Memories from the Dojang - Part 1

As I mention in my Blog profile , My name is Billy O'Brien and I am originally from Togher , which is a suburb located on the Southside of Cork City in the Republic of Ireland. I first heard about Taekwon-Do in 1979 when local kids starting talking about it. To be honest,it sounded mysterious and other-worldly. Sure,everybody had heard of Karate,but what was this Taekwon-Do? Little did I know then but that my future Instructor lived just across the road from me!

As we entered the '80s,this Taekwon-Do practically threw itself in my face. I was a student in Scoil Stiofain Naofa , which used to be the Secondary School for a lot of youngsters in the Togher area , and was located on Tramore Road , a couple of hundred yards from my house. A couple of Second Year classmates had already started taking classes - Danny Seymore and Sparky. I asked them what it was like and where did they train. Believe it or not ; in my own school!

So one night in December 1980/January 1981 , I made my way up to my school , only this time it was not for lessons , but rather to join Taekwon-Do. I must admit that I was nervous entering the door of the school gym and being met by a sea of white doboks and colored belts gathered around a table taking details of the newcomers. My mind is a bit fuzzy on the exact dates but I was either still 13 or just coming up to 14 years of age. I filled out the form and was told to turn up for class a few days later.

So my first class arrived and I and what seemed like hundreds lined up in the huge gym hall for our introduction to the Art of Hand and Foot Fighting. In walked the two Senior Instructors. My first glimpse of a real living Black Belt! I was immediately hooked! For the record , their names were Brian Walsh and Jim O'Sullivan ( my neighbour ) , whom previous to this encounter had never even known existed. They were 2nd Dans and I felt quite small all of a sudden :-)

Mr Jim O'Sullivan - Mid 1980s

To Be Continued...

Founding Fathers - Part 3 - Grandmaster Hong, Chong Soo

Hwang Kee - Original Founder

The Kyo Tong Bu Woo Hae was the third kwan to open in the '40s - 1946 - by Hwang Kee who taught Tang Soo Do to his students at the Yong San Railway Station in Seoul. Originally Hwang Kee's style had a different name - Hwa Soo Do - which was a combination of Kung Fu and Karate and other Martial Arts. However this didn't catch on and he changed it to the more recognisable name of Tang Soo Do , used by his friend Lee Won Kuk of the Chung Do Kwan. However Hwang's style was very different and only the name was the same. After the Korean War in 1953 he changed the name of his Art to Moo Duk Kwan - "The School of Military Virtue".

Hong Chong Soo - Moo Duk Kwan

By 1965, the various kwans of the modern Korean martial arts were merging under the banner of Taekwondo. Hwang, Kee resisted this trend, wishing to maintain control over his organization. Due to this fact, two advanced students of Hwang, Kee's: Im, Young Tek and Hong, Chong Soo ( pictured above )broke away from their teacher, formed their own branch of Moo Duk Kwan, and became a part of the Korea Taekwondo Association. From this act, two distinct systems of self-defense, bearing the title Moo Duk Kwan, emerged.Many advanced practitioners of Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan followed this lead and broke away from Hwang, Kee. They each became part of the Taekwondo branch of Moo Duk Kwan.

Taekwon-Do In Print

I'm going to take a short break from the Founding Fathers to post a little on the subject of books on Taekwon-Do. Please note that this will be biased in favour of the Chang Hon system.

Taekwon-Do ( 1959 )
Choi Hong Hi

Mrs Choi and 1959 Taekwon-Do book

Back in 1959 , General Choi penned the first book on Taekwon - Do. Apparently it was text only and in Korean and is as rare as hen's teeth! The picture above shows Mrs Choi at the 2009 Taekwon-Do Hall of Fame awards being presented with a copy of the book.

Taekwon-Do The Art of Self Defence ( 1965 )
Choi Hong Hi

Taekwon-Do 1965 1st Edition

The first English language book on Taekwon-Do was penned by General Choi Hong Hi in 1965. The book is now a collectors item. What is notable about the book is the absence of politics ( no I.T.F. as yet ) , the completely white doboks and the inclusion of some Karate Kata ( back then there were only 20 Taekwon-Do patterns , the other 4 would be created the following year)

Inside the first English Language book!

Taekwon-Do Guidelines ( 1972 )
Choi Hong Hi

This second venture into the English language world of publishing came in 1972. Now we see a lot of changes ; well most notably the appearance of the black trim for Dan grades. But no trim down the legs and arms for 4th Dan and above. I think this came later.

The black trim at the bottom of the jackets for Black Belts makes its picture debut!

Still , from the look of things , these were still formulative years for the Art. A brilliant historical record. General Choi spent 3 years preparing this book ( 1969 to 1972 ).

Taekwon - Do ( 1972 ) B.S. Huan

The first book by somebody other than the founder was this rarity in 1972 written by Grrandmaster B.S. Huan from Singapore. It claimed to lay bare the bones of Taekwon - Do.

Encyclopedia of Taekwon - Do Vol. 1 to 15 ( 1985 )
General Choi Hong Hi

Published in 1985 , this would become the Bible of I.T.F. Taekwon-Do! 15 Volumes covering everything that the General had researched over the years. It featured all 24 Patterns including the "new" Pattern - Juche - which replaced Kodang for 2nd Dans. This controversial move was the catalyst for the eventual mass exodus from the I.T.F. of many Masters who went on to found their own organisations. We also see the appearance of the black trim down the legs and arms for 4th Dans and higher. And a new design dobok!

Taekwon - Do The Condensed Encyclopedia ( 1986 )
General Choi Hong Hi

This was basically a digest version of the Encyclopedia released the following year and concentrated on the self - defence aspects of the art. Almost all of General Choi's books have seen reprints several times now , but originals sell for ludicrous amounts of money.

Founding Fathers - Part 2 - Grandmaster Lee, Chong Woo

Chun Sang Sup - Original Founder

The JiDoKwan can actually trace its roots as far back as 1931.Back then it was known as the Chosun Yun Moo Kwan and was run by Lee, Kyung Suk who taught a Judo programme.At the end of World War II, Lee, Kyung Suk asked Chun, Sang Sup to set up a course of Kwon Bop at his school. Kwon Bop is one of the Korean terms used for Japanese Karate.Chun, Sang Sup began his martial arts training in Judo while in high school.


Upon retuning to Korea, Chun is believed to have secretly taught Shotokan Karate to private students, beginning in approximately 1940. As privately teaching Karate was outlawed by the Japanese occupying forces, his teaching was not formally recorded until he established his training method post World War II.Chun's instruction continued until an evil twist of fate found him kidnapped and imprisoned by the North Korean military during the Koren War. He was never heard from again and was eventually believed to be dead.

Grandmaster Woo - JiDoKwan.

Upon the loss of Chun, Sang Sup, Chosun Yun Moo Kwan Kwon Bup Bu teaching passed to the hands of Yoon, Kwe Byung, one of Chun's senior sudents. He renamed the school, Ji Do Kwan, "Wisdom Way School."

During the 1950's, when the various kwans of the Korean martial arts began attempting to merge under one banner, Yoon, Kwe Byung was against unification. Yoon wanted Ji Do Kwan to remain free from organizational control. This did not sit well with the other senior members of Ji Do Kwan, however.

As such, Yoon, Kwe Byung was ousted from his presidency and Lee, Chong Woo was elected the new president of Ji Do Kwan.Lee, Chong Woo forged the Ji Do Kwan into one of the leading schools of martial arts in modern Korea. Its practitioners were noted for their consecutive wins at South Korean tournaments. Lee also went on to hold several pivotal positions within the Korea Taekwondo Association and the World Taekwondo Federation.The first ten black belts of Ji Do Kwan were:

1. Bae, Young Ki
2. Lee, Chong Woo
3. Kim, Bok Nam
4. Park, Hyun Jung
5. Lee, Soo Jin
6. Jung, Jin Young
7. Lee, Kyo Yoon
8. Lee, Byung Ro
9. Hong, Chang Jin
10. Park, Young Kuen

The Presidents of Ji Do Kwan:

* Nam, Tae Hi
* Baek, Joon Ki
* Choi, Dong Hee
* Kim, Suk Kyu
* Ko, Jae Chun

Founding Fathers - Part 1 - Grandmaster Won Kuk Lee

Now one thing which puzzled my young mind when I first pondered on the Greats of Taekwon-Do back in the early '80s was how come if it was only created in 1955 was it positively bursting at the seams with Masters and Grandmasters almost from the off?! Well to answer that will take many posts,but to quickly summerise - Taekwon-Do is the result of many diverse,yet similar Martial Art systems coming together under one umbrella in the mid - '50s.

Grandmaster Lee - Chung Do Kwan.

Back in the '40s and '50s many kwans (schools) opened , teaching various forms of Karate,Judo and Kung Fu. They refined these techniques to give them a distinct korean flavour and imbued them with their own moral codes.


So the first school to open up for business was the Chung Do Kwan - "The School of the Blue Waves" - in September 1944. This school was run by Grandmaster Lee Won Kuk ( pictured above ) , who had studied Taek Kyon , Kung Fu and Sotokan Karate ( Lee earned 4th dan in Shotokan karate, the highest dan aside from the founder at that time. ). The style they pracised was known as Tang Soo Do.

Grandmaster Lee ( centre with tie ) with students circa 1940s.

In the early days, Chung Do consisted of ten hand and eight kicking techniques all aim at the vital points of the body. The hand techniques were punch, spear-hand, palm, knife-hand, inner ridge-hand (between thumb and forefinger), twin fingers, single finger, back fist and tiger fist. The kicking techniques consisted of front, side, round and back kick and these were aimed at various levels of the body.

Grandmaster Lee ( centre front ) at National Police Dojang.

The belt system of the Chung Do Kwan under Lee was as follows: White (8th-5th Guep), Red (4th-1st Guep)and Black (1st to 7th Dan). Testing occurred every six months and students would jump two guep levels per test (8th to 6th guep for example). The first seventeen black belts of Chung Do Kwan were:

1. Yoo, Ung Jun
2. Son, Duk Sung
3. Uhm, Woon Kyu
4. Hyun, Jong Myun
5. Min, Woon Sik
6. Han, In Sook
7. Jung, Young Taek
8. Kang, Suh Chong
9. Baek, Joon Ki
10. Nam, Tae Hi
11. Ko, Jae Chun
12. Kwak, Kuen Sik
13. Kim, Suk Kyu
14. Han, Cha Kyo
15. Jo, Sung Il
16. Lee, Sa Man
17. Rhee, Jhoon Goo -- the Father of American Taekwondo


In 1951, due to his age, Lee, Won Kuk asked one of his senior students, Son, Duk Sung to take over as the chief instructor of the studio. Son, Duk Sung, accepted this offer and, thereby, became the second grandmaster of Chung Do Kwan.
Many of the Korean schools of martial art closed their doors during the Korean War. Chung Do Kwan was no exception. It did not reopen until 1953. By this point, however, Lee, Won Kuk rarely visited the school due to his advanced age. Son, Duk Sung and the instructors Son had personally trained, became the primary teacher's of the kwan.


As time progressed, several advanced students of Chung Do Kwan branched off and founded their own kwans. They include:

* Kuk Mu Kwan, founded by Kang, Suh Chong
* Jung Do Kwan, founded by Lee, Yong Woo
* Chung Ryong Kwan, founded by Ko, Jae Chun

* Oh Do Kwan, founded by Choi, Hong Hi and Nam, Tae Hi

Grandmaster Lee ( right ) with General Choi circa early '50s

Although the name "Taekwondo" was proposed in 1955 by Chung Do Kwan students, it was slow to catch on among other Kwan Heads (Kwan Jang).

Won Kuk Lee passed away in 1999 at the age of 92.

W .K. Lee: "I am the founder of modern Tae Kwon Do in Korea. I am happy that Tae Kwon Do has helped to reawaken national pride in many Koreans who had become alienated from their traditional culture. During the Japanese occupation many Koreans identified with the Japanese while others embraced Communist philosophy. We helped to keep Tae Kwon Do alive during the occupation by training in secret."


Tae Kwon!

Footnote:There is an interesting fact regarding the Chung Do Kwan. Son, Duk Sung was the instructor who provided General Choi, Hong Hi with his 4th Dan certificate. Son, details that this was an honorary degree. He later canceled this certificate, and revoked Choi's honorary Kwajang (Grandmaster) status when General Choi sent him a 6th Dan certificate which he insisted that Son must sign. Son also expelled Nam, Tae Hi, from Chung Do Kwan during this same time period.

R.I.T.A.

Back in the day when I first started Taekwon-Do , the dojang would prominently display the Korean flag. This served to denote the art as a whole - its origin , its terminology and its whole ethos.




Everybodys dobok,including mine displayed two badges. One was the I.T.F. badge of the International Taekwon-Do Federation.



The other was of the R.I.T.A. - Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association.



Of course back then , I had no ideas of the political machinations of such organisations. I just loved Taekwon-Do and everything in the world was beautiful and full of mystery!

Seja!

Later on I will be posting quite a lot on the origins and early days of Tae Kwon Do , but for now it seems only right to pay pictorial tribute to the late Grandmaster Choi Hong Hi 9th Dan , credited with creating the Art of Hand and Foot Fighting.

Born in 1918 , he passed away in 2002 from cancer. The pictures below show him as a young boy , a student , an Army Officer , early days in Taekwon-Do and in the late '90s when he was still teaching!

Kyung Yet !

Charyot!

Welcome to a new blog where I will be ranting and raving about the Art of Hand and Foot Fighting or Tae Kwon Do to you and me. Nothing presented here is meant to be exhaustive or authoritative. Just my thoughts and opinions ( for what they're worth ) on this fantastic Martial Art. Comments are always welcome and actively encouraged.

Don't worry about what style you practice or which organisation or not that you belong to. This is a friendly place where I just wish to share and hopefully learn a little more than I did before. Now that I've got your attention :-) here are just a few of the topics I will be covering over the next few posts and beyond:

Did you know that originally there were only 8 Kup grades and that 7th Dan was the highest rank?

Did you know that originally the coloured belts consisted only of white and brown?

Did you know that General Choi didn't create all the Patterns by himself?

Did you know that Shotokan katas were practised by the early students?

So there you have an idea of where I'll be taking this blog. However , history aside , I will also be chatting about fundamental exercises , self defence , chambering , stances , blocks , thrusts , kicks , etc. In short anything and everything to do with Tae Kwon Do. Talk soon!

Tae Kwon!

Billy.