History of Taekwondo (summary)

  
Taekwondo was created in the mid-1950s with the significant participation of General Choi Hong-Hi,
from the union of various combat schools and styles. Grave decorations in the Kingdom of Koguryo from
37 BC BC, in the north of Korea still show common taekwondo techniques and prove that at least
taekwondo-like fighting practices were known in Korea over 2000 years ago.
 
The history and development of the martial arts practiced there is as varied as the history of Korea, which
was divided into several kingdoms in ancient times. The weaponless art of fighting by means of kicks and
punches enjoyed great prestige among nobles and warriors in all Korean kingdoms. Regardless of whether
they were known in the kingdoms of Koguryo, Silla, Baekje or Koryo under the names Subak, Subyokta,
Kwontaek, Byon or Taekyon, they all served the purpose of being able to defend themselves in battle after
losing their weapons. After the unification of the four kingdoms, the unarmed struggle became less and
less important and popular. Martial arts were rarely practiced during the long Japanese
occupation. During this time, she mixed strongly with the karate newly discovered by the Japanese - just
like before with the Chinese kung fu. Despite everything, art has been preserved to this day. When Korea
was liberated from Japan after the Second World War, similar martial arts existed under different names
such as Tae-Soo-Do, Kung-Su or Tang-Soo-Do, the schools of which also practiced different forms. In the
mid-1950s, the highest Dan holders of the leading schools in Korea finally agreed on the name
"Taekwondo". There were similar martial arts under different names such as Tae-Soo-Do, Kung-Su or
Tang-Soo-Do, whose schools also practiced different forms. In the mid-1950s, the highest Dan holders of
the leading schools in Korea finally agreed on the name "Taekwondo". There were similar martial arts
under different names such as Tae-Soo-Do, Kung-Su or Tang-Soo-Do, whose schools also practiced
different forms. In the mid-1950s, the highest Dan holders of the leading schools in Korea finally agreed
on the name "Taekwondo".
 

History, origin and development (detailed version)

 
As in many countries from which martial arts originated, Korea has a centuries-old tradition of martial
arts. However, there is no direct causal influence from them on the emergence and initial development of
what should later become taekwondo.
 
The occasional claim that one of the propagated forerunners of taekwondo originated from the legendary
founder of the state, Dangun, that taekwondo is ultimately more than 4,000 years old and thus the oldest
martial art in East Asia, has no historical basis. However, Korea can undoubtedly look back on a martial
arts tradition that is around one and a half millennia old, but taekwondo cannot prove any direct
connection to these.
 
Origin and development of taekwondo
 
After 1910, Greater Korea was annexed to Japan. Everything that made up Korean culture and history was
systematically suppressed and banned. This also applied to traditional Korean forms of combat such as
Taekgyeon and Ssireum. The Japanese colonial masters brought styles of fighting such as Jiu Jitsu,
Kendo, Judo or Karate from home.
 
The five styles of origin
 
During the occupation of Korea, the Japanese dispersed gatherings of more than ten Koreans with their
whips. Martial arts or martial arts were traditionally a social activity in Korea. Unlike in Japan, there were
no forms, so training alone was not common. How u. a. Song Dok-ki for the Taekgyeon tradition,
competitions always played a big role. So there was no direct ban on martial arts or art, but the ban on
assembly naturally affected Taekgyeon, Ssireum and Gungsul just like all other Korean traditions, so they
were wiped out by a hair.
 
After the independence of Korea in 1945, Koreans who had learned Japanese karate in Japan and
Manchuria returned to their homeland. They opened the five original martial arts schools that would later
become taekwondo. All of these schools ended on Kwan, which literally means "hall".
 
Lee Won-Kuk had learned Shotokan karate from Gichin Funakoshi and began teaching Dangsudo in his
school, the Cheongdo-Kwan ("Hall of True Way") in Seoul in 1944. Lee fled to Japan in 1953 for political
reasons and emigrated to the United States in 1976.
Hwang Ki probably learned karate in Manchuria, which was also occupied by Japanese, from 1936, even if
he later adopted the style as a Chinese. In 1945 he founded the MooDuk Kwan in Seoul (such as the “Hall
of Fighting Virtues”). At first he also called his style Dangsudo, later, in Korea, Subakdo. Internationally,
he retained the name Dangsudo (written "Tang Soo Do", abbreviated TSD), under which his style is still
practiced today, especially in the United States.
Chun Sang-Sup had learned judo and karate while studying in Japan and in 1946 he joined Yeonmu-
Kwan, the largest Seoul judo school, where he also taught gongsudo in addition to judo. Chun is believed
to have been lost in the Korean War. His students then changed the school name to Jido-Kwan ("Way of
Wisdom").
Yoon Byung-In returned from Japan as the highest ranking Korean Karateka, where he had achieved 5th
Dan in Shudokan Karate with Kanken Toyama (Shudokan style founder). He is said to have learned Kwon
Bop (Chinese Quanfa / Kung fu) in Manchuria. He also founded Changmu-Kwan in Seoul's YMCA in 1946
and called his style (presumably for political, that is, anti-Japanese reasons) Kwon-Bop ("fist
method"). Yoon was probably deported to North Korea during the Korean War.
Ro Byung-Jik had learned Shotokan karate with Gichin Funakoshi together with Lee Won-Kuk and wore
1st Dan on his return. He founded his first school before independence in Kaesŏng in what is now North
Korea, but moved to Seoul in 1946 due to a lack of success and opened the Seongmu-Kwan (derived from
"Seong Do Kwan", the Korean pronunciation of the Japanese Shotokan).
 
The Dangsudo style
 
All of them initially called their style Dangsudo (Tangsoodo), "Path of the (Dang) China Hand", or
Gongsudo (Kongsoodo), "Path of the Empty Hand". In both cases, it is the Korean pronunciation of what
is read in Japanese karate. The word "karate" was changed in the 1930s from "(Dang) China hand" to
"empty hand". In these five first Seoul Taekwondo schools, one or the other type of karate was originally
trained, and it was introduced to foreigners until the 1960s as "Korean karate". However, there were
different standards for Dan exams between the schools. So before the Korean War there were first talks
about a possible umbrella organization,
 
This first association disintegrated after a few months because Hwang Ki single-handedly founded the
Korean Dangsudo Association in Seoul, whereupon Son Duk-sung also left the Gongsudo Association. In
the meantime, Son Duk-sung had taken over the leadership of the Cheongdo-Kwan, then the largest
civilian martial arts school.