Martial Arts Of The World - Webs

kendô. The Japanese ban on Korean martial arts was, however, simply another
obstacle in a long line of obstacles that hindered the transmission of
Korean muye (martial arts).
In the latter part of the Chosun dynasty (1392–1910), military skills
such as kungdô (archery) and kumdô fell into decline among the yangban
(hereditary aristocracy), who embraced the philosophical notions of neo-
Confucianism. And although radical Confucianism advocated the use of
force as a practical means to achieve a political end, government by intellectual
force was advocated over government by physical force. Ironically,
the preservation of Korea’s martial heritage may have been the result of a
scholarly movement known as Sirhak (Practical Learning), undertaken during
the latter part of the eighteenth century by literati who sought to enact
social reform. The Sirhak scholars sought the model for a perfect society in
ancient Chinese texts, while, at the same time, examining events in Korean
history that had led to their social and political dilemma. The emperors
Yungjo (1727–1776) and Chungjo (1776–1800) encouraged these studies
and even established the Kyujanggak research institute on the palace
grounds, for the purpose of preparing and disseminating texts for government
administration. The Ming Chinese military classic, Jixiao Xinshu
(New Book of Effective Discipline), may have been among the documents
that were researched and used to create the Sok Pyungjang Tosul (Revised
Illustrated Manual of Military Training and Tactics). The Sok Pyungjang
Tosul was probably the basis for the Mu Yei Do Bo Tong Ji (Manual of
Martial Arts Training), the document that contains the sword forms used
in Haedong Kumdô.
The Mu Yei Do Bo Tong Ji
The Jixiao Xinshu was a text on wuyi (Chinese martial arts) written by the
Ming general Qi Jiguang in 1561, and history suggests that the Koreans
acquired the document by dubious means during the latter stages of the
Imjin War (1592–1598), which was fought with the assistance of the Ming
against the Japanese forces of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It is doubtful that the
Ming would have freely given up such an important military document to
the Koreans, especially when a mere thirty-six years later, in 1636, the
Qing (Manchu) Chinese forced the capitulation of King Injo and demanded
Korean troops to assist in the subjugation of the Ming. The Sok
Pyungjang Tosul was probably based on a copy of the Jixiao Xinshu,
while the Mu Yei Do Bo Tong Ji, composed in 1790 and containing sections
on armed and unarmed combat, as well as cavalry and infantry tactics,
is a copy of the Sok Pyungjang Tosul. The sword forms used in modern
Haedong Kumdô were gleaned from those contained within the Mu
Yei Do Bo Tong Ji.
598 Swordsmanship, Korean/Hankuk Haedong Kumdô