NHA - Taekwondo History

Taekwondo History

If you look around the internet attempting to find information about the history of Taekwondo, you will often run across commentary like the following:

"Ji Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do instructors often recount the history of their art in rather vague terms. Describing Ji Do Kwan as combination of Tae Kyon kicks, Kwon Bup combinations of upper and lower body strikes, Hwarang philosophy and Subahk stretching exercises with arm, elbow, wrist, and hand strikes."

Or this: "Taekwondo is a martial art that in "todays" form of self defense has evolved by combining many different styles of martial arts that existed in Korea over the last 2,000 years and some martial arts styles from countries that surround Korea."

And this: "The earliest records of Taekwondo practice date back to about 50 B.C. During this time, Korea was divided into three kingdoms: Silla, which was founded on the Kyongju plain in 57 B.C.; Koguryo, founded in the Yalu River Valley in 37 B.C.; and Paekche, founded in the southwestern area of the Korean peninsula in 18 B.C.. Tae Kyon ( also called Subak) is considered the earliest known form of Taekwondo. Paintings from this time period have been found on the ceiling of the Muyong-chong, a royal tomb from the Koguryo dynasty. The paintings show unarmed people using techniques that are very similar to the ones used by Taekwondo today."

The problem is, these comments are not accurate.

The thing to remember is in the early stages, the art(s) that were collectively to later to be known as Taekwondo styles all looked very much like karate--one could even say exactly like Karate. The reason for this is simple--the histories show that the people who founded the various kwans of Taekwondo had all (or almost all) studied Karate, and brought it back to Korea from Japan. In the early years, the forms that were practiced were exceedingly similar (in many cases, exactly the same) as Karate forms of the time. In the beginning, Tae Kyon/Kwon Bup/Hwarang/Subahk techniques or movements were not a part of the styles---it was Karate, transplanted to Korea. This does not mean that individual people did not place their own stamp on their individual style--but overall, various forms of karate were taught in Korea at the beginning of the Taekwondo era, when separate kwans (schools) were formed.

This also does not mean that people today practicing Taekwondo are practicing Japanese Karate. Quite the contrary--the Koreans took the technical knowledge of Karate and over time, changed it to reflect their own culture, heritage, and knowledge base. Taekwondo may have Karate antecedents--but Taekwondo is not merely Karate under a different name.

Similarly to Hapkido, the history of Taekwondo is rife with personality conflicts, culture wars, deliberate obsfucation, and exaggeration for the purpose of advertising. This page will not attempt to create the One True Taekwondo history--as if it could even be done. Taekwondo is the result of many separate traditions, techniques, and concepts combined into a single art continually re-created by the culture that founded it.

For a very good overall history of Taekwondo, please read Dr. Dakin Burdick's "People & Events in Taekwondo's Formative Years" as published in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts.

At the Nebraska Hapkido Association school, we teach Jidokwan Taekwondo. The second kwan (school) to be founded in Korea, Jidokwan (The Wisdom Way School) is a style known for its kicking combinations, and strong sparring techniques. It should be noted here that "Jidokwan" was not the original name of the style, and that on our lineage page, the person named "founder of the style" is actually the second grandmaster of our kwan, but the first grandmaster when the name was changed to Jidokwan.



	Taekwondo History If you look around the internet attempting to find information about the history of Taekwondo, you will often run across commentary like the following: "Ji Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do instructors often recount the history of their art in rather vague terms. Describing Ji Do Kwan as combination of Tae Kyon kicks, Kwon Bup combinations of upper and lower body strikes, Hwarang philosophy and Subahk stretching exercises with arm, elbow, wrist, and hand strikes." Or this: "Taekwondo is a martial art that in "todays" form of self defense has evolved by combining many different styles of martial arts that existed in Korea over the last 2,000 years and some martial arts styles from countries that surround Korea." And this: "The earliest records of Taekwondo practice date back to about 50 B.C. During this time, Korea was divided into three kingdoms: Silla, which was founded on the Kyongju plain in 57 B.C.; Koguryo, founded in the Yalu River Valley in 37 B.C.; and Paekche, founded in the southwestern area of the Korean peninsula in 18 B.C.. Tae Kyon ( also called Subak) is considered the earliest known form of Taekwondo. Paintings from this time period have been found on the ceiling of the Muyong-chong, a royal tomb from the Koguryo dynasty. The paintings show unarmed people using techniques that are very similar to the ones used by Taekwondo today." The problem is, these comments are not accurate. The thing to remember is in the early stages, the art(s) that were collectively to later to be known as Taekwondo styles all looked very much like karate--one could even say exactly like Karate. The reason for this is simple--the histories show that the people who founded the various kwans of Taekwondo had all (or almost all) studied Karate, and brought it back to Korea from Japan. In the early years, the forms that were practiced were exceedingly similar (in many cases, exactly the same) as Karate forms of the time. In the beginning, Tae Kyon/Kwon Bup/Hwarang/Subahk techniques or movements were not a part of the styles---it was Karate, transplanted to Korea. This does not mean that individual people did not place their own stamp on their individual style--but overall, various forms of karate were taught in Korea at the beginning of the Taekwondo era, when separate kwans (schools) were formed. This also does not mean that people today practicing Taekwondo are practicing Japanese Karate. Quite the contrary--the Koreans took the technical knowledge of Karate and over time, changed it to reflect their own culture, heritage, and knowledge base. Taekwondo may have Karate antecedents--but Taekwondo is not merely Karate under a different name. Similarly to Hapkido, the history of Taekwondo is rife with personality conflicts, culture wars, deliberate obsfucation, and exaggeration for the purpose of advertising. This page will not attempt to create the One True Taekwondo history--as if it could even be done. Taekwondo is the result of many separate traditions, techniques, and concepts combined into a single art continually re-created by the culture that founded it. For a very good overall history of Taekwondo, please read Dr. Dakin Burdick's "People & Events in Taekwondo's Formative Years" as published in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts. At the Nebraska Hapkido Association school, we teach Jidokwan Taekwondo. The second kwan (school) to be founded in Korea, Jidokwan (The Wisdom Way School) is a style known for its kicking combinations, and strong sparring techniques. It should be noted here that "Jidokwan" was not the original name of the style, and that on our lineage page, the person named "founder of the style" is actually the second grandmaster of our kwan, but the first grandmaster when the name was changed to Jidokwan.