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The Development of Martial Arts
When studying
the history of martial arts there are sometimes different theories
on the development of the arts. Due to records being destroyed in
wars or raids, masters not passing on the information or because of
the practicing of the arts were sometimes illegal. Through our
studies the following information is correct to the best of our
knowledge.
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India:
In approximately 520 AD, according to
Chinese records, an event took place that is said to have had the
greatest influence on the development of modern martial arts. A
Buddhist monk from the Indian Kshatryia (warrior) Castle, known for
their form of fighting without weapons, traveled over Tibet’s
Himalayan Mountains, surviving both the extreme elements and
treacherous bandits. He had to cross unbridged rivers through
complete wilderness, one can imagine the greatness of his spirit and
physical strength – so great that he was able to conquer this
difficult journey of several thousand miles, alone! He has been
recorded, as the founder of Zen Buddhism, his name was Bodhidharma,
known to the Japanese as Daruma.
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China:
Bodhidhrama traveled to the Shaolin
Temple in Hunan Province in Northern China. It is said that he
taught the monks exercises at the temple in order to improve their
physical and mental conditioning so that they could better endure
the rigors of their religious training. It is said that these
exercises formed the base of Shaolin Chinese Kempo. By the T’ang
Dynasty (618 AD – 906 AD) Shaolin monks had distinguished themselves
as superb fighters. During the years of 845 AD – 846 AD there was a
period of Buddhist persecution and 4,600 large temples and 40,000
smaller temples were completely destroyed. In the years of 1260 AD –
1294 AD, 42,000 Buddhist temples were built, and at this time
Shaolin Kempo spread throughout China.
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Okinawa:
The Ryukyu Islands are a small chain
of islands located between China and Japan. The largest and most
famous of these islands is Okinawa. Okinawa literally means “a rope
tossed in the water,” and that is how the islands appear on a map.
The introduction of Chinese Kempo to Okinawa occurred in numerous
ways. Trade was set up between China and the Ryukyu islands, so one
belief was that sailors went to China and brought back information
to Okinawa. Another was that a Chinese community was established in
Okinawa known as Kumemura. The purpose of this village was to help
the welfare and development of Okinawa. Kumemura served as an
arrival point for Chinese diplomats and envoys and was a place for
learning for the Okinawans. They learned shipbuilding, navigation,
and techniques of Chinese administration. This was a perfect
opportunity for the spreading of Chinese Kempo to the Okinawans.
With the addition of Chinese Kempo to the already indigenous
Okinawan fighting form, what is known today as Ryukyu Kempo was
created. In 1609 AD Japan imposed a ban on weapons, so this forced
the Okinawans to learn how to defend their families and villages
utilizing empty handed combat. Hence the name Karate (Kara –
empty, Te – hand). Training in karate was always done in
secrecy in Okinawa, with no one teaching or training openly in its
arts as is done today. For this reason, books or written records on
karate are almost nonexistent.
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Japan:
A man by the name of Gichin Funakoshi
was born in Okinawa in 1868, he had no idea what kind of an impact
he was going to have on the life of so many to come. In 1917 at the
age of 49, he was asked to perform his martial arts skill at a
physical education exhibition sponsored by the Ministry of
Education, at the Butokuden in Kyoto, Japan, which at that time was
the official center of all martial arts. This was the first time
that karate, once for so long taught in secret, was to be
demonstrated outside of Okinawa. He was asked back in 1921 for
another exhibition. Master Funakoshi was yet invited back a third
time in 1922, but this time was a special performance. He
demonstrated karate for the emperor and the royal family! Master
Funakoshi is known as the father of modern karate.
Another man that some believe had a
large influence in Japan was Choki Motobu. Some say that Motobu was
a better martial artist than Gichin Funakoshi, but was not as good
of a speaker. Choki Motobu moved to Osaka, Japan in 1921 and taught
karate in Osaka and Tokyo. Motobu gained popularity throughout Japan
due to an event in Kyoto, Japan. A Russian boxer had traveled to
Japan to fight Japanese martial artists. Motobu and a friend
attended the event, where the Russian boxer had beaten all Japanese
fighters up to this point and he finally issued an open challenge to
the audience. Although Motobu was 52 years old at the time, he
accepted the challenge. As the Russian came in to attack, Motobu
front kicked the boxer in the stomach and then proceeded to ridge
hand the Russian in the back of the head knocking the Russian out
cold. The audience was stunned at the speed that he dispatched the
boxer and up until now Okinawan karate had not been publicly
displayed. This gave Choki Motobu notoriety throughout Japan, where
many people sought him out for instruction in Okinawan Karate.
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Korea:
Tae Kyon is said to have been
practiced since 50 BC. Tae Kyon is considered the earliest form of
what is known today as Tae Kwon Do. During the Silla Dynasty (668 AD
– 935 AD) Tae Kyon was mostly used as a sport and a recreational
activity. Tae Kyon’s name was changed to Subak to focus on the art
of fighting not just on physical fitness during the Koryo Dynasty
(935 AD – 1392 AD). Subak was taught to the military not just for
physical conditioning but for the fighting aspects. During the
second half of the Yi Dynasty (1397 AD -–1907 AD) there was mass
conflict to change back the focus of the Tae Kyon (Subak) to one of
a recreational activity for physical fitness. It was changed and a
lack of interest followed, causing the art to become fragmented and
scarcely practiced.
In 1909 the Japanese invaded Korea
and occupied the country for 36 years, until the end of WW II. To
control Korea’s patriotism, the Japanese banned the practice of all
martial arts. This ban was responsible for renewed interest in Subak.
Many Koreans organized themselves into underground groups and
practiced Tae Kyon/Subak in Buddhist temples. Other people left
Korea to study the martial arts in Japan or China. In 1943, Judo,
Karate and Kung Fu were officially introduced to Korean residents
and the martial arts regained popularity. Before Korea was liberated
in 1945, there were many different variations of Tae Kyon/Subak in
Korea. This was due to all of the other martial art influences. Most
Korean instructors had been students at Japanese universities or
they were soldiers in the Imperial Japanese Army, and had learned
their martial arts in Japan, returning to Korea as 1st or
2nd degree black belts in Karate. The first school (Kwan)
opened in 1945. Many different schools were opened from 1945- 1960;
each claiming to teach the traditional Korean martial art, but each
school emphasized a different aspect of Tae Kyon/Subak. This
resulted in many different names to emerge from each system. In 1955
the different Kwan masters decided to merge there various styles for
mutual benefit, the name was Tae Soo Do. Two years later in 1957,
the name was changed again. This time to Tae Kwon Do, because of the
resemblance to Tae Kyon, and further it better describes the
philosophy of Tae Kyon/Subak.
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United States:
The United States has become a
melting pot of Asian martial arts and styles. The following is a
brief history of each nations influence on the martial arts here in
the states.
Chinese Martial Arts
are called Kung Fu in the West, or Wushu in China. Kung Fu is a
general term for many Chinese martial arts. The most popular styles
are Shaolin and Tai Chi Chuan. Shaolin was developed in Northern
China; strength and speed are dominant in this system. Tai Chi Chuan
was developed in Southern China, gentle force and inner harmony is
the main focus in this art. Kung Fu reached the west in the mid
1800’s, with the first migration of Chinese laborers to the United
States. Many were skilled in Kung Fu and restricted its teachings to
those of immediate Chinese ancestry. This custom ended in 1964, when
a Kung Fu instructor opened a school to Non-Chinese.
Japanese Martial Arts
were introduced in 1902 with Judo
being the first to come from Japan. In 1946, after WW II, many of
our soldiers that were stationed in Okinawa and Japan brought back
Karate to the states.
Korean Martial Arts
became popular in the early 1960’s after the Korean Government put
pressure on the different schools in Korea to unite to form an
association. The KTA (Korean Tae Kwon Do Association) was formed. If
you did not join the KTA the government did not recognize your rank.
Many masters left Korea, and came to the United States. These
masters went on to form what is now know as the WTA (World Tae Kwon
Do Association).
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