Note: This three part series examines the origins of the Han Moo Kwan forms. The first part discusses the history, and lineage of Han Moo Kwan as well as the origins of the Kibon series.
The origins of the Han Moo Kwan forms can only be inferred as there is no historical information that I have found. All the information contained in this write-up is based on my own research. Based on my research of the history of modern day Tae Kwon Do, the techniques as well as the lineages of the masters, it is evident that these forms are influenced or are a direct descendant from the Okinawan and Japanese karate forms. The detailed comparisons of the forms are based on researching videos on You Tube; websites such as tkdtutor.com [11], articles from fightingarts.com [9] and articles from.iainabernethy.com [12]; and literature that has detailed pictures or sketches of the forms: Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text by Gichin Funakoshi [1], The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do by Shoshin Nagamime [2], Tang Soo Do: The Ultimate Guide to the Korean Martial Art by Kang Uk Lee [3] and Tae Kwon Do Classic Forms: 21 Hyung--Novice White Belt through Advanced Black Belt by Ted Hillson [4].
Historically
The forming of the various Kwans in Korea started after Word War II. Many Koreans fought in the Japanese army during this time and learned martial arts from the Japanese and Okianwans who migrated to Japan. The development of Karate and establishment of those forms started in the early 1900s. Based on this and the similarities of the Han Moo Kwan forms to Shotokan Karate and Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Karate kata, I believe those forms came first and were modified by the Koreans in the 1950s as the Koreans established their own schools (kwans) of martial arts.
Table 1 below shows a comparison of the Han Moo Kwan forms to Okinawan Shorin-Ryu, Kobayashi Shorin-Ryu, Matsubayashi-Ryu, Japanese Shotokan Karate, and Tang Soo Do. Tang Soo Do is included because that style, similar to our Han Moo Kwan style, retained its forms from its original kwan (Moo Duk Kwan) and remained independent of the kwan unification that led to the World Tae Kwon Do Federation. The number in parenthesis indicates the number of forms within the series. (Table 1 does not include all the forms from the various styles, but only those that have similarity to the Han Moo Kwan forms. In addition, not all schools of these styles teach all of these forms.)
Table 1. Forms Comparisons
Lineage
In addition, my research has shown that the lineage of our master Mr. Ui Jung Kim follows the same path of Okinawan karate. Mr. Ui Jung Kim’s master and founder of Han Moo Kwan is Mr. Lee Kyo Yoon who learned primarily from Mr. Chun Sang Sup (founder of Yun Moo Kwan) who studied both Judo and Shotokan karate in Japan. Some literature claims he learned directly from Funakoshi. Based on this research, I am convinced that the Han Moo Kwan form’s roots lie in Okinawan Karate. The lineage is shown in Figure 1 below. Figure 1 also shows the lineage of other masters that are quoted throughout this article. Please note that many of these masters learned from more than one person, but for simplicity, only those I used as references or referenced as a source of the forms are shown here.
Figure 1. Lineage Of Various Martial Arts
While the exact history of the development of the Han Moo Kwan forms does not exist in writing to my knowledge, there is information on Okinawan Karate and Shotokan Karate which has allowed me and others to research these forms from a variety of sources to better understand their origins, applications, and meaning. The rest of this article describes the lineage of each of the forms or their series origins in more detail based on my research.
Kibon series
In the early years (at least during Anko Itosu era and prior), there appears to be no such forms in the Okinawan karate that resemble the Kibon series. Over time, many schools introduced a beginner’s series of forms. In modern day Shorin-Ryu, there are a series of three beginner’s forms called Kihon (translates to “basics” in Japanese). Based on Bishop’s book [5], Okinawan Karate and other website literature, it is believed Shuguro Nakazato was the first to teach these forms.
Similarly, various Okinawan karate styles have also developed and introduced a basic series of forms. In The Essence of Okianwan Katate-Do [2], Nagamine describes two basic forms, Fukyugata I and II. He states that “Two Fukyugata commonly practiced today were composed by Shoshin Nagamine, the originator of Matsuba-yashi-ryu karate, and Chojun Miyagi, the originator of the Goju-ryu karate, because the kata of the Shuri and Naha schools had been too difficult for beginners” [2]. Fukyugata I is similar to Kibon Hyung, but it is not identical.
Funakoshi taught the basic form Taikyoku (translated to mean “first cause”) which consists of three parts Shodan, Nidan, and Sandan. In his book Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text [1] he states “Since this form is the easiest of the kata to learn and consist of those blocks and attacks that are the most helpful in practicing basic techniques, it should be the form with which beginners start”.
Funakoshi goes on to say “Because of its simplicity, the kata is easily learned by beginners. Nevertheless, as it name implies, this form is the most profound character and on to which, upon mastery of the art of karate, an expert will return to select it as the ultimate training kata” [1].
Taikyoku Shodan is the same as our Kibon Hyung and Taikyoku Sanden is the same as our Kibon 2.
Kibon in Korean means basic techniques. The Han Moo Kwan Kibon series consists of five forms and is expected to be demonstrated by all students who are testing at any rank. There are a few possibilities of who introduced these five forms into the Han Moo Kwan style. It appears Mr. Chun Sang Sup based the Kibon series on the Japanese Taikyoku kata developed by Funakoshi and introduced at least two forms from the series. One can postulate that he, Mr. Lee Kyo Yoon, or a combination of the two developed the other three that are studied as part of Han Moo Kwan. These forms were then taught to Mr. Kim who retained them for our Han Moo Kwan club.
In our style, as in the other styles, these five forms familiarize students with forms using basic techniques and stances. The Kibon series is a combination of all the basics in Han Moo Kwan and no additional moves are included other than what is taught in the basics. The goal of the Kibon series is to teach beginner’s how to direct focus and energy in with their physical movements. Moves are simple and the goal is to focus on these movements.
In Part II, the origins of the Pyung Ahn series, Shipsu and No Pe Hyung will be discussed. In the final part (Part III), the origins of the Mepojan series will be provided as well as a discussion of the evolution of the forms over time.
Regards,
Kelly
“Once a form has been learned, it must be practiced repeatedly until it can be applied in an emergency, for knowledge of just the sequence of a form in karate is useless.” ~ Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), founder of Shotokan Karate
References
1. Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text by Gichin Funakoshi
2. The Essence of Okianwan Katate-Do by Shoshin Nagamine
3. Tang Soo Do: The Ultimate Guide to the Korean Martial Art by Kang Uk Lee
4. Tae Kwon Do Classic Forms: 21 Hyung--Novice White Belt through Advanced Black Belt by Ted Hillson
5. Okinawan Karate by Mark Bishop
6. Okinawan Kempo by Choki Motobu
7. Tales of Okinawa’s Great Masters by Shoshin Nagamine
8. Karate-do My Way of Life by Gichin Funakoshi
9. Roots Of Shotokan: Funakoshi's Original 15 Kata by Joe Swift (http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=220, http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=221, http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=2212 )
10. Hidden Karate: The True Bunkai For the Heian Katas and Naihanchi by Gennosuke Higaki
11. Hartman, R. (2006). Taekwondo Tutor [Online]. Available: TKDTutor.com [31 December 2009].
12. http://www.iainabernethy.com/articles/article_home.asp
Unpublished work © 2010 Kelly McInerney.
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
The origins of the Han Moo Kwan forms can only be inferred as there is no historical information that I have found. All the information contained in this write-up is based on my own research. Based on my research of the history of modern day Tae Kwon Do, the techniques as well as the lineages of the masters, it is evident that these forms are influenced or are a direct descendant from the Okinawan and Japanese karate forms. The detailed comparisons of the forms are based on researching videos on You Tube; websites such as tkdtutor.com [11], articles from fightingarts.com [9] and articles from.iainabernethy.com [12]; and literature that has detailed pictures or sketches of the forms: Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text by Gichin Funakoshi [1], The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do by Shoshin Nagamime [2], Tang Soo Do: The Ultimate Guide to the Korean Martial Art by Kang Uk Lee [3] and Tae Kwon Do Classic Forms: 21 Hyung--Novice White Belt through Advanced Black Belt by Ted Hillson [4].
Historically
The forming of the various Kwans in Korea started after Word War II. Many Koreans fought in the Japanese army during this time and learned martial arts from the Japanese and Okianwans who migrated to Japan. The development of Karate and establishment of those forms started in the early 1900s. Based on this and the similarities of the Han Moo Kwan forms to Shotokan Karate and Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Karate kata, I believe those forms came first and were modified by the Koreans in the 1950s as the Koreans established their own schools (kwans) of martial arts.
Table 1 below shows a comparison of the Han Moo Kwan forms to Okinawan Shorin-Ryu, Kobayashi Shorin-Ryu, Matsubayashi-Ryu, Japanese Shotokan Karate, and Tang Soo Do. Tang Soo Do is included because that style, similar to our Han Moo Kwan style, retained its forms from its original kwan (Moo Duk Kwan) and remained independent of the kwan unification that led to the World Tae Kwon Do Federation. The number in parenthesis indicates the number of forms within the series. (Table 1 does not include all the forms from the various styles, but only those that have similarity to the Han Moo Kwan forms. In addition, not all schools of these styles teach all of these forms.)
Table 1. Forms Comparisons
Lineage
In addition, my research has shown that the lineage of our master Mr. Ui Jung Kim follows the same path of Okinawan karate. Mr. Ui Jung Kim’s master and founder of Han Moo Kwan is Mr. Lee Kyo Yoon who learned primarily from Mr. Chun Sang Sup (founder of Yun Moo Kwan) who studied both Judo and Shotokan karate in Japan. Some literature claims he learned directly from Funakoshi. Based on this research, I am convinced that the Han Moo Kwan form’s roots lie in Okinawan Karate. The lineage is shown in Figure 1 below. Figure 1 also shows the lineage of other masters that are quoted throughout this article. Please note that many of these masters learned from more than one person, but for simplicity, only those I used as references or referenced as a source of the forms are shown here.
Figure 1. Lineage Of Various Martial Arts
While the exact history of the development of the Han Moo Kwan forms does not exist in writing to my knowledge, there is information on Okinawan Karate and Shotokan Karate which has allowed me and others to research these forms from a variety of sources to better understand their origins, applications, and meaning. The rest of this article describes the lineage of each of the forms or their series origins in more detail based on my research.
Kibon series
In the early years (at least during Anko Itosu era and prior), there appears to be no such forms in the Okinawan karate that resemble the Kibon series. Over time, many schools introduced a beginner’s series of forms. In modern day Shorin-Ryu, there are a series of three beginner’s forms called Kihon (translates to “basics” in Japanese). Based on Bishop’s book [5], Okinawan Karate and other website literature, it is believed Shuguro Nakazato was the first to teach these forms.
Similarly, various Okinawan karate styles have also developed and introduced a basic series of forms. In The Essence of Okianwan Katate-Do [2], Nagamine describes two basic forms, Fukyugata I and II. He states that “Two Fukyugata commonly practiced today were composed by Shoshin Nagamine, the originator of Matsuba-yashi-ryu karate, and Chojun Miyagi, the originator of the Goju-ryu karate, because the kata of the Shuri and Naha schools had been too difficult for beginners” [2]. Fukyugata I is similar to Kibon Hyung, but it is not identical.
Funakoshi taught the basic form Taikyoku (translated to mean “first cause”) which consists of three parts Shodan, Nidan, and Sandan. In his book Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text [1] he states “Since this form is the easiest of the kata to learn and consist of those blocks and attacks that are the most helpful in practicing basic techniques, it should be the form with which beginners start”.
Funakoshi goes on to say “Because of its simplicity, the kata is easily learned by beginners. Nevertheless, as it name implies, this form is the most profound character and on to which, upon mastery of the art of karate, an expert will return to select it as the ultimate training kata” [1].
Taikyoku Shodan is the same as our Kibon Hyung and Taikyoku Sanden is the same as our Kibon 2.
Kibon in Korean means basic techniques. The Han Moo Kwan Kibon series consists of five forms and is expected to be demonstrated by all students who are testing at any rank. There are a few possibilities of who introduced these five forms into the Han Moo Kwan style. It appears Mr. Chun Sang Sup based the Kibon series on the Japanese Taikyoku kata developed by Funakoshi and introduced at least two forms from the series. One can postulate that he, Mr. Lee Kyo Yoon, or a combination of the two developed the other three that are studied as part of Han Moo Kwan. These forms were then taught to Mr. Kim who retained them for our Han Moo Kwan club.
In our style, as in the other styles, these five forms familiarize students with forms using basic techniques and stances. The Kibon series is a combination of all the basics in Han Moo Kwan and no additional moves are included other than what is taught in the basics. The goal of the Kibon series is to teach beginner’s how to direct focus and energy in with their physical movements. Moves are simple and the goal is to focus on these movements.
In Part II, the origins of the Pyung Ahn series, Shipsu and No Pe Hyung will be discussed. In the final part (Part III), the origins of the Mepojan series will be provided as well as a discussion of the evolution of the forms over time.
Regards,
Kelly
“Once a form has been learned, it must be practiced repeatedly until it can be applied in an emergency, for knowledge of just the sequence of a form in karate is useless.” ~ Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), founder of Shotokan Karate
References
1. Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text by Gichin Funakoshi
2. The Essence of Okianwan Katate-Do by Shoshin Nagamine
3. Tang Soo Do: The Ultimate Guide to the Korean Martial Art by Kang Uk Lee
4. Tae Kwon Do Classic Forms: 21 Hyung--Novice White Belt through Advanced Black Belt by Ted Hillson
5. Okinawan Karate by Mark Bishop
6. Okinawan Kempo by Choki Motobu
7. Tales of Okinawa’s Great Masters by Shoshin Nagamine
8. Karate-do My Way of Life by Gichin Funakoshi
9. Roots Of Shotokan: Funakoshi's Original 15 Kata by Joe Swift (http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=220, http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=221, http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=2212 )
10. Hidden Karate: The True Bunkai For the Heian Katas and Naihanchi by Gennosuke Higaki
11. Hartman, R. (2006). Taekwondo Tutor [Online]. Available: TKDTutor.com [31 December 2009].
12. http://www.iainabernethy.com/articles/article_home.asp
Unpublished work © 2010 Kelly McInerney.
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
