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What is Tang Soo Do?

Tang Soo Do can trace its history back over 2000 years ago to Korea (which at the time included part of present day China and Manchuria), was divided into three kingdoms. The Koguryo Dynasty (37 BC - 668 AD), the largest and most powerful, was to the north. The Paekche Dynasty (18 BC - 660 AD), the next largest, was in the southwestern part of the Korean peninsula. The smallest and weakest of the dynasties, the Silla Dynasty (57 BC - 935 AD), was in the southeastern part of the peninsula. Korean martial arts were already well developed at this time, though the martial arts during this period of time were used for survival and probably had no connection with the present day philosophy of mind, body, and spiritual development.

Each of the three kingdoms had developed their own unique form of martial arts. Of important note from this period were several tombs that were built during the Koguryo Dynasty. These tombs depicted scenes of unarmed combat, as well as hunting scenes. It is believed that martial arts were taught not only to the army, but also to the citizens, and that the art became traditional at games and fairs.

A group of great importance during this time was the Hwa Rang Dan. Due to constant invasion and harassment from its neighbors, a young group of Aristocrats from Silla Dynasty form an officers’ warrior corps, the Hwa Rang Dan, to preserve the kingdom. Through their training and dedication, the Hwa Rang Dan became an essential part of the Silla’s struggle to unify the whole country. The Hwa Rang Dan incorporated and followed a five point code of conduct, which exists today as the Five Codes of Tang Soo Do.

Some 300 years after the Silla were able to unify the kingdoms into a whole in 668 AD, the Kingdom was overthrown and formed into the Koryo Kingdom (935 AD – 1392 AD). The kingdom was strictly militaristic in spirit, and the martial arts of this time, then call Soo Bahk, were practiced as a skill to improve health, and as a sports activity for competition. Soo Bahk was believed to have gained the highest popularity at this time, and became systemized scientifically as a modern martial art.

Things began to change, though, during the second half of Koryo’s successor, the Yi dynasty (1392 AD - 1910 AD). During this time, the feudal lord began to put more emphasis on literature than military training. In spite of the loss in popularity, an important martial art book was written. This book, called "MooYae Dobo Tongji", illustrates a martial arts collection of instructions. It was begun in 1790 AD as a comprehensive military training manual, and depicts the movements and forms of several types of martial arts.

The Age of Japanese Occupation (1909-1945)

In the later years of the Yi Dynasty, the kingdom was corrupted and weakened by leading politicians who rejected militarism and were deeply influenced bye Confucianism. In 1909, Japan invaded Korea and the Yi Dynasty collapsed. Japan soon began to forbid the use of the Korean language and all cultural activated in order to obliterate the Korean culture and its heritage. This included the Korean Martial Arts, which had to vanish underground to survive. Many martial artist left Korea in exile, and very few survived in Korea itself.

The Establishment of the Soo Bakh Do Association (1945)

In 1945, Korea gained its independence from Japan. During this period, native martial artists who had fled returned to Korea with new ideas and techniques. Many new organizations were established in an attempt to revive Korean martial arts. Hwang Dee, who had been exiled for a while, but return to Korea to open his first Tang Soo Do Dojang on November 9, 1945, headed one such organization. At the time, five other major marital arts schools were established, and efforts were being made to make a uniform organization. After the Korean Was (1950-1955), the Korean government became involved in unifying all dojangs, and this effort resulted in an organization call the Tae Soo DO Association (1961), which joined with the official Korean Amateur Sports Association in the same year. This was a major turning point in transforming Tae Soo DO into a national sport from traditional martial arts. However, there were many martial arts practitioners who wanted to remain traditionalist, and referred to the traditional art as "Tang Soo Do".