The History of Tae
Kwon Do
Taekwondo
is a Korean martial art. It is the national sport of Korea.
Taekwondo was originally known as Taekyon. Taekwondo has been
used to protect the Korean peninsula from invading Chinese and Japanese
armies. Today, it is a form of self-defense and physical fitness.
It is excellent for all ages.
“Taekyun”,
or kicking and punching, was used almost 2000 years ago, during the
Three Kingdoms Period by the Korean knights, or Hwarang. The Hwarang
knights were the Korean equivalent of the medieval European knights.
The purpose of the training was Confucian-service to the Government
and King. They were skilled in many areas of combat, including
archery, horseback riding, weaponry, wrestling, swordsmanship, and taekyon.
There was never a single martial art called Hwarangdo. Instead,
there were several arts practiced by the Hwarang knights.
After the three Korean Kingdoms
unified, taekyon became known as subak. It was practiced by the
Korean military. The subak became one of the most effective marital
arts the world had seen. It was practiced as a military form of
self-defense and popular recreation.
In the late 15th
Century, the Korean society became converted to Confucianism.
Subak was seen as an activity that was unfit. Just a few people
kept up subak. In 1910, Korea was invaded by Japan. People
were forced to adapt to the Japanese ways. A few people, in secrecy
for fear of execution, only practiced Subak. The practice of the
native Korean martial arts was outlawed.
After Japan’s defeat
in WWII, the Korean marital arts began to resurface. The first
school was the Chung Do Kwan (School of the Pure Way) under Won Kuk
Lee in 1944. Won Kuk Lee is considered by the many as the
true founder of modern Korean Taekwondo. As the years passed,
many other schools developed.
(image designed by EDI, Eckert Design Ink)
Copyright © 2008 by Northern Michigan Tae Park Tae Kwon Do,
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