Origins

It is generally accepted that Tang Soo Do was a Koreanized version of
Japanese Karate, and that the Moo Duk Kwan style originated as a
combination of three major styles: Yang Tai Chi Chuan, Northern China and
Southern China Kung Fu, combined with the Okinawan/Japanese discipline
of Karate and its modified Forms by Grandmaster Hwang Kee (??/??)
(1914 – 2002)

Name

Tang Soo Do is the Korean pronunciation of the Hanja characters , which in
Japanese are pronounced "Karate-Do" (way of the Tang Hand).

The first recorded usage of the term "Tang Soo Do" in contemporary history
was by Chung Do Kwan founder, Won Kuk Lee . Prior to the unification of the
"Kwans" under the Korea Taekwondo Association, most of the major Kwans
called their style Tang Soo Do. The Chung Do Kwan, along with the rest of
the Kwans ceased using the name Tang Soo Do when they unified under
the name Taekwondo (and temporarily Tae Soo Do) The Moo Duk Kwan,
however, remained independent of this unification movement, and continued
to call their style Tang Soo Do.

In 1995, the late Hwang Kee officially changed the name of the Moo Duk
Kwan style to Soo Bahk Do.

Founder

Unlike most contemporary martial arts, it is not possible to pinpoint any one
person as being the "founder" of Tang Soo Do. One could argue that Won
Kuk Lee "founded" the style, being the first (known) person to use the name,
however that argument would be dubious, at best. However, the Moo Duk
Kwan style of Tang Soo Do (where nearly all modern Tang Soo Do stylists
trace their lineage to) can be traced to a single founder: Grandmaster
Hwang Kee. Hwang Kee was said to have had learned Chinese martial arts
while in Manchuria, and had been influenced by Japanese Karate, and the
indigenous Korean arts of Taekkyon (택견)and Subak. He also claimed to
have been highly influenced by an old book about martial arts called the
Muye Dobo Tongji (1790). He organized the "Korean Soo Bahk Do
Association in 1945. In 1968, Master Jae C. Shin, who studied directly under
Grandmaster Hwang Kee, founded the United States Tang Soo Do
Federation which later became The World Tang Soo Do Association in 1982.

Early history

The ancestral art of Korean Tang Soo Do can be traced back to the period
when Korea was divided into three kingdoms:

Goguryeo was founded in 37 BC in northern Korea. The Silla Dynasty was
founded in 57 BC in the southeast peninsula. The third kingdom, Paekche
was founded in 18 BC.

Finally, after a long series of wars, the Silla Dynasty united the three
kingdoms in 668 AD. During this period, the primitive martial arts were very
popular as a method of self-defense in warfare. This is evidence in the many
mural paintings, ruins, and remains, which depict Tang Soo Do in those
days. Among the three kingdoms, the Silla Dynasty was most famous for its
development of martial arts. A corps composed of a group of young
aristocrats who were called "Hwa Rang Dan" was the major force behind the
development of the art. These warriors were instrumental in unifying the
Korean peninsula under the new Silla Dynasty (668 AD - 935 AD). Many of
the early leaders of that dynasty were originally members of the Hwa Rang
Dan. Most Korean martial arts trace their spiritual and technical heritage to
this group. In fact, the names of some martial arts such as Hwa Rang Do or
Hwa Soo Do, still reflect this origination.

The united Silla Kingdom was ultimately overthrown by a warlord, Wang Kun,
in 918 AD. The new kingdom, "Koryo", lasted for 475 years (918 AD - 1392
AD). In 1392, the Yi Dynasty succeeded the Koryo kingdom. The Yi Dynasty
remained intact for 500 years. During the 1000 year period of the Koryo
Kingdom and the Yi Dynasty, what we today know as Tang Soo Do was
increasingly popular with the military. More importantly however, the art also
became very popular with the general public. During this period, Tang Soo
Do was referred to as Kwon Bop, Tae Kyun, Soo Bahk, Tang Soo and others.
The first complete martial arts book was written at this time. This most
important book is called "Mooyae Dobo Tangji". It was written in 1790 and
contained illustrations that substantiated the theory that Tang Soo Do
(formally called "Soo Bahk Ki") had quickly developed into a very
sophisticated art of combat techniques.

Modern Changes

During the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-1945), many Koreans were
exposed to Japanese versions of Chinese martial arts such as Karate. As
the Japanese moved deeper into the continent, Karate was adopted and
mixed with more traditional Korean martial arts such as Taekyon, as well as
traditional Chinese martial arts studied by Koreans in Manchuria and China

Around the liberation of Korea in 1945, five martial arts schools under the
style name of Kong Soo Do or Tang Soo Do, called Kwans, were formed by
men who were mostly trained in Japanese Karate. The Kwans and their
founders were the Chung Do Kwan (LEE, Won Kuk), Jidokwan (CHUN, Sang
Sup), Chang Moo Kwan (YOON, Byung In), Moo Duk Kwan (Hwang Ki), and
Song Moo Kwan (ROH, Byung Jick).

Around 1953, shortly after the Korean War, four more Kwans formed. These
2nd generation Kwans and their principle founders were; Oh Do Kwan
(CHOI, Hong Hi & NAM, Tae Hi), Han Moo Kwan (LEE, Kyo Yun), Kang Duk
Kwan (PARK, Chul Hee & Hong Jong Pyo) and Jung Do Kwan (LEE, Young
Woo).

In 1955, these arts, at that time called various names by the different
schools, were ordered to unify by South Korea's President Syngman Rhee. A
governmental body selected a naming committee's submission of
"Taekwondo" as the name. Both Sun Duk Song and Choi Hong Hi both
claim to have submitted the name. The name sounds like the ancient
Korean martial arts of Taekyon, as Taekwondo has direct relation to Taekyon
in the techniques.

In 1959, the Korean Taekwondo Association (KTA) was formed in an attempt
to unify the dozens of the kwans as one standardized system of Taekwondo.
The first international tour of Taekwondo, by General CHOI, Hong Hi, founder
of the Oh Do Kwan (founded, 1953-4), and 19 black belts, was held in 1959.
In 1960, Jhoon Rhee was teaching what he called Korean Karate (or Tang
Soo Do) in Texas, USA. After receiving the ROK Army Field Manual which
contained martial arts training curriculum under the new name of
Taekwondo, from General Choi Hong Hi, Rhee began using the name
Taekwondo.

Despite this unification effort, the kwans continued to teach their individual
styles. The Korean government ordered a single organization be created
and, on September 16, 1961, the kwans agreed to unify under the name
Korea Tae Soo Do Association (which changed its name back to the Korean
Taekwondo Association when Choi became its president in August 1965).

Current state

With the change of the Moo Duk Kwan style to Soo Bahk Do, Tang Soo Do
Moo Duk Kwan technically ceased to exist. However, Tang Soo Do continues
to flourish under numerous organizations, that have at some point in time
separated from the Moo Duk Kwan. Tang Soo Do continues to evolve and
grow, and in the last two decades has emerged from Taekwondo's shadow
to become a well known, and well respected Martial Art in its own right. Many
Tang Soo Do practitioners claim that Tang Soo Do continued to follow the
path of a "Traditional" martial art that they feel that Taekwondo more or less
abandoned in its push for Olympic Games inclusion.


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Tang Soo Do