Choi Yong Sul
Encyclopedia
Choi Yong-sool alternative spelling Choi Yong-sul, was the founder of the martial art hapkido
. He was born in today's Chungcheongbuk-do
, South Korea
, and was taken to Japan
during the Japanese occupation of Korea when he was eight years old. Choi later claimed that he became a student of Takeda Sōkaku
, and studied a form of jujutsu
known as Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu (大東流合気柔術) while in Japan; this is disputed due to the historically tense relationship between the two sides and lack of clear documentary evidence.
Choi returned to Korea after the end of the World War II
and in 1948 began teaching his art at a brewery
owned by the father of his first student Seo Bok-Seob . He first called his art "Yu Sul " or "Yawara " later changing it to "Yu Kwon Sool " and "Hap Ki Yu Kwon Sool " and eventually Hapkido
.
Choi Yong-Sool was honored with the titles doju , which can be translated as "Keeper of the way", and changsija , which simply means "founder". The arts of Hapkido, modern Hwa Rang Do
, Kuk Sool Won
, as well as lesser known arts such as Han Pul all show influence of the teachings of Master Choi.
in 1912 by a Japanese sweet merchant named Morimoto who had lost his own sons and wished to adopt Choi. Choi resisted and proved so troublesome to the candymaker that he abandoned him in the streets of Moji, Japan
. Choi made his way to Osaka
as a beggar and, after having been picked up by police, was placed in a Buddhist temple which cared for orphans in Kyoto
. The abbot of the temple was a monk named Wantanabe Kintaro.
Choi spent 2 years at the temple and had a difficult life there, not only in school but with the other children due to his poor Japanese language
skills and his Korean ethnicity which made him stand out in Japan. Apparently due to the boy's tendency of getting into fights and his intense interest in the temples murals depicting war scenes, when asked by Watanabe what direction that he wished for his life to take he expressed interest in the martial arts.
The temple monk (Wantanabe Kintaro) was reputedly a friend of Takeda Sōkaku
, the founder of the Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu system, which is a Japanese martial arts
system emphasizing empty handed methods based upon the sword styles and jujutsu tactics in which Takeda was an expert. Takeda Sōkaku is also famous for having taught Morihei Ueshiba
, the founder of aikido
.
The next portion of the story is quite controversial in Daito-ryu circles, but is claimed by many contemporary hapkidoists, and is attributed to Choi in a posthumously released interview reputed to have taken place during a visit Choi made to the United states in 1980.
In the interview, Choi claims to have been adopted by Takeda Sokaku when he was 11 years old and was given the Japanese name
, Yoshida Asao (吉田朝男). He claims to have been taken to Takeda's home and dojo in Akita
on Shin Shu mountain where he lived and trained with the master for 30 years. The interview also asserts that he traveled with him as a teaching assistant, that he was employed to catch war deserters and that he was the only student to have a complete understanding of the system taught by Takeda.
Other sources place Choi as a servant in the Takeda household, while still others assert that he merely attended some of Takeda's seminars. Kisshomaru Ueshiba
, son of Morihei Ueshiba, stated that his father had told him that Choi had attended seminars held by Takeda with his father in Hokkaidō
and that his father had been Choi's senior. Choi apparently contacted Kisshomaru upon hearing the news of Morihei's death.
Regardless of the circumstances of Choi's martial arts training, he returned to Korea after World War II
and settled in Daegu
, first selling sweets and later raising hogs. In 1948 after becoming involved in an altercation with several men in a dispute over grain at the Seo Brewing Company, son of the chairman of the brewery, Seo Bok-seob, was so impressed by his self-defense skills that he invited him to teach at a makeshift dojang
that he created on the premises for that purpose. In this way, Seo Bok-seob became Choi Yong-sool's the first student. Later Choi became a bodyguard
to Seo's father who was an important congressman in Daegu.
during the early years of the art and it was in this way that Ji Han-Jae , one of the great popularizers of the art, came to learn from Choi.
There is some disagreement about this but it also suggested that the founders of two arts, Lee Joo-Bang of modern Hwa Rang Do
and Seo In-Hyuk of Kuk Sool Won
, are thought to have trained with Choi Yong-Sool. However some others assert that their training came from Kim Moo-Hong's hapkido school in Seoul with which they were known to have been associated.
Choi's student Kim Jeong-Yoon was one of his senior most students and in 1963 when Choi became the first Chairman on the Korea Kido Association (Daehan Ki Do Hwe; ) and appointed Kim as Secretary General. Later Kim separated from the hapkido organizations to form his own Han Pul organization, although his art remains firmly based in the teachings of Choi Yong-sool.
Students of importance who trained by Choi during the later periods of his teaching were Kim Jeong-yoon, Kim Yoon-Sang who later went on to form his Hapki yusul
organization. and Lim Hyun-Soo who claims to teach only the core skills taught to him by Choi Yong-Sool without the additional techniques which were appended to the art by Choi's students such as Ji Han-Jae and Kim Moo-Hong. Park Jeong-Hwan , who trained under Choi for three years, is one of the first of Choi's students to be authorized to open a Hapkido school in America
, several of which still function today.
Argued also is the source of the name hapkido for the art which Choi Yong-Sool's student, Ji Han-Jae, claims to have coined the name for the art. Seo Bok-Seob however states in a 1980 interview that it was Jung Moo Kwan who first used the term to refer to the art as well as the symbol of the eagle to represent the art.
Prominent hapkido teachers also claiming to have been students of Choi Yong-sool are:
Hapkido
Hapkido is a dynamic and also eclectic Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, techniques of other martial arts, as well as kicks, punches, and other striking attacks...
. He was born in today's Chungcheongbuk-do
Chungcheongbuk-do
Chungcheongbuk-do is a province in the centre of South Korea. It was formed in 1896 from the northeastern half of the former Chungcheong province...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and was taken to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
during the Japanese occupation of Korea when he was eight years old. Choi later claimed that he became a student of Takeda Sōkaku
Takeda Sokaku
was known as the founder of a school of jujutsu known as Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu.- Life :Born in the Aizu domain , Sōkaku grew up in a time of war and civil strife and was able to witness both first hand while still a young boy...
, and studied a form of jujutsu
Jujutsu
Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....
known as Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu (大東流合気柔術) while in Japan; this is disputed due to the historically tense relationship between the two sides and lack of clear documentary evidence.
Choi returned to Korea after the end of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and in 1948 began teaching his art at a brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
owned by the father of his first student Seo Bok-Seob . He first called his art "Yu Sul " or "Yawara " later changing it to "Yu Kwon Sool " and "Hap Ki Yu Kwon Sool " and eventually Hapkido
Hapkido
Hapkido is a dynamic and also eclectic Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, techniques of other martial arts, as well as kicks, punches, and other striking attacks...
.
Choi Yong-Sool was honored with the titles doju , which can be translated as "Keeper of the way", and changsija , which simply means "founder". The arts of Hapkido, modern Hwa Rang Do
Hwa Rang Do
Hwa Rang Do is a Korean martial art that was created by Dr. Joo Bang Lee and his brother Joo Sang Lee. This martial art teaches fighting techniques, weapons, spiritual training, intellectual enhancement, and artistic pursuits. It has a very evolved technical structure.-History:The name Hwa Rang Do...
, Kuk Sool Won
Kuk Sool Won
Kuk Sool Won is a Korean martial arts system founded by Suh In-Hyuk |Grandmaster]]) in 1958. The name Kuk Sool Won translates to "National Martial Art Association" and despite often being shortened to 'Kuk Sool,' the name kuk sool is a non-trade marked name used to denote similar Korean martial...
, as well as lesser known arts such as Han Pul all show influence of the teachings of Master Choi.
Biography
According to Choi he was abducted from his home village of Yong Dong in Chungcheongbuk-doChungcheongbuk-do
Chungcheongbuk-do is a province in the centre of South Korea. It was formed in 1896 from the northeastern half of the former Chungcheong province...
in 1912 by a Japanese sweet merchant named Morimoto who had lost his own sons and wished to adopt Choi. Choi resisted and proved so troublesome to the candymaker that he abandoned him in the streets of Moji, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Choi made his way to Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
as a beggar and, after having been picked up by police, was placed in a Buddhist temple which cared for orphans in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. The abbot of the temple was a monk named Wantanabe Kintaro.
Choi spent 2 years at the temple and had a difficult life there, not only in school but with the other children due to his poor Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
skills and his Korean ethnicity which made him stand out in Japan. Apparently due to the boy's tendency of getting into fights and his intense interest in the temples murals depicting war scenes, when asked by Watanabe what direction that he wished for his life to take he expressed interest in the martial arts.
The temple monk (Wantanabe Kintaro) was reputedly a friend of Takeda Sōkaku
Takeda Sokaku
was known as the founder of a school of jujutsu known as Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu.- Life :Born in the Aizu domain , Sōkaku grew up in a time of war and civil strife and was able to witness both first hand while still a young boy...
, the founder of the Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu system, which is a Japanese martial arts
Japanese martial arts
Japanese martial arts refers to the enormous variety of martial arts native to Japan. At least three Japanese terms are often used interchangeably with the English phrase "Japanese martial arts": , literally meaning "martial way", , which has no perfect translation but means something like science,...
system emphasizing empty handed methods based upon the sword styles and jujutsu tactics in which Takeda was an expert. Takeda Sōkaku is also famous for having taught Morihei Ueshiba
Morihei Ueshiba
was a famous martial artist and founder of the Japanese martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" or , "Great Teacher".-Early years:Morihei Ueshiba was born in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan on December 14, 1883....
, the founder of aikido
Aikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
.
The next portion of the story is quite controversial in Daito-ryu circles, but is claimed by many contemporary hapkidoists, and is attributed to Choi in a posthumously released interview reputed to have taken place during a visit Choi made to the United states in 1980.
In the interview, Choi claims to have been adopted by Takeda Sokaku when he was 11 years old and was given the Japanese name
Japanese name
in modern times usually consist of a family name , followed by a given name. "Middle names" are not generally used.Japanese names are usually written in kanji, which are characters of usually Chinese origin in Japanese pronunciation...
, Yoshida Asao (吉田朝男). He claims to have been taken to Takeda's home and dojo in Akita
Akita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....
on Shin Shu mountain where he lived and trained with the master for 30 years. The interview also asserts that he traveled with him as a teaching assistant, that he was employed to catch war deserters and that he was the only student to have a complete understanding of the system taught by Takeda.
Other sources place Choi as a servant in the Takeda household, while still others assert that he merely attended some of Takeda's seminars. Kisshomaru Ueshiba
Kisshomaru Ueshiba
was a prominent Japanese master of aikido. He was the son of Morihei Ueshiba, founder of aikido, and became the international leader of aikido after his father's death.-Early life:...
, son of Morihei Ueshiba, stated that his father had told him that Choi had attended seminars held by Takeda with his father in Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
and that his father had been Choi's senior. Choi apparently contacted Kisshomaru upon hearing the news of Morihei's death.
Regardless of the circumstances of Choi's martial arts training, he returned to Korea after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and settled in Daegu
Daegu
Daegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the...
, first selling sweets and later raising hogs. In 1948 after becoming involved in an altercation with several men in a dispute over grain at the Seo Brewing Company, son of the chairman of the brewery, Seo Bok-seob, was so impressed by his self-defense skills that he invited him to teach at a makeshift dojang
Dojang
Dojang is a term used in Korean martial arts, such as taekwondo, Kuk Sool Won, and hapkido, that refers to a formal training hall. It is typically considered the formal gathering place for students of a martial art to conduct training, examinations and other related encounters.-Meaning:Do means...
that he created on the premises for that purpose. In this way, Seo Bok-seob became Choi Yong-sool's the first student. Later Choi became a bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
to Seo's father who was an important congressman in Daegu.
Spreading the art
In 1951, Choi and Seo opened up the Daehan Hapki Yu Kwon Sool Dojang , the first formal school to teach the art. In 1958 Choi Yong-sool opened up his own school using the shortened name Hapkido for the first time. Both schools were located in Daegu. Some of the more important students from this period of time were Kim Moo-Hong , Moon Jong-Won . Apparently Choi also taught people on his farmFarm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
during the early years of the art and it was in this way that Ji Han-Jae , one of the great popularizers of the art, came to learn from Choi.
There is some disagreement about this but it also suggested that the founders of two arts, Lee Joo-Bang of modern Hwa Rang Do
Hwa Rang Do
Hwa Rang Do is a Korean martial art that was created by Dr. Joo Bang Lee and his brother Joo Sang Lee. This martial art teaches fighting techniques, weapons, spiritual training, intellectual enhancement, and artistic pursuits. It has a very evolved technical structure.-History:The name Hwa Rang Do...
and Seo In-Hyuk of Kuk Sool Won
Kuk Sool Won
Kuk Sool Won is a Korean martial arts system founded by Suh In-Hyuk |Grandmaster]]) in 1958. The name Kuk Sool Won translates to "National Martial Art Association" and despite often being shortened to 'Kuk Sool,' the name kuk sool is a non-trade marked name used to denote similar Korean martial...
, are thought to have trained with Choi Yong-Sool. However some others assert that their training came from Kim Moo-Hong's hapkido school in Seoul with which they were known to have been associated.
Choi's student Kim Jeong-Yoon was one of his senior most students and in 1963 when Choi became the first Chairman on the Korea Kido Association (Daehan Ki Do Hwe; ) and appointed Kim as Secretary General. Later Kim separated from the hapkido organizations to form his own Han Pul organization, although his art remains firmly based in the teachings of Choi Yong-sool.
Students of importance who trained by Choi during the later periods of his teaching were Kim Jeong-yoon, Kim Yoon-Sang who later went on to form his Hapki yusul
Hapki yusul
Hapkiyusul is a Korean martial art derived from Japanese Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu as it was brought to Korea by Choi Yong Sul.- Hapkido and Hapkiyusul :...
organization. and Lim Hyun-Soo who claims to teach only the core skills taught to him by Choi Yong-Sool without the additional techniques which were appended to the art by Choi's students such as Ji Han-Jae and Kim Moo-Hong. Park Jeong-Hwan , who trained under Choi for three years, is one of the first of Choi's students to be authorized to open a Hapkido school in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, several of which still function today.
Controversy
Choi's claims of being a student of Daito-ryu under Takeda Sokaku are contested and unsupported by the fee and attendance records of Takeda Sokaku which still exist today. However, since Choi was Takeda's house servant, others claim it is logical to assume he was trained by him or at least in his dojo. While staying in Japan, Choi is said to have taken on a Japanese name and was known as Asao Yoshida (吉田朝男) according to a posthumously released interview, or Yoshida Tatujutsu according Seo Bok-Seob. The claim by some that the lack of documentation was due to his Korean ancestry is difficult to uphold since other Korean students are mentioned in the records. Still there is a strong similarity to the techniques taught in Daito-ryu and the techniques of hapkido.Argued also is the source of the name hapkido for the art which Choi Yong-Sool's student, Ji Han-Jae, claims to have coined the name for the art. Seo Bok-Seob however states in a 1980 interview that it was Jung Moo Kwan who first used the term to refer to the art as well as the symbol of the eagle to represent the art.
Successors
Choi embarked on a trip to the United States, visiting Master Mike Wollmershauser who was the only American to have trained under Choi Yong-sool himself. There is documentation as well as video of this visit. Grandmaster Choi's wishes in the end was to spread Hap Ki Do all over the world as well as to unite the art as one family, one branch, one heart. Master Wollmershauser attempted to spread this word of unity throughout the world until his passing in December 2002.Students
Many people have claimed to be students of Choi Yong-sool, and it is often hard to verify whether or not these claims are valid. This is a list of people who were long time students of Choi.- Seo Bok-Seob
- Ji Han-Jae ' onMouseout='HidePop("23539")' href="/topics/Sin_Moo_Hapkido">Sin Moo HapkidoSin Moo HapkidoSin Moo Hapkido is a martial art that combines "hard" and "soft" techniques. It is closely related to its parent art, Hapkido, though it places more emphasis on meditative, philosophical, and Ki development training. Hapkido is often translated as “the way of coordinating power,” which places...
, and Sung Moo Kwan in AndongAndongAndong is a city in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, South Korea. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of 167,821 in October 2010. The Nakdong River flows through the city...
)- Kwon Tae-ManKwon Tae-ManKwon Tae-Man, born in 1941, in Andong in what is now South Korea. He was an early Korean hapkido practitioner and a pioneer of the art, first in Korea and then in the United States...
' onMouseout='HidePop("96967")' href="/topics/Incheon">IncheonIncheonThe Incheon Metropolitan City is located in northwestern South Korea. The city was home to just 4,700 people when Jemulpo port was built in 1883. Today 2.76 million people live in the city, making it Korea’s third most populous city after Seoul and Busan Metropolitan City...
) - Kim Yong-Jin
- Myung Jae-Nam ' onMouseout='HidePop("21025")' href="/topics/Hankido">HankidoHankidoHankido is a new hapkido style developed by the late Myung Jae Nam using even more circular flowing movements owing to Nam's background in traditional Korean dance.-Etymology:...
and HankumdoHankumdoHankumdo is a Korean sword-art where the basic techniques are based on the letters of the Korean alphabet, Hangul.-Goal:The goal of hankumdo is to teach people how to defend themselves and at the same time offer them exercises to stay healthy. It also is meant to give practitioners the means to...
) - Oh Se-LimOh Se-LimOh Se-Lim was an early Korean hapkido practitioner and a pioneer of the art. He had been the president of the Korea Hapkido Federation for 18 years.- Life :...
- Kwon Tae-Man
- Kim Moo-Hong ' onMouseout='HidePop("43826")' href="/topics/Daegu">DaeguDaeguDaegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the...
)- Kim Jeong-Soo
- Won Kwang-HwaWon Kwang-HwaWon Kwang-Wha, was one of the earliest students of Korean hapkido under the founder of the art Choi Yong Sul and Suh Bok Sub. He was a pioneer of the art opening one of the first schools for the art in Seoul, the Moo Sool Kwan.-Accomplishments:...
- Moon Jong-Won ' onMouseout='HidePop("67883")' href="/topics/Busan">BusanBusanBusan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
)- Kim Jeong-Yoon
- Seo In-Hyuk ' onMouseout='HidePop("66626")' href="/topics/Kuk_Sool_Won">Kuk Sool WonKuk Sool WonKuk Sool Won is a Korean martial arts system founded by Suh In-Hyuk |Grandmaster]]) in 1958. The name Kuk Sool Won translates to "National Martial Art Association" and despite often being shortened to 'Kuk Sool,' the name kuk sool is a non-trade marked name used to denote similar Korean martial...
)
- Kim Yoon-Sang ' onMouseout='HidePop("90683")' href="/topics/Hapki_yusul">Hapki yusulHapki yusulHapkiyusul is a Korean martial art derived from Japanese Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu as it was brought to Korea by Choi Yong Sul.- Hapkido and Hapkiyusul :...
) - Yoo Byung-Don
- Lim Hyun-Soo
Prominent hapkido teachers also claiming to have been students of Choi Yong-sool are:
- Myung Kwang-SikMyung Kwang-SikMyung Kwang-Sik was an early Korean hapkido practitioner and a pioneer of the art, first in Korea and then in the United States...
- Han Bong-soo
- Kim Jong-Seong
- Hwang In-ShikHwang In-ShikHwang In Shik is one of the foremost Korean hapkido teachers today. A great popularizer of the art in Asia through his work in the Hong Kong based films of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Angela Mao, he is known nevertheless as one the top teachers of the art and was eventually awarded a 10th degree...
- Lee Joo-Bang ' onMouseout='HidePop("62856")' href="/topics/Hwa_Rang_Do">Hwa Rang DoHwa Rang DoHwa Rang Do is a Korean martial art that was created by Dr. Joo Bang Lee and his brother Joo Sang Lee. This martial art teaches fighting techniques, weapons, spiritual training, intellectual enhancement, and artistic pursuits. It has a very evolved technical structure.-History:The name Hwa Rang Do...
World Association)
See also
- Korean martial artsKorean martial artsKorean martial arts are the martial arts that originated from Korea. Some well known Korean martial arts are hapkido, kuk sool won, and taekwondo. There has also been a revival of Korean sword arts as well as knife fighting and archery...
- Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu
- Aiki (martial arts principle)Aiki (martial arts principle)Aiki is a Japanese martial arts principle or tactic in which the defender blends with the attacker, then goes on to dominate the assailant through the strength of their application of internal dynamics or Ki energy to effect techniques. Blending with an attacker's movements allows the Aiki...
- AikidoAikidois a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
Further reading
- Kim, He-Young. Hapkido II. Andrew Jackson Press, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 1994.
- Myung, Kwang-Sik. Korean Hapkido; Ancient Art of Masters. World Hapkido Federation, Los Angeles, California 1976.
External links
- Hapkidowon - World Hapkido Headquarters
- The Korea Hapkido Federation - Official Website