Moo Duk Kwan

Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

is a modern

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

formed in April 1965 by Kim Young-taek, Hong Chong-soo, and Lee Kang-ik, after a significant group of former students of Hwang Kee chose to leave the original Moo Duk Kwan organization in order to join the Taekwondo unification movement.

Meaning

* Moo – military, chivalry, martial; within the ideograph the inner part of the symbol is the word for "stop" and the outer part means "weapon" * Duk – benevolence, virtue, goodness, commanding respect; within the ideograph on the left it means "little steps" or "to happen", and on the right the character means "moral"; thus moral steps or perhaps virtuous conduct * Kwan – large building, palace, library; again within the ideograph the left part looks like a roofed building and technically means "to eat" (under a roof). ''Moo Duk Kwan'' can therefore be loosely translated to "School of Martial Virtue"

History

Moo Duk Kwan is the name adopted by

Hwang Kee Hwang Kee (; ''Hwang Gi''; November 9, 1914 – July 14, 2002) was one of the most important and influential figures in the Korean martial arts.U.S. Soo Bahk Do (Tang Soo Do) Moo Duk Kwan Federation > History. URL accessed on February 11, 2010. ...

for his martial arts school established in

November 11, 1945.

named the first martial art system he taught in his Moo Duk Kwan schools

Hwa Soo Do Tang Soo Do (Hangul: 당수도, Hanja: 唐手道 ) refers to a Korean martial art based on Karate and may include fighting principles from subak (as described in the Kwon Bup Chong Do), as well as northern Chinese martial arts. Before the N ...

. Later

modified the content of his martial art system and named it

Tang Soo Do Tang Soo Do (Hangul: 당수도, Hanja: 唐手道 ) refers to a Korean martial art based on Karate and may include fighting principles from subak (as described in the Kwon Bup Chong Do), as well as northern Chinese martial arts. Before the ...

and eventually he modified his martial art system again and adopted the name

Soo Bahk Do Soo Bahk Do (수박도) is a martial art founded and taught by Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Kee, his successor Hwang Hyun Chul, known as H.C. Hwang, and instructors who are certified by member organizations of the World Moo Duk Kwan, Inc. This martial ...

to reflect the significant changes incorporated into his system including a new series of hyungs. At the various developments of the art, some of Hwang Kee's students chose to leave the organization, and start new groups in order to keep using the old name of the art and the old curriculum. This has resulted in several different independent groups using the Moo Duk Kwan name for their organizations worldwide, while using different names for their martial art, such as Tang Soo Do, Taekwondo and Soo Bak Do. The Soo Bak Do branch of Moo Duk Kwan in the US considers themselves to be the true Moo Duk Kwan school, and Moo Duk Kwan and Hwang Kee's fist logo are therefore federally registered trademarks 3,023,145 and 1,446,944 and 3,119,287 of Hwang Kee's licensed successor organizations in the US. However, for the origin of the Taekwondo branch of Moo Duk Kwan, one has to look to Korea. In 1961 the

n government initiated a movement to unify all of its country's martial arts schools under one governing body. This body would originally be called the Korean Tae Soo Do Association and later renamed the Korean Tae Kwon Do Association. The stated purpose was to unify the

Kwans Kwan (Hanja: 館; Hangul:관) in Korean literally means building or hall, but when used in martial arts it can also refer to a school or clan of martial artists who follow the same style and/or leader. Taekwondo: The Five Kwans / The Nine Kwans ...

and allow for growth of this newly named

. "A Modern History of Taekwondo", reprinted records and minutes of the meetings of the Kwan Unity committee indicating that

was upset that he would not lead the unified group. In March 1965 three of

's senior students, Kim Young-taek, Hong Chong-soo, and Lee Kang-ik, led a significant number of practitioners from Hwang Kee's Moo Duk Kwan schools to join the

Tae Kwon Do ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

Kwan Unity Movement and in April 1965 Lee Kang-ik became the president of the new group, which took the name Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo. Today, the Moo Duk Hae is a social friendship club that endorses the

Kukkiwon Kukkiwon (), also known as World Taekwondo Headquarters, and home of the World Taekwondo Academy, is where the official taekwondo governing organization was established by the South Korean government.Min, B.-H. (2005)Kukkiwon, the spiritual home ...

curriculum. Every year the Moo Duk Hae has an anniversary celebration in Korea, where members from all over the world attend.

The Present Day

Hwang Kee's Moo Duk Kwan schools have been the birthplace of many esteemed martial artists who today promote a multitude of different martial art systems including

and more. Many practitioners with lineage back to Hwang Kee's Moo Duk Kwan schools consider each other as brothers and may attend each other's special events and tournaments. As founder of the 1st Moo Duk Kwan school on November 9, 1945

is the progenitor of many practitioners worldwide and who express great admiration for him and his achievements in the martial arts.

References

* History of Moo Duk Kwan By Hwang Kee
"U.S. Patent and Trademark Office"
registrations 3,023,145 and 1,446,944 and 3,119,287 * A Modern History of Taekwondo 1999 (Korean) Lee Kyong-myung and Kang Won-sik

* Global Taekwondo 2003 (English) Kyo-yoon Lee * A Guide to Taekwondo 1996 (English) Kyo-yoon Lee * Kukkiwon 25th Anniversary Text 1997 (Korean) Un-yong Kim * Kukkiwon Textbook 2006 (English/Korean) Um Woon-kyu

External links

Moo Duk Kwan History

World Moo Duk Kwan
{{Korean martial arts Taekwondo