Traditional History of TaeKwonDo

The history of Tae Kwon Do, as outlined in my earlier work for first dan, is open to some debate depending on whose history you choose to believe. Most noteably one should check out

the official World TaeKwonDo Federation (WTF) History ,
the official International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) History ,
and the non-partisan views of Dakin Burdick.

Everyone is in general agreement until the 1940's or the era of what we can call 'modern' taekwondo. The politics here are still raw, the records obscured and many of the principals still alive and (appropriately) kicking.

Pre-History

The arts of fist and foot techniques originates from ancient China (T’hang Dynasty) and India and were introduced to Korea within the trade routes between them. China was the biggest producer of silk in the East and many trades routes was established.
The silk industry extended into China about 2640 BC. By AD 300 silk trades was established from Chine to Japan through Korea The trades routes via both land and sea were the links between nations and this is how knowledge, culture, religion, and most likely martial arts were spread to the rest of Asia.
It is clear that in those times anyone undertaking a long journey, excluding the warriors, either employed bodyguards or learned to defend themselves. Merchants had the money to buy protection but the monks and pilgrims were not wealthy, so we can only guess that they learned how to fight in order to survive, and also to protect their monasteries. An ancient myth, is telling that a Buddhist monk named Won Kwang is said to have originated the five principals that today form the basis of TaeKwonDo (see The Legend of Dhurma). Through various invasions and occupations the Koreans adopted much from both China and Japan; however the empty-hand skills date back to the union of Silla and the T'ang dynasty. China's empty-hand fighting was taught to the HwaRang. This system became well known as t'ang-su and from his original source and with Korean influence it developed into Kwonpup. Based on the skills of Kwonpup, by the 18th century the system of TaeKwonDo had sprung up in Central Korea. In 1945 it became known as TaeKwonDo and has since spread throughout the world. . Taekwondo's history is based more on a myth and legends, then documented facts.

The origin of Taekwondo traces back to the three kingdoms of Koguryo (37 BC-668 AD), Paekche (18 BC-600 AD), and Silla (57 BC-936 AD). Archaeological findings (mural paintings on the royal tombs of the Koguryo dynasty, the stone sculptures of pagadas of temples of the Silla period, and documents written in the Paekche dynasty) showed fighting stances, skills, and formalized movements similar to today's Tae Kwon Do styles and forms. Silla, the smallest of these three kingdoms, was constantly under invasion and harassment by its two more powerful northern and western neighbors. During the reign of Chin Heung, twenty-fourth king of Silla, the young aristocrats and warrior class formed an elite officer corps called Hwa Rang-Do. This warrior corps, in addition to the ordinary training in spear, bow, sword and hook, also trained themselves by practicing mental and physical discipline, in various forms of hand and foot fighting (Soo Bak and Tae Kyon). To harden their bodies, they climbed rugged mountains, swam the turbulent rivers in the coldest months, and drove themselves unmercifully to prepare for the task of defending their homeland.



To guide themselves and give purpose to their knighthood, they incorporated a five point code of conduct set forth by their countries greatest monk and scholar, Wan Kany:

1) be loyal to your king;
2) be obedient to your parents;
3) be honorable to your friends;
4) never retreat in battle; and
5) make a just kill.

The Hwa Rang-Do became known for their courage and skill in battle, gaining respect from even their bitterest foes. The strength derived from their observance of their code and enabled them to attain feats of valor that became legendary. Many of these brave, young warriors died on fields of battle in the threshold of their youth. Through their feats, they inspired the people of Silla to rise and unite, and from their victories, the Korean Peninsula became united for the first time in history. During the period of Hwa Rang-Do, the original primitive art of foot fighting called Soo Bak was popular among the common people. The warriors of Hwa Rang-Do added a new dimension to this national art of foot fighting by gearing it to a combative art and infusing the principles of the Hwa Rang-Do. The new mental concept, as well as physical, elevated foot fighting to an art and became Soo Bak-Gi.

The Koguryo dynasty marked a flowering of the martial arts. But during the civil enlightenment, the following dynasties acquired an anti-military posture, and anything military was debased. By the end of the Yi dynasty, the martial arts appeared to have ceased existing. The final blow came with the Japanese occupation (1909-1945) when it was forbidden to practice any of the martial arts. Tae Kyon was secretly practiced and passed on to a handful of students. With the liberation of Korea in 1945, the new Republic of Korea Armed Forces was organize At this time, Choi Hi, an officer in this army, began teaching his martial art to some of his soldiers, and within a few years it became one of the cornerstones of training. In April 1955, TaeKwonDo was chosen as the new name of the national martial art by a board of instructors, historians and other prominent persons. The name was selected for its apt description of the art: Tae (foot), Kwon (fist), Do (art). Not only did this new name bear a close similarity to the ancient name of Tae Kyon, but the name gave a new sense of nationalism to the art. After 1,300 years, a Korean martial art has reached full maturity, and has spread from a small band of aristocratic warriors to practitioners in more than sixty countries with millions of students. The combination of the old classical techniques and new modifications has resulted in a form of self-defense and mental conditioning unrivaled in the modern world.
Literally, Taekwon-Do means "The Way or Path of the Foot and Hand". Word for word:

The Kwans of Korean Martial Arts

Much confusion reigns over the names, the number, and the subsequent role of the following kwans in the formation of taekwondo. While not all of the kwans merged to form taekwondo, some that did sporadically seceded and then rejoined, adding to the historical confusion. It is believed that in the early 1960s at least four more kwons were established. In the early 1970s, however, the Korean Taekwon-do Federation, the government- sponsoredsanctioning body, abolished all the kwans by name and assigned them simple numbers so that the name taekwondo would become singularly representative of most of the hard-style Korean martial arts.

Taekyon

TaeKwonDo
[founded April 11, 1955]

The unified art was presided over by the Korean Taekwondo Association. Later, they made an International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) to govern international Taekwondo. However, General Choi fell out of favor with the South Korean government and the Taekwondo establishment, both for his support of Communist North Korea and also for his opposition to continuous style sparring. He separated the ITF from the KTA and moved the headquarters. In 1972 the KTA was renamed the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) and Dr. Un Young Kim was elected president. He is still the president today.

TaeKwonDo is divided very solidly into the styles of ITF (International Tae Kwon Do Federation ) and WTF - (World TaeKwonDo Federation). One of the most common discussions is which style is better then the other.
ITF is the branch founded by General Choi and is still run from his headquarters in Canada. It features point sparring, a style that contains light contact. Head, foot and hand protection is worn while sparring.
WTF is the World Taekwondo Federation. The WTF, based in Seoul, Korea, is most known for its sparring style, called International or Olympic. This style of sparring will be a medal sport at the Olympics in 2000. Sparring allows full contact to the chest and head. Punches to the face are not allowed, but more of that later.
Frequently, the two styles clashed. Often they do not mix well. The patterns are different; the names of maneuvers, different, the history different. The line dividing the two styles, originally drown at the North and South Korean border now extends around the world. WTF and ITF separated over a variety of issues including Choi's support of North Korea and his decision that TaeKwonDo should be given to the world. The WTF wanted to maintain Tae Kwon Do's base and home in Korea. To this day, a group with headquarters in the Kukkiwon in Seoul, Korea, leads the WTF.

For the visually oriented, I particularly like this history in cartoon form from the Korea Taekwondo Association