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Woldo
The woldo (literally “moon blade”), was a Korean pole weapon that closely resembled the Chinese guandao (also known as ''yanyuedao''), though proportionally smaller. It was so named because of its curved blade. Its use and its methods were described in the ''Muyedobotongji'' (“Comprehensive Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts”), which was published in 1795. Description The ''Muyedobotongji'' describes its design: “The length of the handle is six feet, four inches; the length of the blade is two feet, eight inches; and the weight is three pounds, 15 ounces.” It usually had a spike on the end of the handle, and a feather or tassel attached by a ring to the back of the blade. There was a variant of the woldo called the ''danwoldo'', which had a bigger blade. History The woldo was typically used by the medieval Sillan warrior class, the hwarang. Wielding the woldo, because it was heavier than other long-reaching weapons, took time, but, in the hands of a practised user, ...
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Muyedobotongji
Commissioned in 1790 by King Jeongjo (r. 1740–1810), the ''Muyedobotongji'' (or ''Muye Dobo Tong Ji''; translating to "Comprehensive Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts") expanded on the eighteen weapons systems identified in the '' Muyeshinbo'' of 1758. Written by Yi Deongmu (이덕무, 1741–1793), Pak Je-ga (박제가, 1750–1805) and Baek Dong-soo (백동수, 1743–1816), and published in four volumes in 1795, it preserved the methods and practices of the earlier work while adding equestrian training by executing six of the earlier weapons on horseback (마상육기 馬上六技 or 마상6기), extending the system to "twenty-four artial artsmethods" ( 예십사기 / 藝十四技) While little more than a field manual for cataloguing required skills, the ''Muyedobotongji'' is widely regarded as a resource for understanding the nature of Korean military science in the 18th century. Background As a result of the high frequency of warfare experienced in Nor ...
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Muyesinbo
The ''Muyesinbo'' (or ''Muyeshinbo'', meaning "new compendium of martial arts") is a Korean martial arts manual published in 1759.Ehwa University Press 2008, Sippalgi: Traditional Korean Martial Arts, Dr. B.K. Choi The book is a revision of the older ''Muyejebo'', made during the reign of King Youngjo (1724–1776). It adds twelve disciplines or "skills" of both armed and unarmed fighting by Prince Sado to the original six which were descbribed in the ''Muyejebo''. No copies of the ''Muyesinbo'' have survived, but its contents can easily be determined by tracing back and comparing the ''Muyejebo'' with the later ''Muyedobotongji''. Prince Sado also originated the term ''Sib Pal Gi'' (십팔기, 十八技, “Eighteen ightingMethods” or possibly "Eighteen arrior'sTools” if using 十八器), shortened from ''Bonjo Muye Sib Pal Ban'' (본조무예십팔반, 本條武藝十八般, "A Treatise on the 18 Martial Categories of the Yi Dynasty"). This mirrors the Chinese concep ...
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Guandao
A ''guandao'' is a type of Chinese pole weapon that is used in some forms of Chinese martial arts. In Chinese, it is properly called a yanyuedao (偃月刀; lit. "reclining moon blade"), the name under which it always appears in texts from the Song to Qing dynasties such as the ''Wujing Zongyao'' and ''Huangchao Liqi Tushi''. It is comparable to the Japanese naginata and the European fauchard or glaive and consists of a heavy blade with a spike at the back and sometimes also a notch at the spike's upper base that can catch an opponent's weapon. In addition there are often irregular serrations that lead the back edge of the blade to the spike. The blade is mounted atop a 1.5 m to 1.8 m (5–6 foot) long wooden or metal pole with a pointed metal counter weight used to balance the heavy blade and for striking on the opposite end. On modern versions, a red sash or tassel is attached at the joint of the pole and blade. Variations include having rings along the length of the st ...
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Polearms
A polearm or pole weapon is a close combat weapon in which the main fighting part of the weapon is fitted to the end of a long shaft, typically of wood, thereby extending the user's effective range and striking power. Polearms are predominantly melee weapons, with a subclass of spear-like designs fit for both thrusting and throwing. Because many polearms were adapted from agricultural implements or other fairly abundant tools, and contained relatively little metal, they were cheap to make and readily available. When warfare would break out and the belligerents had a poorer class who could not pay for dedicated military weapons, leaders would often appropriate tools as cheap weapons. The cost of training was comparatively minimal, since these conscripted farmers had spent most of their lives using these "weapons" in the fields. This made polearms the favored weapon of peasant levies and peasant rebellions the world over. Polearms can be divided into three broad categories: those ...
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Silla
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of Korea. Founded by Hyeokgeose of Silla, of the Park family, the Korean dynasty was ruled by the Gyeongju Gim (Kim) (김, 金) clan for 586 years, the Miryang Bak (Park) (박, 朴) clan for 232 years and the Wolseong Seok (석, 昔) clan for 172 years. It began as a chiefdom in the Samhan confederacies, once allied with Sui China and then Tang China, until it eventually conquered the other two kingdoms, Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668. Thereafter, Unified Silla occupied most of the Korean Peninsula, while the northern part re-emerged as Balhae, a successor-state of Goguryeo. After nearly 1,000 years of rule, Silla fragmented into the brief Later Three Kingdoms of Silla, Later Baekje, and Taebong, handing over power to Goryeo in 935. ...
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Hwarang
Hwarang, also known as Hwarang Corps, and Flowering Knights, were an elite warrior group of male youth in Silla, an ancient kingdom of the Korean Peninsula that lasted until the 10th century. There were educational institutions as well as social clubs where members gathered for all aspects of study, originally for arts and culture as well as religious teachings stemming mainly from Korean Buddhism. Chinese sources referred only to the physical beauty of the "Flower Youths". The history of the hwarang was not widely known until after the National Liberation Day of Korea in 1945, after which the hwarang became elevated to a symbolic importance. The Hwarang were also referred to as ''Hyangdo'' ("fragrant ones" or "fragrant disciples" – 향도; 香徒), the word hwarang and its colloquial derivatives being used for everything from playboy to shaman or husband of a female shaman. The word remained in common use until the 12th century but with more derogatory connotations. Traditiona ...
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Joseon
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom was founded following the aftermath of the overthrow of Goryeo in what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul. The kingdom's northernmost borders were expanded to the natural boundaries at the rivers of Amrok and Tuman through the subjugation of the Jurchens. During its 500-year duration, Joseon encouraged the entrenchment of Confucian ideals and doctrines in Korean society. Neo-Confucianism was installed as the new state's ideology. Buddhism was accordingly discouraged, and occasionally the practitioners faced persecutions. Joseon consolidated its effective rule over the territory of current Korea and saw the ...
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Infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine infantry. Although disused in modern times, heavy infantry also commonly made up the bulk of many historic armies. Infantry, cavalry, and artillery have traditionally made up the core of the combat arms professions of various armies, with the infantry almost always comprising the largest portion of these forces. Etymology and terminology In English, use of the term ''infantry'' began about the 1570s, describing soldiers who march and fight on foot. The word derives from Middle French ''infanterie'', from older Italian (also Spanish) ''infanteria'' (foot soldiers too inexperienced for cavalry), from Latin '' īnfāns'' (without speech, newborn, foolish), from which English also gets '' infant''. The individual-soldier term ''infantry ...
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Muyejebo
The ''Muyejebo'' (''Compendium of Several Martial Arts'') is the oldest extant Korean martial arts manual, written during the reign of King Seonjo (d. 1608). The king died before the compendium was complete, and it was first published, with the addition of material from Japanese martial arts, in 1610. History As the Imjin War dragged on for years, Korea needed a way to effectively and efficiently train a large number of troops, and the Korean military adopted a training methodology based on a Ming dynasty Chinese military manual called the ''Jixiao Xinshu'' (Hangul: 기효신서, Hanja: 紀效新書), written by the famed Chinese general, Qi Jiguang (戚继光). The book was of particular interest to Koreans, as it was written by a Chinese commander who had successfully defeated a major Japanese pirate force that had landed along the Southeast coast of China mere decades before the Imjin War began. Korean officials created their own version of the military training manual, b ...
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Hyeopdo
The Hyeopdo (Modern South Korean pronunciation: /çʌp.do/) was a polearm used in Korea. It was also called ''micheomdo'' (), which could be translated as "eyebrow sword" because the curved blade resembled an eyebrow.Ehwa University Press 2008, Sippalgi: Traditional Korean Martial Arts, Dr. B.K. Choi The first written reference to a hyeopdo is in a Korean martial arts manual from the 17th century called the ''Muyeyebobeon Yeoksokjip'' (무예예보번역속집). Design The design varied somewhat between makers, but usually the pole was about long and the blade was about long. The blade is single-edged. It closely resembles the woldo ("moon blade"; ) and the Chinese podao (). Use The ''hyeopdo'' was considered an important weapon because of its effectiveness. It was much easier to handle than the bigger and heavier ''woldo''. In the Muyedobotongji, another martial arts manual, one form for use is given, called ''hyeopdo chongbo'' (협도총보, 挾刀總譜). See also *Glaive ...
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Traditional Korean Weapons
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes (like lawyers' wigs or military officers' spurs), but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings. Traditions can persist and evolve for thousands of years—the word ''tradition'' itself derives from the Latin ''tradere'' literally meaning to transmit, to hand over, to give for safekeeping. While it is commonly assumed that traditions have an ancient history, many traditions have been invented on purpose, whether that be political or cultural, over short periods of time. Various academic disciplines also use the word in a variety of ways. The phrase "according to tradition", or "by tradition", usually means that whatever information follows is known only by oral tradition, ...
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