Taekwondo History

[Juppe1972]

I recommend for all of you to study this book about TKD history. This history is based largely on old newspapers from Korea and records from different meetings considering early times of taekwondo.

http://www.martialartsresource.com/korean/korframe.htm

It's true that taekwondo has background in karate, but its not the same karate what is practised nowadays within Shotokan, it has roots in Funakoshi Sensei style practiced before WW 2. Also Mabuni Sensei and Toyama Sensei have had an influence on TKD. On the other hand, other styles, such as chinese chuangfa, hapkido and tae kyon have had an influence.

In my opinion TKD is not bastardized karate more than karate is batardized kungfu. Karate haven't been here so much longer than TKD, that it would be more special.

 

[Dan Anderson]

Originally posted by GojuBujin
Something I've known and suspected for years is that Taekwondo was heavily influenced by Okinawan and Japanese Karate. The best evidence of this is the striking similarities and almost exact parallels the TKD forms have to that of Shotokan esp. but, also Kyokushin and Shorin-Ryu. I go the following out of the Dragon Times today, (www.dragon-tsunami.org)

I just wanted to get some fead back and see what the rest of you thought and whether anyone knew it all to be true.

Far from being a centuries old indigenous art, it was brought to Korea in the 1940s by students (of Gichin Funakoshi and Toyama Kanken) who had studied in Tokyo during the pre-war years and it was these young Koreans who became the leaders of Korean karate (latterly renamed taekwondo) in the immediate post-war era.
Michael C. Byrd
www.inigmasoft.com/goyukai

I began my training in a Korean art called Kong Su. I didn't know until I got my teacher's teacher's book that the ideograms for Kong Su were the same as Kara Te. The Pyung An forms, Bassai, Sip Su (Jitte) and Chulgi (Tekki) were the same as delineated in Karate-do Kyohan by Funakoshi. The historical research written up in Dragon Times was very enlightening. No good or bad, just enlightening.

Yours,
Dan Anderson

 

[twendkata71]

The actual art of Taekwondo is not that old. Founded between 1945-1950,
, The original Korean martial arts are very old. Taekyun is a very old Korean art. As is So Bahk Do(Tangsoodo). Yes many of the original Korean masters did train in Shotokan karate before and during WWII. Some other Japanese and Okinawan styles as well.
Kanken Toyama(Shudokan) trained and promoted many Koreans.
while the Japanese occupied Korea,they tried to wipe out any indiginous Korean martial arts and implanted karate,Judo,Jujitsu and aikido. Many of the old Korean masters were sent to school in Japan. Some of the oldest wall paintings in temples(Korean)have been dated to almost,4,000 years old. Because of the Koreans dislike of the Japanese and what they did during the occupation years. 1914-1945. They have attempted to wipe out any connection to the Japanese arts. Hapkido is mostly an offshoot of Daito ryu Aikijujutsu. Tangsoodo(soo bahk do) is of ancient Korean arts,Chinese martial arts and Japanese karate. There are still styles in Korea that kept their Japanese karate lineage. Kong soo do,which translates "Karate do" in Korean is a Korean version of Shotokan(hence the name Korean Shotokan), Chang moo kwan also is an offshoot of Shotokan,of which the founder Master Ro,recieved his nidan from Funakoshi himself.

 

[pstarr]

I recall an interview of Choi Hong Hi conducted by Black Belt Magazine many moons ago. Choi admitted to attending a university in Tokyo, training in Shotokan, and achieving nidan grade before returning to Korea.

Shortly after that, the Korean War started and he never returned to Japan to further his training. After the conflict had ended, he introduced what he called "taekwondo" to the Korean military (it was actually Shotokan karate)...and the rest is history.

 

[rmclain]

Chang moo kwan also is an offshoot of Shotokan,of which the founder Master Ro,recieved his nidan from Funakoshi himself.

No, the founder of Chang-moo Kwan was Yoon Byung-in. The Chang-moo Kwan taught both the Shuto-Ryu karate of Toyama Kanken and the Pal Guek Moon Chuan-fa curriculum learned by Yoon Byung-in near Chan-Chun, China in the 1920's & 30's. Yoon Byung-in was recognized as a 4th Dan by Toyama Kanken in his original 1946 book. The later copy lists Yoon Byung-in as a 5th Dan.

R. McLain

 

[twendkata71]

I do apologize. That was Song Moo kwan I was thinking of. One of the instructors that I have trained with over the years, trained in Japanese karate do as well as both Song moo kwan and Chang moo kwan. I do get some of the history mixed up occationally.

No, the founder of Chang-moo Kwan was Yoon Byung-in. The Chang-moo Kwan taught both the Shuto-Ryu karate of Toyama Kanken and the Pal Guek Moon Chuan-fa curriculum learned by Yoon Byung-in near Chan-Chun, China in the 1920's & 30's. Yoon Byung-in was recognized as a 4th Dan by Toyama Kanken in his original 1946 book. The later copy lists Yoon Byung-in as a 5th Dan.

R. McLain