The Origins of Modern Taekwondo -
Condensed from “Taekwondo Journal”, Fall 1994
Part 1
The modern art of Taekwondo has a rich history that dates back nearly 2000 years. Korean ancestors who settled in several trivial states after the neolithic age had primitive martial arts. Yongko in Booyuh State; Tonmaeng in Koguryo, Moochon in Ye and Mahan and Kabi in the Silla Dynasty are examples of the martial arts which were practiced in Korean religious rites.
These eventually developed into exercises to improve health and martial abilities.This activity was concentrated in the Northern section of the peninsula under the Koguryo Dynasty, founded in 37 B.C.There is documented evidence of specialized hand and foot fighting during this era. Ruins of royal tombs contain murals depicting practice of unarmed combat. In 1935, Japanese archaeologists discovered two Koguryo Dynasty royal tombs located in Tunku, China and in the Tunghau Province of Manchuria, where Koguryo had its capital. The ceiling murals show two men practicing ancient Taekwondo and two men wrestling. The construction of these tombs occurred in 3 A.D. and 427 A.D., allowing us to surmise the age of Taekwondo.
Park Hyukguseh founded the Kingdom of Silla (57 B.C. – 935 A.D.) and made Kyung-Joo in southeastern Korea its capital. Beginning as weak, disorganized tribes, Silla emerged as a power in the 4th Century. Because of its location, it was not spared military raids from neigh-boring kingdoms and Japan. Survival required the marshaling of a strong army. Taekyon, the old name of Taekwondo, was practiced in the Silla Dynasty.
Silla’s military leadership grew from the intense loyalty of its tribal clans. So cohesive was their unity that Silla overcame Paekche and Koguryo. Chinheung, the 24th King of Silla, who was instrumental in this, assembled the Hwarang-Do.
The Hwarang-Do were an elite fighting corps which received regular military weapons training and learned a special mind and body discipline. To achieve endurance, they voluntarily exposed themselves to severe hardships, comparable to the most rigorous modern training programs.
Illustration excerpted from the “Record Book of Military Arts” (Muye Dobo Yong Ji) written in 1790 during the Yi dynasty.
Silla’s culture and martial arts were strongly influenced and enriched by the Hwarang-Do, which developed into a military, educational and social organization for noble youth.
Its core was an institution peculiar to Silla called Hwarang, which means Flower Knights (or Flower of Youth) a sort of military academy and vestige of tribal youth bands. Its members were young aristocrats dedicated to serving in war.
In addition to practical training, they visited famous mountains (doubtlessly in belief of spirits) and engaged in ritual songs and dances to pray for the nation’s welfare.
| 57 BC | Kingdom of Silla founded. |
| 935 AD | Silla overthrown and Kingdom of Koryo founded. (From “Koryo” comes the name “Korea”.) |
| 1909 | Japanese occupying Korea forbid the practice of martial arts. The martial arts go underground. |
| 1945 | Korea liberated from Japan. |
| 1950s | Taekwondo is first introduced to the U.S. |
| 1955 | Various martial arts of Korea united under the name “Taekwondo”. |
| 1972 | The world headquarters for Taekwondo, the Kukkiwon, is established. |
| 1973 | World Taekwondo Federation is established. |
| 1974 | Taekwondo admitted to the U.S. Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). |
| 1981 | Taekwondo becomes an official event in the World Games. |
| 1984 | AAU Taekwondo Union becomes the United States Taekwondo Union. |
| 1988 | Taekwondo becomes a demonstration sport in the Seoul Olympics. |
| 2000 | Taekwondo becomes a full medal sport in the Sydney Olympics. |
Part 2
Silla Dynasty culture and martial arts were strongly influenced and enriched by the Hwarang-Do, which developed into a military. educational, and social organization for noble youth. Buddhist monks were often instructors of the Hwarang.
The great monk and scholar, Won-Gwang Bopsah, authored the famous Five Codes of Honor or Five Commandments – the basic rules of Hwarang-Do. These tenets form the basis of Taekwondo and are:
- Loyalty to the King and Nation.
- Respect and obedience to one’s parents.
- Faithfulness to one’s friends.
- Courage in battle and not to retreat.
- Avoidance of unnecessary violence and killing.
These commandments are viable today, though they may be expressed in modem language. Loyalty to lawful rulers, honor to parents and friends, bravery in battle and mercy mixed with justice in necessary killing, are basic human dignity. They are still the foundation of a full and virtuous life and an inspiration to heroism.
The Hwarang-Do were legendary not only for battlefield deeds, but for their entire way of life. They inspired Silla to throw off enemies, to coalesce disparate groups, and to unite the Korean peninsula. Scattered descriptions in documents of the three Kingdoms, such as the Samgook-Yoosa (history of the three nations), the oldest document of Korean history, show that the Hwarang-Do not only regarded Taekwondo as essential physical and military training, but recommended it as a recreational activity. In 935 A.D., the Kingdom of Silla was overthrown and the Kingdom of Koryo was founded. From Koryo comes the western name, Korea.
During the Koryo Dynasty, Taekyon, the original name for Taekwondo, flourished, as Koryo’s survival depended on a strong martial spirit. Taekyon became a compulsory part of every soldier’s training and the country produced some of its finest warrior heroes.
In the Koryo Dynasty, Taekyon, then termed Soobak, was practiced not only for health and sport, but it was also encouraged as an important martial art. Soobak is believed to have gained its highest popularity during the reign of King Ui-Jong (1147-1170 A.D.), which roughly corresponds to the Chinese Sung and Ming Dynasties, during which Kung-Fu became widely popular.
In China, martial arts are known as Kung-Fu; in Indonesia it is called Selamban; Sabate in France; Karate, Judo and Aikido in Japan; Samba in Russia; Boslat in Malaysia and Kick Boxing in Thailand. Some of these self-defense forms are as old as mankind itself.
| The code of the Hwarang-Do is one that many taekwondo students are familiar with. But there is another code, The Way of Pal-Gwe – that is just as relevant, perhaps more so, to modern practitioners. You’ll note that Pal-Gwe is the name of another group of forms that we teach. The Pal-Gwe forms join Taeguk forms as official forms for U.S.T.U. and W.T.F. competition. The basic philosophy behind Pal-Gwe is understanding yourself and your relatinship to the Universe, or your relationship to your environment in the broadest sense. This includes:
Pal-Gwe deals with the individual, and the relationships of the individual to oneself and others. The Hwarang-Do Code deals more with the relationship of an individual to society and to the organizations within it. Both philosophies offer food for thought for those of us who are studying this ancient martial art in modern times. |
Part 3
In the Yi Dynasty, a book was published to teach Soobak as a game and it became more popular among the general public. However it still remained important to the military. People who aspired to the royal military were eager to leam Soobak because it was one of the major subjects tested. Soobak became an important national art and attracted much attention from both the royal court and the general public during the Yi Dynasty.
However, in the latter half of the Yi Dynasty, Soobak began to decline into merely a recreational activity for ordinary people. After 500 years of rule, the Koryo Dynasty declined and with it, Taekwondo.The new reign was non-military and even anti-military. A period of “civil enlightenment” set in, during which anything related to military training was frowned upon. By the end of the Yi Dynasty, martial arts had completely disappeared.
The final blow to the arts came with the Japanese occupation in 1909, when it was forbidden to practice any martial arts. However, Taekyon survived among stalwarts by being successfully passed on to a handful of students.
Many Koreans, oppressed at home, emigrated to study and work elsewhere, including China and Japan. No restrictions on unarmed martial arts training existed in these countries, and for the first time in over a thousand years, Taekyon was exposed to other forms of unarmed self-defense. This proved to be an enriching development. Taekyon not only survived, but with the challenge, it became stronger, more refined, and ultimately prevailed over it’s rivals.
With the liberation of Korea in 1945, its post-occupational emigres returned with the newly improved Taekyon and Soobak. They also brought various names indicating particular emphases, such as Tangsoodo, Kwonbup, Konsoodo, and Soobakdo. In 1955, however, the board of head instructors, historians, and other prominent promoters chose the name Taekwondo as the new title of Korea’s national martial art of self-defense.
Finally, in 1961, the Korean Taekwondo Association was formed and KTA was given official membership in the Korean Amateur Sports Association.
In 1972, the Kukkiwon (Institute for the National Sport) was established in Seoul and became the main educational and training headquarters of the Korean Taekwondo Association.
Today, more than 30 million people (including more than 2 million black belts) in over 120 countries practice the modern martial art of Taekwondo. Anyone practicing Taekwondo, whether Korean or not, can be proud of it’s 2000 year history.