Kwon
Beop
Kwon
Beop
Introduction
Though archeological
and cultural research affirms that the history of conflict among the Korean
people goes back well before the Common Era, the invasion of Korea by the
Mongols (1231 – 1392) and the establishment of authority by the YUAN Dynasty
all but erased the written history of the Korean people up to that time. With
the beginning of the JOSEON Dynasty (1392 – 1910) efforts were made to
safeguard at least the legends and stories of the Korean people in such works as
the SAM KUK SAGI (lit: “History of the Three Kingdoms” and SAM KUK
YUSA (lit: “Legends of the Three Kingdoms”). Further the JOSEON Dynasty
had its own individual history known as the “Veritable History of the YI”
which provided a valuable accounting of the dynasty up until the 19th
Century.
Yet, even as these
histories were being written the pervasive Neo-Confucian ethics of the time
caused military events, activities and career choices to be held almost in
contempt. As a result, most surviving writings concerning the actual behaviors
and structures of military affairs are a distinct minority. By comparison,
philosophical postulating about the nature of conflict and the very need for
military forces was far more prevalent.
In 1592, the Japanese
military leader, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536 – 1598) invaded Korea with an eye
towards using the Korean peninsula as an entry-way to the conquest of China and
later of India. Finding the Korean forces in a poor state of preparedness, the
Japanese forces were able to negotiate the length of the peninsula in mere
months. With the intervention of the Ming Chinese and the rise of the UBIYONG
(lit: “Righteous Armies”) among the common Korean population, the Japanese
invader was fought to a standstill. But the need for a rehabilitation of
Korean fighting forces was obvious.
King Sunjo
(1567-1608), acting on the advice of the Ming general adopted a manual written
by the Ming General QI Ji-guang (1526 – 1587). In his time, General Qi had
faced a similar need to reconstruct the Chinese army into a force capable of
dealing with the predations of the coastal pirates of Southern China, commonly
known as the Wa-Kou. The manual General Qi wrote, JI XIAO SHIN SHU (lit:”New
Treatise on Disciplined Service”; 1568) included tactics, weapons,
order-of-battle, punishments, and even cooking instructions. Included in the
manual was a chapter on unarmed fighting methods -- 32 in all—which the
general found useful for building spirit and conditioning in his troops. The
Korean likewise adopted many of these methods for use in training their own
military. While never intended as a substitution for the use of one’s assigned
weapon, unarmed combat methods, commonly identified as “KWON BEOP”,
served to build spirit, condition the troops and to provide combat options
should a person in combat find themselves without a weapon.
With the advent of
firearms, beginning in the 16th Century, the use of “cold
weapons” such as swords, spears, halberds and flails was quickly eclipsed.
However what was not eclipsed was the martial fervor still necessary to help
individuals faced with adversity to persevere. Elements in the Korean population
began to realize that while time progresses and some things go out of favor, the
development and promotion of martial spirit in such qualities as Valor, Courage,
Tenacity and Persistence are timeless. To this end, former training manuals of
the Korean Military such as the MUYE SHINBO (lit: “New Martial Arts
Illustrations”; 1748), the MUYE TOBO TONG JI (lit: “Illustrated
Manual of Martial Arts”; 1795) and the preservation of the SIB PAL KI (lit:
“18 Methods”) of Prince Sado, though of old construction, are now reflected
on with new interest and their practices a source of new inspiration.
Sources and Resources
The following materials have been of great help in conducting the research necessary for this project.
Illustrated Canon of Chen Family Taijiquan; CHEN Xin;
Ji Xiao Shin Shu ("A New Treatise on Disciplined Service"); QI Ji-guang (1528-1587); Publ. 1562
Mu Ye ToBo Tong Ji ("Comprehensive Manual of Military Practices");1795
Mu Ye ToBo Tong Ji ("Comprehensive Manual of Military Practices");2000
Mu Ye Jebo Beonyeok sojip ("Interpretations of Illustrations of Military Practices"); 1610
Tai Chi's Ancestors; WILE, Douglas;