Martial Arts Of The World - Webs

ean ssirŭm and Japanese sumô. The claims of Korean nationalists regarding
these tombs are also tenuous, since the style depicted in the tombs is
very similar to that of other tombs of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220),
including those located deep within Han China itself. In many ways, the
Koguryo kingdom was heavily influenced by the Chinese Han dynasty.
Koguryo in fact served as the easternmost outpost of the Han dynasty, and
remained an important Chinese outpost until A.D. 313.
During the Silla and Koryo dynasties, the largest ssirŭm competitions
took place on the holiday of Paekchung or “Day of Servants” (the fifteenth
day of the seventh lunar month). The champion was named either panmugum
(finalist) or changgun (general) and was rewarded with an ox as
his prize. The kisaeng women (who were comparable to the Japanese
geisha) sang and danced at the victory ceremony. Today, the largest competitions
take place on the Tano Nol or youth festival (on the fifth day of
the fifth lunar month). The winner is named chonha changsa (strongest
man under heaven) and receives cash prizes rather than livestock.
Ancient Korea shows Chinese influence not only on its methods of
grappling, but also upon its methods of striking. Chinese advisors not only
taught their method of striking to the Koguryo army, but also later to the
Silla army, the enemies of Koguryo. The Tang dynasty (A.D. 618–907)
helped Silla to defeat Koguryo in 668, which established the Silla dynasty
(668–935). It was during the Tang dynasty that Chinese striking arts
achieved their greatest fame, thanks to the feats of the monks of the Shaolin
Temple. The Koreans called the Chinese striking arts subak (striking hand;
Shoubo in Mandarin), kwonbop (fist method; quanfa in Mandarin), or
simply tangsu (Tang hand).
The Silla dynasty also produced a society of young men called the
hwarang (flowering youth). The hwarang was intended to develop young
leaders for the Silla kingdom, and it was predated by a similar but unsuccessful
experiment with a group of young women known as the wonhwa.
These hwarang played songs and music, and roamed over mountains and
remote places seeking amusement. They lived according to a code of behavior
set forth by the Buddhist monk Wongwang in his Sesok Ogye (Five
Common Precepts), written about A.D. 602. The code called for loyalty to
one’s king, obedience to one’s parents, honorable conduct toward one’s
friends, never retreating in battle, and only killing for a sensible reason.
The most famous hwarang was General Kim Yushin (595–673), a master
of the double-edged sword. Because of Kim and other heroes, hwarang became
known as the “shining knights of the Silla dynasty,” and are still regarded
as heroes by modern Koreans.
More important than the military traditions that Korea adopted from
China was the influence of the Confucian tradition. Koreans embraced Con-
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