport. Though it is not essentially competitive, it has great combat applications. It is a classical martial art, and its purpose is to develop every aspect of the self, in order to create a mature personality who totally integrates his intellect, body, emotions and spirit. This total integration helps to create a person who is free from inner conflict and who can deal with the outside world in a mature, intelligent, forthright and viruous manner

Exerts from the History of Moo Duk Kwan