Brief History of Martial Arts

Although martial arts began with the development of language itself and can be traced back more than three thousand years in China, it wasn’t until thousands of years later that these combat disciplines fused with philosophy. In AD 525, a Buddhist monk from India named Bodhidharma visited the Shaolin Temple of China. What he found was that the monks were deficient both spiritually, in terms of depth and awareness, and physically in that they could not defend themselves against assailants. Their vulnerability disturbed him greatly.

Consequently, he taught them meditation, breathing, and a host of tenets leading to a deeper, more enlightened way of life. He taught a regimen of exercises taken from the movements of animals to incorporate into their daily routine. In time, this intense study evolved into an advanced martial arts system known as Kung Fu. Many believe to this day that Kung Fu is the core of all martial arts as we presently know them.

Bodhidharma’s teachings piloted martial arts from a one-dimensional exploration of combat into a holistic discipline for the strengthening of body, mind and spirit. Although the element of combat was still significant, the monks who had been trained to avoid conflict were never attackers, rather they used their skills to help them carry out their work as caretakers and healers.

In the mid-nineteenth century, when the need for fighting skills in the Orient diminished, the focus of martial arts shifted from developing the body for battle to the development of mind and spirit. In fact, it was during this time in history that the word Do (which means “the way”) was added to many martial arts styles. Some examples of this are:

• Kendo: Way of the Sword
• Judo: Gentle Way
• Taekwondo: Way of the Hand and Foot
• Aikido: Harmony Spirit Way
• Kyudo: Way of the Bow
• Bushido: Way of the Warrior
• Karate-Do: Way of the Empty Hand

The martial artist’s training now emphasized personal and spiritual development: living a better life, becoming a better parent, friend and human being. Combat maxims were replaced with ideals of self-actualization and welfare, along with axioms such as maximum benefit with minimum effort. Martial arts became more about conquering the inner self than about winning a fight. Martial artists were taught loyalty, sincerity, brotherhood, sisterhood, never to retreat, and to look at death unflinchingly – all in the hope of creating a better, freer, longer existence, with the possibility of enlightenment. Students were taught many ways and means to serve those ends and encouraged to do what worked, not what was dictated by a culture. They were taught “mushin”, which means to empty the mind of guilt, doubt, fear, hatred, and other negative emotions that only get in the way of achievement. They learned ways to increase and develop “chi” (internal life energy) on their path toward self-realization, healing, and power, and they were taught to hand down their wisdom to the next generation.

Brief History of Taekwondo

The Korean civilization is more than 4,310 years old and has its own traditional language, culture, and Martial Arts. The ancient Martial Arts had their beginning hundreds of years before the birth of Christ and included the use of military weapons; however, the advantages of unarmed combat techniques were not overlooked, and the skills and many forms of unarmed combat were also emphasized and developed. Consequently, Taekwondo developed as a branch of the Martial Arts limited to combat and the natural use of fists, hands and feet.

The origin of Taekwondo can be traced back to the three Kingdoms of Koguryo (37 BC – 668 AD), Paekche (18 BC – 600 AD), and Silla (57 BC – 936 AD). Archaeological findings, such as mural paintings on the royal tombs of the Koguryo dynasty, the stone sculptures of pagodas (temples produced by the Silla period), and also documents written in the Paekche dynasty show many studies of fighting stances and forms of Taekwondo. Therefore it can be safely inferred that the people in the three kingdoms practiced an art very much like the one we study today.

It was during the Koryo dynasty (935 BC –1392 AD) that unarmed combat study gained its greatest popularity. It was practiced both by military personnel and the general public. During this period the art was first technically organized and systematized by the leading masters. Military officers and masters were invited by the royal family to present demonstrations and matches annually at the royal court. 

Under King Taejo, the founder of the Yi dynasty (1392 BC – 1910 AD), Buddhism was supplanted by Confucianism as the state religion (Buddhism was introduced into the Koguryo dynasty in 3 AD) and the ruling class of the dynasty strongly emphasized Chinese classical learning and de-emphasized physical activity. Consequently, the people became disinterested in Martial Arts and Taekwondo (known then as Tae Kyon) declined in popularity and its technical development was hindered.

Although he didn’t reverse the trend, King Chongjo (1790) helped keep the Korean Martial Arts alive by ordering Duk Mu Lee to write an ​official textbook on them. That volume, known as Muye Dobo Tong Ji, described and illustrated the Korean Martial Arts very clearly, and included a chapter on the forms of unarmed combat.

In 1910, the Yi dynasty was forcibly overthrown by Japan and the decline of the military skill continued. The Japanese Colonial government not only banned cultural activity but also Korean Martial Arts, sports, and language, in order to destroy the Korean identity. As a result of World War II, Korea was liberated from Japan, and many Korean Martial Artists opened up schools under various names such as Tang Soo Do, Chung Moo Kwon, Oh Do Kwon, and Ji Do Kwon. However, many leaders wanted to resurrect the original Tae Kyon. Finally, in 1973, the KUK KI WON (Institute of National Spirit) was established and became the main headquarters for the World Taekwondo Foundation (WTF). This organization is the official body of all Taekwondo around the world and will continue to teach the philosophies of Self-Control, Discipline, and Respect.