History of Taekwondo

The earliest records of Martial Arts practice in Korea date back to about 50 B.C. These earliest forms of korean martial arts are known as 'Taek Kyon'. Evidence that Martial Arts were being practiced at that time can be found in tombs where wall-paintings show two men in fighting-stance. Others reject this evidence and say that these men could be simply dancing. Back then, time there were three kingdoms:

1. Koguryo (37 B.C. - 668 A.D.)

2. Paekje (18 B.C. - 600 A.D.)

3. Silla (57 B.C. - 935 A.D.)

Silla unified the kingdoms after winning the war against Paekje in 660 A.D. and Koguryo in 668 A.D. The Hwa Rang Do played an important role at this unification. The Hwa Rang Do was an elite group of young noble men, devoted to cultivating mind and body and serve the kingdom Silla. The best translation for HwaRang would probably be "flowering youth" (Hwa ="flower", Rang="young man"). The HwaRang Do had an honor-code and practiced various forms of martial arts, including Taekyon and Soo Bakh Do. The old honor-code of the HwaRang is the philosophical background of modern Taekwondo.

What followed was a time of peace and the HwaRang turned from a military organization to a group specialized in poetry and music. It was in 936 A.D. when Wang Kon founded the Koryo dynasty, an abbreviation of Koguryo. The name Korea is derived from Koryo.

During the Koryo Dynasty the sport Soo Bakh Do, which was then used as a military training method, became popular. During the Joseon-dynasty (also known as the Yi-dynasty. 1392 A.D. - 1910 A.D.) this emphasis on military training disappeared. King Taejo, founder of the Joseon-dynasty, replaced Buddhism by Confucianism as the state religion. According to Confucianism, the higher class should study the poets, read poems and and play music. Martial arts was something for the common, or even inferior, man.

Modern-day Taekwondo is influenced by many other Martial Arts. The most important of these arts is Japanese Karate. This is because Japan dominated Korea during 1910 until the end of World War II. During WWII, lots of Korean soldiers were trained in Japan. During this occupation of Korea, the Japanese tried to erase all traces of the Korean culture, including the martial arts. The influence that Japan has given to Taekwondo are the quick, lineair movements, that characterize the various Japanese systems.

After World War II, when Korea became independant, several kwans arose. These kwans were:

Chung Do Kwan
Moo Duk Kwan
Yun Moo Kwan
Chang Moo Kwan
Oh Do Kwan
Ji Do Kwan
Chi Do Kwan
Song Moo Kwan

T'aeGuk-Ki (the Korean Flag)

Summary
The meaning of Korean National Flag is very philosophical. The origin comes from the Oriental philosophy called Eum-Yang, in Chinese pronunciation Yin-Yang. In Korea, the symbol of 'Yin and Yang', and sometimes the flag itself, is called Taeguk and summarizes the thoughts of 'I Ching' (called 'Yeok' in Korean). The name means as much as the flag of 'Great Extremes'.
The flag consists of three parts: The white background, the red and blue circle in the center and four trigrams, one in each corner of the flag.
The white background of the flag means peace.
The red and blue circle in the center is called 'Taeguk', the origin of all things in the universe. The central thought is perfect harmony and balance: A continuousl movement within the sphere of infinity, resulting in one unit. The blue part of 'Taeguk' is called 'Eum' and represents all negative aspects of the balance that is typical for the symbol. The red part is called 'Yang' and describes all positive apects.
The four trigrams at the corners (called 'Kwe' in Korean) also represent the concept of opposites and balance. The trigrams are heaven (upper-left) and at the other corner earth, water (upper-right) and at the other corner fire. Looking at symbols of the trigrams, you can see that they are opposites as well. Three unbroken bars(heaven) vs. three broken bars (earth), etc.
For the Korean people their flag of T'aeGuk-Ki is a source of pride and inspiration. During the Japanese occupation period beginning in 1910 the Korean flag was outlawed in public places and for about thirty-five years the T'aeGuk flags were kept hidden until Liberation Day in1945. The Korean flag has been a symbol of this country's struggle for independence and freedom.

The symbols
Yin means dark and cold, while Yang means bright and hot. A very old book called Choo-Yuk which is written by a Chinese claims all objects and events in the world are expressed by the movement of Yin and Yang. For example, the moon is Yin while the sun is Yang. The earth is Yin and the sky is Yang. The night is Yin and the day is Yang. The winter is Yin and the summer is Yang. Yin and Yang are relative. Therefore, A can be Yin with respect to B while A can be Yang with respect to C. For example, the spring is Yin w.r.t. the summer and it is at the same time Yang w.r.t. the winter.

	Kun	Heaven
	Yi	Fire
	Kam	Water
	Kon	Earth

The Jidokwan symbol, called an o-de-key, is made up of three main parts.

In the symbol, each of the three circles make within themselves a whole, with no beginning or end. Each of these symbolic circles represents different aspects to us as students of Jidokwan. The large outer circle represents the universe holding inside all we know and all we need around us within its mighty aspect. The larger circle inside represents our earth. The smaller circle represents the life on earth. When all three circles are placed together we see contact, one with the other.

The Rose of Sharon is the Korean national flower with eight petals. The symbol is set in its center so these petals draw your eye to the center. Each petal represents an attitude. The eight is a number of balance and harmony, organization and personal success. Each petal represents one of the Eight Manners of Solemnity

The colors red, gold and blue are each significant to the symbology of the Jidokwan emblem. Red is the color of energy and power, courage and attention. Gold is for spirituality and freedom. Blue is for peace, calm and friendship.

Eight manners of Solemnity:

1. View Rightly
2. Feel Rightly
3. Think Rightly
4. Speak Rightly
5. Order Rightly
6. Contribute Rightly
7. Have Ability
8. Conduct Rightly