Greetings,
Wow, lots of stuff there. Nice update MI TKD.
Records show that Tae Kyon[Taekwondo] was practiced as early as 50 B.C
Although Tae Kyon [Taekwondo] first appeared in the Koguryo kingdom, it is Silla's warrior nobility, the Hwarang, who are credited with the growth and spread of the art throughout the Korean peninsula. It appears that it was at this time that Taek Kyon was first introduced to Silla's warriors class, taught directly, and in secret, to a few Sillan warriors by early masters of the art.
These warriors trained in Taek Kyon became known as the Hwarang. The Hwarang are credited with establishing a military academy for the young nobility of Silla. From this academy emerged a elite society called Hwarang-do, loosely translated into English as "the way of the flowering manhood". This society adopted Taek Kyon as part of its basic training regimen. The students of Hwarang-do, all members of the nobility, they were trained in several different disciplines, including: History, Confucian philosophy, ethics, Buddhist morality, riding, archery, sword play, military tactics and Taek Kyon. The guiding principles of this educational system, were based on the Codes of Human Conduct, credited to the Buddhist scholar Wonkang. These principles or qualities are loyalty, obedience, trustworthiness, valor in battle and respect for human life. This code of moral conduct has found its way into modern Taekwondo and is reflected into its basic underlying Philosophy.
The Hwarang traveled throughout the Korean peninsula in order to learn more about the different peoples and cultures that inhabited it. These traveling warriors were responsible for the spread of Taek Kyon throughout Korea during the Silla dynasty which lasted from A.D. 668 to A.D. 935. During this period, Taek Kyon remained primarily a sport and recreational activity designed to improve the physical fitness of its practitioners. Its potential as a self-defense system was not realized until the the Koryo dynasty (935 to 1392) when the focus of the art shifted towards its fighting aspect. During this time Taek Kyon became known as Subak and it changed from being merely a fitness system to a potentially lethal fighting art.
The popularization of the Subak during this era [the Yi dynasty-1397 to 1907]was responsible for its rapid adaptation and survival. Unfortunately, during the second part of the Yi dynasty, the art began to lose its popularity due to changes in the political views on the military and its activities. Because of this shift Subak was preserved only by a few families throughout Korea, which handed down the art from generation to generation. It follows that, during this period, Subak was kept alive by the commoners, rather than by the nobility.
In 1909 Korea was invaded by Japan and remained under its occupation for the next 36 years. Japanese authorities completely banned the practice of any native Korean martial arts. However, this only increased the interest of the population on these arts, and lead to the resurgence of Subak. The underground nature of martial arts in Korea changed drastically in 1943, when their prohibition was lifted and various fighting disciplines were introduced to the country.
After Korea was finally liberated in 1945 the first Kwan dedicated to teaching a native Korean martial art opened in Yong Chun, Seoul. This dojang was named the Chung Do Kwan. The same year the Moo Duk Kwan and the Yun Moo Kwan made their appearance in Seoul. The following year the Chang Moo Kwan and the Chi Do Kwan opened their doors to students. Seven other schools opened between 1953 and the early 1960's. Although all these schools claimed to teach the traditional Korean martial arts, each one emphasized a different aspect of Taek Kyon/Subak and, as a result, various names emerged: Soo Bahk Do, Kwon Bop, Kong Soo Do, Tae Soo Do and Dang Soo Do, besides those that claimed to teach the traditional Taek Kyon.
Differences between the many Kwans prevented the formation of a regulating body for 10 more years. However, the instruction of these fighting methods found a strong acceptance by the military. In 1952 then President Syngman Rhee watched a half-hour demonstration by Korean martial arts masters. Rhee was impressed to such point that he ordered training in the martial arts to be adopted as part of the regular military training.
On April 11, 1955 a meeting was convened to unify the various Kwans under a common name. At first, the name of Tae Soo Do was accepted by most Kwan masters. However two years later (1957) the name was changed to the now familiar Taekwondo. This name was chosen for two primary reasons, the first being that it accurately describes the nature of the art (both hand and foot techniques). Secondly, it closely resembles the art's early name, Taek Kyon. On September 14, 1964, the Korean Taekwondo Association was created. During the 1960s thousands of Taekwondo demonstrators performed around the world before fascinated government officials, many of whom proceeded to invite Korean instructors to teach their art in their own countries. By the 1970s Taekwondo had a well established world-wide reputation.
From what I have seen in the previous posts, it looks like Tae Kwon Do has people splitting it up again, and I again have to commend MITKD for clarifying the loose ends that he did. As far as I know, the basic Korean Martial art is Tae Kwon Do, the modern derivation of Subak derived from Tae Kyon of the Hwarang Do, which basicaly was introduced by travellers from China, India , Japan and other locales back in antiquity (2000BC and earlier) and formalized into Tae Kyon. I think many of the other names for arts listed may be types of Korean martial arts directly or indirectly linked to tae kwon do-subak-tae kyon, depending on what the constitutional definition of seperating an art is. That they have evolved by the practioners emphasising different aspects may make then appear, and perhaps now indeed, be different.
