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History and Origins of Tae Kwon-Do
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The word taekwondo means literally "the way of the hand and foot" in Korean. Tae kwon do in its modern form was first devised by General Choi Hong Hi in 1955, but the native Korean martial arts on which it is based can be traced back many hundreds of years.
The earliest evidence of martial arts can be seen in the Kokuryo dynasty (37 - 668 AD). Wall paintings found on tombs uncovered near the Aspro river show what appears to be unarmed combat between two people. However there is no other evidence of unarmed combat during this dynasty. It was during the Silla Dynasty that the first real evidence of martial arts in korea came from.
The Hwa rang or the military caste were experts in unarmed combat - as well as archery, sword fighting and horse riding. Annual festivals were held where the Hwa rang demonstarted their fighting skills.It was during this time that the Kingdom of Korea was expanded to include the entire Korean peninsula. During the Koryo Dynasty (953 - 1392), the martial arts prevailing at the time were systematised and tought to the Korean military.
Compulsary martial arts tournaments for the military were held in which their skills were honed. During the Yi Dynasty (1392 - 1907 AD), a number of influential books on martial arts techniques were published - the Korean History book and the Military Arts Manual. With the fall of the Yi Dynasy and the Japanese occupation of Korea (1907 - 1945) however, the native Korean martial arts were forbidden from being practised.
However when the Japanese intoduced conscription into Korea, the martial arts were reinstated, and the Japanese arts of Karate, Kendo, Aikido and Judo were intoduced. This cross pollination of ideas led to many new techniques being adapted and incorporated into the Korean systems.
