Chung Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do is a traditonal (non sport-oriented) martial
art from Korea. It is quite similiar to Japanese Shotokan, combining
its intensity, power, and clean technique with more of an emphasis on
kicking. Techniques are kept simple and versatile, focusing mostly on
speed and power generation.

Tae Kwon Do is a true martial
art with its roots in ancient Korea. Translated from Korean, Tae Kwon
Do means "foot hand way". Its beginnings date back at least
to 540 AD to the Hwarang-Do warrior society charged with protecting their
country. In fighting, the members of the Hwarang-Do inspired their followers’
confidence by punching barehanded through their opponents’ wooden armor.
They could spin-kick with such height and power that their feet were like
swords. But Hwarang-Do was more: members pledged to live an ethical life
that recognized the importance of loyalty to country, parents, and the
brotherhood of man, and to promote the cause of justice.

Dedication
This brief history is dedicated to Master Jonathan C. Henkel, 6th Dan,
Chung Do Kwan.

Introduction

The purpose of this history is to attempt to trace the roots of the
style of Chung Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do. To do this properly, it is necessary
to show how modern Tae Kwon Do developed, and to indicate how that development
took place. As the martial arts were often developed, transmitted, and
practiced in secret, precise historical conclusions are impossible. The
historical sequence described here is no better than probable, especially
for events before 1800. Unfortunately, however, even relatively recent
events in the Korean Martial
art have been clouded by deliberate efforts to rewrite history for
nationalistic or promotional purposes.

Tae Kwon Do is the youngest of all the Oriental martial
arts. Its history begins with the opening of the Chung Do Kwan dojang
in Soeul in 1944. At that time, Tae Kwon Do was predominantly Okinawan
/Japanese (2) Karate with minor contributions from Chinese Chuan Fa. The
original kwans taught Okinawan/Japanese kata, wore gis; and the art taught
was Karate with an increasingly Korean flavor. At this point, little if
anything had been contributed by the Korean martial
art of Tae Kyon, which had all but vanished during the Yi dynasty
and the subsequent Japanese occupation. Most of the Korean instructors
had been students (3) at Japanese universities or soldiers of the Imperial
Japanese Army, and had learned their martial
arts in Japan, returning to Korea as shodan or nidan black belts (4)
.

More and more kwans were founded during the late 40’s and early
50’s, and what they taught was called “Korean Karate.”
The name, “Tae Kwon Do” may have been suggested as early as
1955 at a meeting which was a first effort at unifying the kwans. From
1960 to 1970, under the direction of the Korean government, at that time
General Park’s dictatorship, (5) Tae Kwon Do was unified under two
international governing bodies, the ITF and later the WTF, originally
the Korean Tae Kwon Do Association. This period ends with the official
dissolution of the kwans in Korea, and is marked by the replacement of
the ancient kata with brand new poomse and the creation of administrative
centralization. This period also saw the beginning of the divergence of
Tae Kwon Do from a martial art to a martial art based sport.

Between 1975 and today, there has been increased consolidation and centralization
of authority. The sport aspect has received increasing emphasis to the
point where training is now generally dominated by preparation for tournament
competition sparring. Tae Kwon Do has become an Olympic sport, and Tae
Kwon Do is no longer officially considered a martial art in Korea, but
rather a martial sport. WTF Tae Kwon Do black belts are no longer registered
with the Ki-Do Hae (6) , but rather at their own headquarters at the Kukkiwon.

Early History

The Chinese boxing styles which predated the introduction of Buddhism
to China, are quite likely Taoist in philosophical orientation, and the
roots for the modern Tai Chi, Pa Kua and Hsing-i Chinese styles. It is
possible that not only these styles, but the attitudes characterizing
ideal martial artists originated with the yu-hsia of the Period of the
Warring States (403-221 BC) (7). This means that there are two major branches
of the Chinese unarmed martial arts, one (generally Taoist in philosophy)
(8) , older than the other. This is important, as the evidence suggests
that an unarmed fighting system may have been practiced in northern Koguryo
as early as ca. 37 BC. Sculptures and pictures of the Koguryo dynasty
(109BC-668AD) show postures that could represent early kinds of empty
hand fighting. However, as this evidence is equally compelling as proof
for Chinese origins (9) , it is more likely that the ancient roots for
the roots for Korean martial arts lie not in Korea but in China and that
the early unarmed martial arts of Koguryo Korea may in fact simply be
these early Taoist forms of Chinese boxing, as spread by the yu-hsia.
(10)

In general, it would seem that most Asian martial arts per se in China,
Korea, Okinawa, and Japan, derive from a combination of indigenous, relatively
primitive (11) , techniques with the more highly organized Buddhist fighting
arts as these were spread from India by missionaries. It is quite possible
that these Buddhist martial arts owe much of their early development to
an ancient Greek martial art, the Pankration (various spellings) (12)
, which was the very first eclectic martial art for which we have firm
documentation. This art became an Olympic event in 648 BC, a date which
antedates any archeological sources in Korea. The art included boxing,
kicking, sweeping, grappling, joint locks, and choking. The Pyrrhic Dance,
a Greek martial dance which could be performed armed or unarmed, similar
to modern kata or poomse, existed at the same time and was possibly used
as a teaching tool for the techniques of the Pankration (13) .

The idea that this Greek art is one of the major sources of all Asian
unarmed martial arts today is not at all far-fetched. Alexander the Great
was a Pankration enthusiast, and the Pankration, foremost among other
Greek martial sports, went into Asia as far as India with Alexander’s
armies of conquest. Alexander was the greatest general of his time and
one of the greatest generals of all time. He and his armies enjoyed enormous
prestige everywhere in the ancient world. Instruction in the favored martial
art of that army would be highly valued by any soldier or warrior of the
period.

There is an historical gap between the time of Alexander and the era
where we find an elite caste of warriors in India, the Ksatreya, who practiced
the martial art Vajramukti, which included nata forms similar to kata.
The nata forms can only be documented by the time of the Gupta dynasty
in India (4th to 7th century AD), and at this time they were closely connected
to Buddhism. Although indigenous martial practices undoubtedly existed
throughout Asia at this time, it is possible that the addition of Buddhist
mental exercises to clearly formulated Greek techniques gave rise to Vajramukti
(Chinese: Chuan Fa; Japanese: Kempo). This Indian martial art accompanied
the missionaries who spread Buddhism from India into China (1AD to 600AD).
It was probably a very gradual process, but legend has attributed the
introduction of these techniques to a single Indian Buddhist monk, Bodhidharma.
This monk supposedly combined Indian techniques with an existing style
of Chinese boxing, formalized this combination, and taught it to the Buddhist
community at the Shaolin temple in Honan as a means of spiritual meditation
as well as effective self-defense.

Chuan Fa or, incorrectly, Kung Fu spread from the Shaolin temples all
over China during the Chinese Tang dynasty (618-907), and it eventually
separated into several distinct styles or schools. At this period, there
was a great deal of military, political, and economic exchange between
China and Korea, and it is likely that the techniques of Chuan Fa were
adopted in Korea to become Subak. During the Silla dynasty (668-935),
which unified Korea, the southern part of the peninsula was introduced
to Subak, and Chinese combat forms (Hsing) or kata were used to train
Korean warriors. The subsequent Koryo Dynasty (935-1392), saw a standardization
of schools of empty hand combat under the names of Subak and Kwonpup (Chuan
fa if the characters are read in Chinese). Korea was not always defined
by its present political boundaries, and large areas of Manchuria passed
back and forth from Chinese to Korean control allowing for an appreciable
interchange of martial ideas and techniques among wariors and soldiers.
Traveling scholars and monks would also have helped spread these ideas
and techniques.

It is possible that Subak and the Chinese combat forms were used as
a part of the training of the Hwarang. The Hwrang (14) (572-935 AD) (15)
have a legendary relationship to Korean martial arts. These legends are
as compelling in Korean as the legends of the King Arthur’s Knights
of the Round Table in English, and the Hwarang’s existence seems
to be better documented (16) . But in spite of the legends, however suggestive,
there is no historical justification for the common assumption that the
Hwarang are related to any modern Korean martial art in the same way as
the Samurai of Japan (17) . Available sources do not support such a conclusion.

These very limited sources do suggest that the Hwrang were both more and
less than the Japanese Bushi or Samurai. First, they were not warriors.
They bear no relationship to orders of European knighthood. They may have
become and commanded warriors after having been Hwarang, but as Hwrang,
they were not warriors. The Hwrang were not a part of the Silla army.
Unlike the Samurai, they were not a particular social class, and they
were not hereditary. They did not emphasize the unarmed martial arts,
but rather trained in archery and fencing, with particular emphasis on
archery. They did not follow Hwrang as a Do, for they left the Hwrang
as they became older. They have some resemblance to the Japanese Yamabushi
in their preference for training in mountains and wilderness. But they
were not monks, and they did not remain in the mountains.

This is what they were not. What were they? The Hwrang were always the
youth; they were always young, and this is important. Their training or
education focused heavily on philosophy, the Chinese classics, and on
religion. Their religious training seems to have been Buddhism heavily
influenced by Taoism or indigenous animism, but the main goal of their
training was Confucian in intent. They were a group of elite young men
under training for positions of high authority and leadership in Korea
during the second half of the Silla dynasty. The purpose of Hwrang training
was to prepare the very best young men in the Silla Kingdom to occupy
such positions in an honorable, restrained, responsible, dignified, and
courageous manner. In brief, the Hwrang were students in a very demanding
preparatory course. This training succeeded so well that the Hwrang have
been an example of the best in Korea for over 1000 years. However, the
historical Hwrang appear to have no direct connection with Tae Kwon Do
or with the other martial arts of modern Korea (18) .

Subak continued as the Korean unarmed martial art until the end of the
Koryo or beginning of the Yi Dynasty (1393-1910) when it subsequently
divided into Tae Kyon (a striking art) and Yu Sul ( a grappling art –
{chin na, yu sul and jujutsu are written the same way in Chinese}). Yu
Sul appears to have died out, leaving Tae Kyon as the only surviving aspect
of Subak. (The name Tae Kyon is not recorded until the 18th century at
the earliest, so any earlier Korean fighting art is still correctly called
Subak. The term "Tae Kyon" {in Korean Taek Gyeon} is not linguistically
related to the term Tae Kwon Do.)

The latter half of the Yi Dynasty was characterized by Neo-Confucianism,
which brought the martial arts into disfavor, and Tae Kyon nearly died
out. In 1759 (1790[?]), King Chongjo ordered Gen. Lee Duck Moo to compile
an illustrated official text of all martial arts, the Muye Dobo Tongj,
which contained one chapter dealing with empty handed martial arts, identified
as Kwonpup (Chuan Fa). But during the 18th-19th and early 20th centuries
no organized martial arts instruction was available, and Tae Kyon was
studied in secret, largely within certain families.

The Modern Period

Karate in Okinawa, known as Tote before the 20th century, was not recorded
in Okinawa before the 18th century. Almost all modern Karate is firmly
based on Chinese boxing techniques which were introduced to Okinawa in
the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mainly from the Fuchou area in
Fukien Province (19) . An earlier art, known simply as Te, is known and
certainly has influenced the development of Karate, but not to same extent
as Chuan Fa. The founding masters of Gojo Ryu and Uechi Ryu learned their
arts in China, as did the founder of the older Shorin Ryu, (Shorin is
the Okinawan pronunciation of Shaolin). Karate was, if not a secret art,
at least closely restricted to the more well-to-do class, and often kept
within families. It was not taught to the general public, and it was not
a peasant art.

In 1882 the Dan/kyu system was adopted for Judo by Master Kano in Japan.
This was the first belt ranking system in any of the martial arts. In
1921, the Japanese emperor attended an exhibition of Karate in Okinawa.
He was very impressed, and the following year Funakoshi Gichin, an Okinawan
master, introduced Karate to Japan. His style underwent several changes,
adapting to the centuries of Japanese martial tradition, and became Shotokan
Karate (20) . Other Japanese styles are also recent introductions from
Okinawa.

In 1910, Japan occupied Korea, and as a part of an effort to promote
Japanese nationalism in Korea, the remnants of the native Korean martial
arts were suppressed. Very few people practiced these arts during the
period of the Japanese occupation. Tae Kyon went underground after 1920
(21) , and the limited training available was conducted in secret. Known
20th century Tae Kyon lineage is very limited; and it is certain that
at least some knowledge was lost. There were only 3 main Tae Kyon schools
known for this period: the Gurigae dojang (22) , the Chongno dojang, and
the Wangshimni dojang. After 1945, Tae Kyon was again taught openly, but
as a very separate tradition with virtually no relation to Tae Kwon Do.

During the Japanese occupation, many Korean boys were taken to Japan
for education and training, which sometimes included intensive training
in the Japanese martial arts. (Masutatsu Oyama Sensei (Choi Yong-i) was
Korean, Grand Master Lee (Yi) Won-Kuk trained in Shotokan under Funakoshi
Sensei, and General Choi Hong Hi, founder of ITF, was a first (23) Dan
in Japanese Karate.) Other Koreans went to China as students or were stationed
in Japanese occupied Manchuria as soldiers where some of them were exposed
to Chinese martial arts.

“The modern Karate of Korea, with very little influence from Tae
Kyon, …was imported directly from China and also from Okinawa through
Japan.” (24)

“The main differences among Tang Su Do, Karate, and Kung Fu (sic)
were in how pressure points were used and attacked.” (25)

Tracing instructional lineages of the founders of the kwans back beyond
1945 inevitably leads to Japanese styles of karate. Modern Tae Kwon Do
was largely created by young men who had received their original training
in Japan or China before 1945, but most never reached the higher levels
of their arts. As they continued their training after Korean independence,
no longer under the supervision of their former sensei or sifu, they started
from a basis of incompletely transmitted knowledge to go in a different
direction to develop a new art.

You must also remember that at the period of W.W.II, there was a tremendous
amount of prejudice against foreigners in Japan, and this definitely applied
to Koreans. It still does. Given the instructional traditions in the Japanese
martial arts, this fact alone would have acted to keep most Korean students
from receiving full instruction in these arts. This may have been a very
healthy thing, allowing Korean instructors to evolve their art in new
directions.

With the end of Japanese occupation, many of these young men returned
to Korea, and the result was an influx of new techniques from China and
Japan which led to rapid growth in the Korean (26) martial arts. With
the exception of Tang Su Do, which is simply Japanese Karate as taught
in Korea (27) and has retained the same kata as Shotokan, Korean black
belts developed hybridized styles by combining techniques from Karate
and modern Chuan Fa with indigenous Korean techniques: either their own
inventions, or what could be recovered from limited experience with, or
the popular idea of, Tae Kyon (28) . These styles became the kwans, the
basis for the development of Tae Su Do (29) (early name for Tae Kwon Do)
which became the most rapidly growing martial sport in the world. The
first national association, the Kong Su Do Association was formed in 1945
(1951, 1953?), headed by Cho Ryon Chi. (Kong Su Do is a Korean pronunciation
of the Chinese characters for Karate Do.)