History of Tang Soo Do

Tang Soo Do is a modern martial art which has a long and unique history.  Although it was only formally recognized under the Moo Duk Kwan in 1945, its roots are over 2,000 years old.  It combines aspects of ancient Korean martial arts, such as Tae Kyon, Soo Bahk, and Kwon Bup, as well as the influences of Chinese and Okinawan fighting systems. 

Page from the Moo Yei Dobo Tong Ji

In 668 A.D. the T'ang Dynasty united with Silla to unify the Korean peninsula under the Silla Dynasty. It was during this time period that the fighting techniques of Soo Bahk Ki (hand fighting method) flourished.  Other Korean fighting systems emerged out of Soo Bahk Ki, such as Tae Kyon which was developed in the later part of the Yi Dynasty (1392 to 1907 A.D.).  It was also during this time period, in 1790, that Lee Duk Moo compiled the first known comprehensive text of Korean martial arts techniques, known as the Moo Yei Dobo Tong Ji.  Tang Soo Do has its roots in these ancient fighting systems of Korea.  Unfortunately, during the various occupations of Korea, many aspects of the Korean culture were destroyed, including texts documenting these ancient fighting styles.   

Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Kee  (Founder of the Moo Duk Kwan)

The founder of Moo Duk Kwan (school of martial virtue) Grandmaster Hwang Kee, had his first exposure to traditional Korean martial arts when he was about 7 years old, when he witnessed a man defending himself against several attackers using techniques of Tae Kyon.  Hwang Kee was so impressed by the man's performance that he asked him to teach him his fighting techniques.  The man refused to teach Hwang Kee however, saying that he was too young.  Hwang Kee would not be discouraged though, and he found out where the man lived.  He would go to a nearby hill overlooking the man's house where he watched and imitated him practicing the various hand and foot movements of Tae Kyon. 

Hwang Kee had a strong desire to have a formal teacher, and to learn traditional martial arts.  However, during the time of the Japanese occupation of Korea (1909-1945), many aspects of Korean culture, including the practice of indigenous martial arts such as Soo Bahk Ki, were prohibited by the Japanese.  Hwang Kee left Korea for Manchuria in 1935 to work for the railroad company.  In 1936 he had the opportunity to meet A Chinese martial arts master Yang, Kuk Jin.  Master Yang taught a few students out of his home, and eventually accepted Hwang Kee as a student.  Hwang Kee trained in what he referred to as the T'ang method, which included Tae Kuk Kwon (Yang style Tai Chi Chuan), So Rim Jang Kwon (Shaolin Long Fist), and Dam Toi (Tan Tui). 

In 1936 Hwang Kee had to return to Korea where he continued his training in martial arts.  In 1939 Hwang Kee began working for the Cho Sun Railway Bureau.  He spent much of his free time in the library in the building where he worked studying books about martial arts.  Much of the literature about traditional Korean martial arts had been either destroyed or confiscated by the Japanese, so Hwang Kee studied books on Japanese/Okinawan karate.  The techniques and forms that he studied were similar to those taught by Master Humakoshy (Gichen Funakoshi) and Master Mabumi (Kenwa Mabuni).   He combined these skills with his Korean Soo Bahk, and the T'ang method and he called his system Hwa Soo Do (way of the flower hand), named after the Hwa Rang warriors of ancient Korea. 

The First Tang Soo Do Dojang (Seoul Korea, 1945)

After the end of World War II in 1945, the Japanese occupation of Korea ended, and Hwang Kee formally founded his Moo Duk Kwan school and began to teach Hwa Soo Do on November 9, 1945.  Hwang Kee's initial attempts to teach Hwa Soo Do were largely unsuccessful.  In 1947, Hwang Kee changed the name of his art to Tang Soo Do.  This term was more easily recognized and accepted by the Korean people who had been living under Japanese occupation for 36 years.  This is because the Chinese characters for "Tang Soo", meaning "Chinese hand" are identical to the older Japanese characters for "To-Te", a early term used to generically describe Japanese martial arts, which would later be referred to as "Kara-Te" (empty hand).  The first documented use of the term Tang Soo Do was by Master Won Kuk Lee, the founder of the Chung Do Kwan.  Hwang Kee changed the name to Tang Soo Do after meeting with Master Lee.  

The term Tang Soo Do is actually a generic term.  Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan, however, refers to the specific style of Tang Soo Do which grew out of the Moo Duk Kwan.  During the time period after the Japanese occupation of Korea, many schools, or Kwans, of Korean martial arts began to emerge.  There were five major Kwans, of which Hwang Kee's Moo Duk Kwan was one.  Several of these schools used the term Tang Soo Do to describe their art.  Eventually, in 1955, all of the major Kwans except Moo Duk Kwan, incorporated under one body under the direction of General Choi Hong Hi, and began to refer to themselves as Tae Kwon Do (literally, foot fist way).  In modern times, the term Tang Soo Do has come to generally refer to the one particular style which grew out of the Moo Duk Kwan. 

Early Moo Duk Kwan Members

Until recently, the terms Tang Soo Do and Soo Bahk Do (hand fighting method), were used interchangeably to refer to Hwang Kee's art.  In 1995, Hwang Kee's organization, known in the United States as the U.S. Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation, officially adopted the name Soo Bahk Do to reflect the arts Korean heritage, and became the U.S. Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation.  Along with the name change came some stylistic changes, to the extent that today, Tang Soo Do and Soo Bahk Do are no longer the same art, but are, instead like distant cousins.   The founder of the Moo Duk Kwan, Hwang Kee, died peacefully on July 14, 2002, yet the legacy that he has left behind will not soon be forgotten.