History of Taewkon-do

Introduction
Korean mythology states that Korea was founded in 2333 BC by the holy legendary Dan Gun. Three rivalling dynasties competed for control of this land. They were known as the Koguryo, Silla, and Baekjae kingdoms.

Koguryo (37BC – 668AD)
The first kingdom to develop in Korea was the Koguryo, emerging in the north of the country in the 1st Century BC. Numerous surviving tomb paintings of this time show ancient warriors practising an art which was then called Subakki. This form of combat is significantly different to the Tae Kwon Do that is practised today, which has evolved over the years becoming more scientifically systemised.

The kingdom had a strong warrior corps called the Sonbae, which was formed to protect Koguryo. Sonbae means “a man of virtue who never recoils from fighting” and they were trained in Tae Kyon, a predecessor of Tae Kwon Do. The Sonbae were brave and civilised, living in groups where they learnt history and literary arts and devoted themselves to their nation. A notable ruler of the Koguryo dynasty was the 19th King Gwan Gae T’o Wang (Kwang Gae) 391-430AD.

Baekjae (18 BC- 600AD)
The equivalent of the Sonbae in the Baekjae kingdom was the Soo Sa. The Soo Sa also practised Tae Kyon and protected Baekjae militarily from hostile actions of the other kingdoms.

Silla (57 BC – 935 AD)
The equivalent of the Sonbae and Soo Sa in the Silla kingdom, was the Hwa Rang (Flowering Youth). This grouped were trained in Tae Kyon as well as mental, ethical and physical philosophy. It was here within the 29th infantry division that the art Tae Kyon was further developed.

The Hwa Rang Do eventually became the driving force for the unification of the Three Kingdoms under Silla in 668 AD. This enabled the spreading of the knowledge of Tae Kyon with the system based on five codes of human conduct:-

1.Be loyal to your country
2.Be obedient to your parents
3.Be trustworthy to your friends
4.Never retreat in battle
5.Never make an unjust kill

A notable introduction during the Silla period was Buddhism by the holy monk Won Hyo in 686AD. The Silla period ended in 935AD and was replaced by the Koryo dynasty which lasted until 1392.
Koryo (935-1392)
The focus of Tae Kyon changed during this period and the art became a more focused fighting art used in military training. Subakki (Tae Kyon contests) were held which were also popular among the public.

Chosun (or Yi) (1392-1910)
Tae Kyon was made popular to the masses during the Yi period with the publication of the first books on the subject. In the early part Yi dynasty, literacy and Confucianism were also popular with the Korean people. During this time prominent philosophers and scholars included:-

·Ad Chong Mon Chu (Po Eun) a poet, patriot and scientist 15th century
·Yi Hwang scholar and authority on Neo Confucianism (Toi Gye) 1501-1570
·Yi I scholar and philosopher (Yul Gok) known as the Confucius of Korea 1536-1584

In the later half of the Yi dynasty the art of Tae Kyon fell in to decline due to Japan assuming the governing role of Korea in 1906. The Japanese subsequently banned the practise of all Korean martial arts to exorcise their control over the country. The art of Tae Kyon only survived by teachings occurring in secret within families ensuring it was passed from generation to generation. The Yi dynasty ended on the 29th August 1910 when Korea was annexed by Japan and the monarchy abolished.
Japanese Influence and Control (1905-1945)
A Korean patriot of this time was Ahn Joong Gun who assassinated the first Japanese governing general of Korea, Hiro Bumi Ito on the 26th October 1909. He was executed for this at the age of 32 at Lui Shang prison in 1910.

Another patriot was An Chang Ho (Do San) 1878-1938 who devoted his life to the education of Korea and its independence movement.

In the face of this public unrest, the Japanese rule became increasingly more brutal and the teaching of Korean history and culture was banned. This period brought an influence of Karate in Korea with a number of Masters who were trained in this art, combining it with their previous experience of Tae Kyon.

Korea after 1945 –
At the end of World War II, Korea was liberated and many of the same Masters opened their own schools (Kwans) to teach their art. The Kwans that practised between 1946 and 1955 include:-

·Chung Do Kwan
·Moo Duk Kwan
·Yun Moo Kwan
·Chang Moo Kwan
·Chi Do Kwan
·Oh Do Kwan
·Ji Do Kwan
·Song Moo Kwan

Tae Kwon-Do was inaugurated on the 11th April 1955. The Kwans were united in 1955 under the name Tae Soo Do and by 1957 the name Tae Kwon-Do was accepted by the majority. The name was favoured for its similarity to the Korean traditional Tae Kyon name of the Three Kingdoms dynasty. General Choi Hong-Hi is recognised as the founder for his tireless efforts documenting, developing and promoting the art in Korea and across the world.

General Choi Hong-Hi (1918-2002) Founder of Taekwon-do

General Choi was born in North Korea and learnt Tae Kyon as a child. As a teenager he studied in Japan and whilst there, learnt Karate. Later he became a South Korean army General and trained his men in martial arts skills. In 1965 he formed the Korean Tae Kwon-Do Association (KTA) however due to political difficulties, he had to leave Korea. (General Choi made a good will visit to the North of Korea at a time when the government forbid it.)

General Choi set up the International Tae Kwon-Do Federation (ITF) in Canada in 1967. The KTA continued to exist in Korea and evolved into the World Tae Kwon-Do Federation (WTF) in 1973. The WTF focuses primarily on sparring and competition and is considered to be more sport orientated. In 2000, the WTF Tae Kwon-Do made its Olympic debut as a permanent event. The ITF practice the traditional style known as Chang-Hon, as catalogued by General Choi in his 15 volume encyclopaedia. This covers patterns (forms), breaking, sport sparring, self defence and fundamentals.

Today the two federations are still separate although steps have been made to attempt to unite them. This however will be difficult, as both organisations have grown apart. Notably the WTF do not train the original patterns as detailed by General Choi (ITF), having developed their own sets. These WTF patterns are less in number and are not such a priority in training. Also much of the Korean terminology used differs between the two federations.

Target Taekwon-do practices the original Chang-Hon style of Taekwon-do as of the founder and the ITF.