# Kwan?



## arnisador (Feb 9, 2002)

Is _kwan_ used in about the same way that _ryu_ is used in Japanese styles? It sounds like "school" as in a physical building but I gather it means a sub-system. (I was looking at a KMA magazine at the bookstore this evening and it was discussing the various _kwan_s but I wasn't perfectly clear on the definition.) Each _kwan_ would have its own head I imagine.


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## TangSooGuy (Mar 19, 2002)

The Kwans were originally different schools, each with their own head.  The name of the Kwan referred to the school itself, not the art which was studied there.

The confusion arises in that in modern martial arts, many martial artists have adopted the names of Kwans as the names of their art or system.

So traditionally, a kwan is a physical building, or training place, but today is used in different ways.


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## arnisador (Mar 19, 2002)

Thanks, that clarifies it. I can certainly see how that would happen. It's like Shotokan karate, practiced at Shoto's house (_kan_).


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## thekuntawman (Mar 19, 2002)

ryu means "method" "kwon" means hands


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## thekuntawman (Mar 19, 2002)

oops, my bad. she said "kwan" like in moodookwon. gwan means building, and the way the characters are use for the name of the art mu duk kwan, its means that martial arts are taught in this place".


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## KickingDago (Jun 23, 2002)

I noticed there are different kawans for taekwondo, almost like the different ryu for karate, ju jitsu, and aikido.
are there different kwans for hapkido and tang soo do?
It would be very cool if someone could summarize some of these,

thank you


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## KickingDago (Jun 23, 2002)

> _Originally posted by KickingDago _
> 
> *I noticed there are different kawans for taekwondo, almost like the different ryu for karate, ju jitsu, and aikido.
> are there different kwans for hapkido and tang soo do?
> ...



oh and I almost forgot about Kumdo (or gumdo), often you would run into schools like

- Hae dong kumdo
- kyng gi kumdo
- Shim kumdo

does this mean there are different kwans and way to do kumdo?


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## arnisador (Jun 23, 2002)

Kumdo is basically Kendo so there is a standard way to do it--but there may be different schools. I hadn't heard that before.


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## karatekid1975 (Jun 23, 2002)

Arnis,

Which KMA (Korean Martial arts Mag???) was that?

Anyway, I did Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan. There is all sorts of Tang Soo Do sub-styles now. There's one called TSD Mi duk kwan or something like that. But the ones around NJ/PA are TSD Moo Duk Kwan.


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## karatekid1975 (Jun 23, 2002)

This was supposed to be a Reply to the "kwan" thread. I tried to delete it and do it over, but it wouldn't let me. Sorry mods.


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## arnisador (Jun 23, 2002)

> _Originally posted by karatekid1975 _
> 
> *This was supposed to be a Reply to the "kwan" thread. I tried to delete it and do it over, but it wouldn't let me. Sorry mods. *



No worries! I merged the threads.

-Arnisador
-MT Mod-


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## karatekid1975 (Jun 24, 2002)

Thanks Arnis


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## arnisador (Jun 24, 2002)

> _Originally posted by karatekid1975 _
> 
> *Which KMA (Korean Martial arts Mag???) was that?
> *



It was a major TKD one, available at bookstores--perhaps Tae Kwon Do Times?


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## karatekid1975 (Jun 24, 2002)

Oh ok. I thought there was another one besides that one. Thanks anyways.


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## Dim Mak (Nov 5, 2002)

The five major kwans of "Tang Soo Do" or "Kong Soo Do" following WWII in Korea were:

  Chi Do Kwan
  Moo Do Kwan
  Chung Do KWan
  Song Moo Kwan
  Chang Moo Kwan

  Most of these were assimilated into the new banner of "Taekwondo" during the unification process in the late 1950's and 1960's.

   Several kwans resisted this process, including Moo Do Kwan, and several "minor" kwans from the Chang Moo Kwan - Kang Duk Won, and Hung Moo Kwan.

  R. McLain


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## Chris from CT (Nov 25, 2002)

> _Originally posted by KickingDago _
> *I noticed there are different kawans for taekwondo, almost like the different ryu for karate, ju jitsu, and aikido.
> are there different kwans for hapkido and tang soo do?
> It would be very cool if someone could summarize some of these,
> *



Yes, there are different kwans in Hapkido, but it would be quite a task to list them all.  

Here are two of the three of Dojunim Choi's 9th dan student's kwans...

*Jung Ki Kwan* - Grand Master Lim (Im), Hyun-Soo
*Yong Sul Kwan* - Grand Master Kim, Yun-Sang

Grand Master Chin-Il Chang is Dojunim's 3rd, but I don't know if he has a name for his school.  

Just to show how many Hapkido kwans are out there... The Korea Hapkido Federation alone has over 79 different kwans now.

Take care :asian:


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## rana_hapkido_panama2002 (Oct 12, 2003)

Hi Arnisador, be blessed.

The term Ryu in something to say that this one style belongs to a specific family member or creator and in Korean according to my Kwanjang-SabomNim Park, SongIL it is said and written Yoo so Grand Master Choi, YongSul 's would be DaeDong Yoo HapKi Yu Kwon Sul and this was renamed HapKiDo by Mr. Ji, Han Jae in 1959 and the phrasing :  Kwan, is a term to express the place were HapKiDo training is done at !

Usually it is correct; the place which ever a HapKiDo or any other Martial Art is trained at will have a head person of that one place, the Kwan and this does not have to be the creator nor the head-man to that art or style. It refers to school, this is what Kwan is !

Your in HapKiDo


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## rana_hapkido_panama2002 (Oct 12, 2003)

Hi thekuntawman and the rest of you all also be blessed.

Yes and no 'thekuntawman'; the phrase 'Kwon' has to do with the hand but it means fist not hand. Term for hand in Korea is 'Soo' or 'Son' as Knife Hand is either 'Son Do' or more commonly known as 'SooDo'. 

Ryu in Korean is Yoo and it sure would be system but mainly it is to specify the origin of the people or family that that art would come from and 'Kwan' would be used to express were that art or style of an art is trained at.

Be well and have a good training.

HAP


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## arnisador (Oct 12, 2003)

OK, makes sense!


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## miguksaram (Oct 14, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Dim Mak _
> *The five major kwans of "Tang Soo Do" or "Kong Soo Do" following WWII in Korea were:
> 
> Chi Do Kwan
> ...



To add to that, the Jidokwan also flipped back and forth on joing the KTA (Korean Taesoodo Association).  Similar happenings to that of the Moo Duk Kwan.  In the end, like Moo Duk Kwan, the majority of the younger generation students of Jidokwan joined the KTA and the a few of the older generation went their own way.


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