MARTIAL
ARTS
History
of Hapkido
During the Three Kingdom Era (SAM-KUK-SHI-DAE) (from 57 B.C.
to 688 A.D) Three Kingdoms competed on the Korean peninsula:
KO-GU-RYO (37 B.C.) in the north, PAEK-JAB (18 B.C.) in the
southwest, and SHILLA (57 B.C.) in the southeast. Martial Arts
techniques much like those of modern day Hapkido were introduced
to ancient Korea with the introduction of Buddhism in KO-GU-RYO
approximately 372 AD.
.Hapkido is the combination of two Korean Martial Arts - Yool
Sool which comes from the Japanese art known as Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jutsu
and Tae Kyon which is an ancient Korean Kicking Skill that was
widespread during the time of the Three Kingdoms.
 |
| General
Yoshimitsu |
Daito-Ryu
can be traced all the way back to Senwa Tenno who is considered
by many to be the very first in the Daito Ryu line. The techniques
were basically the combat methods of the Minamoto clan that
had been refined and perfected by General Yoshimitsu. The General
is known to have studied the cadavers of criminals to understand
human anatomy. The techniques of General Yoshimitsu were passed
down and then combined with the Aizu techniques to become what
is now known as Daito Ryu.
The origin of Daito-Ryu starts with Soemon Takeda (1758-1853).
Soemon Takeda taught a system called aiki-in-ho-yo, "the aiki
system of yin and yang," which he passed on to Tanomo Saigo.
Saigo also had training in Misoguchi-Ryu swordsmanship and Koshu-ryu
military science.
Tanomo participated in the Boshin war. Certain that Tanomo had
been killed in a battle with the Imperial forces and determined
to preserve the honor of the family name, his mother, wife,
5 daughters, and other members of his family committed ritual
suicide. However, Tanomo's life had been spaired. Tanomo then
changed his name to Hoshina and served as a Shinto priest in
various districts and later adopted Shiro Shida as his disciple-son.
Shiro was extremely talented and mastered the Ryu's many techniques,
later applying them with great success during the foundation
of Jigoro Kano's Kodokan school of Judo. However, Shiro abandoned
the practice of both systems, moved to Nagasakai and devoted
himself to classical archery the rest of his life.
Tanomo had another heir to the Daito-Ryu, Sokaku Takeda(1860-1943),
Soemon's grandson. Sokaku was no novice to the martial arts.
At an early age he had obtained teaching licenses in Ono-ha
Itto-Ryu swordsmanship and Hozion spear-fighting. Sokaku had
also studied with the swordsman-saint Kenkichi Sakakibara of
the Jikishin-kage-ryu. Sokaku traveled widely, attracting a
large number of students; he was reputed to have around thirty
thousand students and nearly every budoka of note in that era
was his student in one way or the other.
Sokaku Takeda meets Yong Sool Choi
 |
| Sokaku
Takeda |
The
Japanese Army invaded and ruled Korea from 1910 through the
end of World War II. During that period, it was not uncommon
for Korean families and treasures to be relocated to Japan.
During the Japanese occupation a young boy, Yong Sool Choi,
was sent to Japan. By age 9, Yong Sool Choi was alone and living
with a group of monks in a Buddhist temple. Shortly thereafter,
it became apparent to the monks that Yong Sul Choi was not suited
for monastic life.
There
are many questions surrounding the early life of Master Choi.
Following is the account Choi himself gave throughout his later
years: Master Choi was born Chung Buk province of Korea in 1904
and was orphaned at the age of eight or nine. He was then brought
to Japan by a candy maker who later abandoned him. Left to wander
begging for food he was found and helped by the monks.
At this time, many great warriors, in accordance with ancient
traditions, undertook annual pilgrimages throughout Japan to
improve their martial arts skills. During their travels they
visited local temples to offer prayers and donations. One such
warrior, Master Sokaku Takeda, paid regular visits to the monastery
where Yong Sul Choi resided. During one of Master Takeda's visits,
the resident monks, seeing an opportunity, beseeched Master
Takeda to take the young Choi as a disciple
who gave him the name Tatujutu Yoshida.
Choi started life with Sokaku Takeda in Japan as his houseboy
and later became his manservant. It is because of this position
he was always on hand at training sessions. It is known that
Sokaku Takeda sent Choi to defeat challengers. This was a very
shrewd move on Takeda's part. If the challenger was defeated
he was defeated by the manservant of Takeda. Takeda usually
overcame objections by his higher ranking students by saying
the following "Who has been with me longer than my manservant
Yoshida (Choi)?" After Sokaku Takeda died Choi left the service
of the Takeda Clan and returned to Korea.
 |
| Yong
Sool Hoi |
In
1945 after Korea regained control of their country, the martial
arts once again gained popularity in this defense hungry nation.
Hapkido was re-introduced there by Master Choi
On the way home Chung-Buk province, however, Choi had lost his
suitcase containing all of his
money and his certificates from Takeda Sensei, leaving him stranded
in Tae Gu province.
Again Choi was forced to earn a living on the streets, but now
he had a family to support. After a year of selling rice cakes,
he earned enough money to buy some hogs, which he fed with free
leftover grain he acquired each morning from the Suh Brewery
Company. On February 21st, 1948, during one of Choi's early-morning
visits to the brewery, a group of men tried to steal his place
in line for grain after he had volunteered to help draw water
from the brewery's underground spring. A fight ensued, and Choi
dispatched his attackers with the techniques he had learned
in Japan.
Suh, Bok Sup (circa 1924-), the manager of his family-owned
brewery witnessed the battle and sent his servant to summon
Choi to his office. Suh, a black belt in Judo taught by Choi,
Yong Ho (193? -), hoped to learn about the strange martial arts
style he had witnessed. Fearing he would lose his allotment
of grain, Choi refused, until Suh, Bok assured Choi that he
would get it. Suh asked Choi to take him on as his student and
invited him into his dojang in the brewery offices.
In return for private lessons, Suh provided Choi with grain,
money, and the use of his private dojang to teach other students.
Choi called his art Yoo Sool (Korean pronunciation for jujitsu),
and began modify Takeda Sensei's style with some kicking and
weapons techniques. Suh continued to train with Choi for many
years. In 1951 Suh and Choi opened a school outside the brewery
called Yu Kwon Sool Hap Ki Dojang. (4-See notes) In 1954, Suh's
father, Suh, Dong Jin, ran successfully for the Korean National
Assembly. Suh, Bok Sup prevailed in a physical confrontation
with Chun, Se Daek, a brother-in-law of one of his father's
political opponents.
It was during this time that Assemblyman Suh engaged Choi as
his personal bodyguard. Grandmaster Choi and Suh, Bok Sup continued
train together and give demonstrations and Hapkido gained in
popularity and respect.
Before his death in 1987 Supreme Grandmaster CHOI taught all
the Hapkido techniques to a few outstanding students, who in
turn took on the task of popularizing Hapkido in modern Korea.
Today, one cannot find a single city in Korea without Hapkido
schools. All the government organizations, all the military
academies and special military units have Hapkido instructors
and practitioners totaling over one million already.
Some
Hapkidoists regard Grandmaster Ji, Han Jae (1936-) as the true
founder of Hapkido. Certainly Hapkido would not be what is today
without him; however, Master Ji, Han Jae himself gives much
of the credit to Grandmaster Choi, Young Sool (1904-1986) for
the creation of Hapkido.
Grandmaster Ji, Han Jae
Grandmaster
Ji, Han Jae was born in Andong, Korea in 1936. When he was three,
his family fled Japanese-occupied Korea for China. After the
war, Ji, Han Jae's family returned to Korea In 1949, thirteen-year-old
Ji began training full time Yu Kwon Sool with Grandmaster Choi,
and remained with him until 1956. Training under a master known
as "Taoist Lee," Master Ji learned Tae Kyon kicking, jang-bong
(Korean for six-foot staff), the dan-bong (Korean for short
stick), and meditation. Master Ji also studied spiritual power
for five years under a woman monk known as "Grandma."
In 1958, Ji left Daegue city and returned to Andong where he
opened his first two Yu Kwon Sool dojang which he named Sung
Moo Kwan. (The second of these was located in a neck tie factory!)
He kept the schools for nine months before relocating to Joong
Boo Shi Jang, Seoul, in 1958, and remained there until April
of 1960.
There began the martial arts careers of two of Ji's first and
greatest students. In 1958 Bong Soo Han, who later founded the
International Hapkido Association, began training under Master
Ji, until he left for the United States eleven years later.
Myung Kwan Sik, who began under Master Ji, would also move to
the United States, where he founded the World Hapkido Association.
The following account identifies Ji as the first person to use
the term Hapkido:
...Ji began to piece together the Yoo Sool (Yoo Kwon Sool) teachings
of Grandmaster Choi, with the methods of meditation, the Tae
Kyon kicking techniques, and the weapons techniques learned
from Taoist Lee, along with the spiritual training he received
from "grandma," to formulate his own style of martial art, for
which he chose the name "Hapkido." He had originally thought
of calling it "Hapki-Yoo-Kwon-Sool," but decided against that,
feeling it was too long of a name. He thought of other martial
arts he had heard of, such as Tae Kwon Do, Kong Soo Do, Soo
Bakh Do, etc., where the word "do" was being used instead of
"sool". He liked this idea because the word "do" means a path
to follow, or a way of life, rather than simply meaning "technique",
as "sool" implies. The name Hapkido was chosen in 1959, and
has been used ever since. The word itself can be translated
as the "way of coordinated power." Where "Hap" means to unify
or coordinate, "Ki" means mental and/or physical energy, and
"do" means a way of life, or the "path" or "way" of coordinating
your mental and physical energy into one entity.
During a conversation I had with Grandmaster Ji, Han Jae...it
was related to me that after he chose the name Hapkido to represent
his art, he gave this name to his teacher, Yong-Sool Choi to
use -- out of respect. Choi taught under the name Hapkido until
his death in 1986, even though he did not teach the complete
curriculum -- leaving out the majority of the kicking techniques,
and a lot of the weapons techniques. (Sin Koo Hapkido Home page,
1997).
In May of 1961, the Korean government was overthrown by General
Park, Chung-Hee (1917-1979), who would later become the president.
In 1962, Ji opened another dojang, in the Hwa Shin department
store. Soon he would be hired as an instructor to Military Supreme
Council and the presidential security forces. He held the latter
position until President Park's death in 1979.
From 1962 to 1979, Master Ji was a bodyguard to Korean President
Park in the Blue House. In 1969, Master Ji was brought to the
United States to teach Hapkido to FBI and Secret Service agents,
and other officials. In 1984, Grandmaster Ji moved to the United
States and founded Sin Moo Hapkido. He later promoted his early
students to the rank of ninth degree black belt -- Bong Soo
Han in 1984 and Myung Kwan Sik in 1986.
Grandmaster
Bong Soo Han is credited with popularizing Hapkido in the West
and bringing it the big screen.
Grand Master Han first introduced Hapkido into the United States
in 1967, although mass exposure did not come until the motion
picture "Billy Jack" filled the nation's theaters in 1971. Master
Han doubled for star Tom Laughlin and choreographed the film's
fight scenes.
It is interesting to note, that Hapkido is not organized under
the KTA, ITF or WTF, perhaps the only Korean art with this unique
status. Hapkido in Korea is overseen by three organizations:
The Korea Kido Association, The Korea Hapkido Association, and
The International Hapki Federation.
.
.
