The ''Muyejebo'' (''Compendium of Several Martial Arts'') is the oldest extant

Korean martial arts Korean martial arts (Hangul: 무술, Hanja: 武術, ''musul'' or Hangul: 무예, Hanja: 武藝, ''muye'') are fighting practices and methods which have their place in the history of Korea but have been adapted for use by both military and non ...

manual, written during the reign of

King Seonjo Seonjo of Joseon (26 November 1552 – 16 March 1608) was the fourteenth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1567 to 1608. He was known for encouraging Confucianism and renovating state affairs at the beginning of his reign. However, politi ...

(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 The Imjin River ( in South Korea) or Rimjin River ( in North Korea) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea. The river i ...

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 The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

Chinese military manual called the ''

Jixiao Xinshu The ''Jixiao Xinshu'' () or ''New Treatise on Military Efficiency'' is a military manual written during the 1560s and 1580s by the Ming dynasty general Qi Jiguang. Its primary significance is in advocating for a combined arms approach to ...

'' (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...

: 기효신서,

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...

: 紀效新書), written by the famed Chinese general,

Qi Jiguang Qi Jiguang (, November 12, 1528 – January 17, 1588), courtesy name Yuanjing, art names Nantang and Mengzhu, posthumous name Wuyi, was a Chinese military general and writer of the Ming dynasty. He is best known for leading the defense on the ...

(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, based on the Chinese version, and called it the ''Muyejebo''. King Seonjo ordered his officials to add supplemental information to the ''Muyejebo'', but died before the updated work was published. His successor,

King Gwanghaegun Gwanghae-gun or Prince Gwanghae (4 June 1575 – 7 August 1641), personal name Yi Hon (Hangul: 이혼, Hanja: 李琿), was the 15th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. As he was deposed in a coup d'état, he did not receive a temple name. ...

, continued the work of his father, which led to the publication of the ''Muyejebo sokjip'' (무예제보 속집, 武藝諸譜續集) by Choe Gi-nam (Hangul: 최기남, Hanja: 崔起南). Around the time the book was to be published, four volumes of a Japanese martial arts manual were added as well, leading to the compilation of the ''Muyejebo Beonyeoksokjip'' (무예제보번역속집, 武藝諸譜飜譯續集) in 1610. A woodcut edition of this updated manual still exists, and is currently held by Keimyung University in Daegu, South Korea.Site at Keimyung University dealing with the Mu Ye Je Bo Beon Yeon Sok Jib
In 1759, the book was once again revised and published as the ''

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 th ...

'' (Hangul: 무예신보, Hanja: 武藝新譜). Both books, the ''Muyejebo'' and the ''Muyesinbo'', formed the basis for the compilation of another, more famous Korean martial arts manual called the ''

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' ...

'' (Hangul: 무예도보통지, Hanja: 武藝圖譜通志), which was published in 1791.

Content

The ''Muyejebo'' contains chapters about the use of the following weapons: *

Jangchang The Jangchang, literally ''long spear'', is a Korean weapon first described in the 16th century martial arts manual, Muyejebo. The weapon was preferably made from the wood of the yew tree, but other types of wood could be used as well, such as o ...

(long spear) *Ssangsudo (long two-handed sword) *Gonbang (long staff) *

Deungpae The rattan shield was used by the militaries of China and Korea since the Ming dynasty and the Joseon dynasty, respectively. The Chinese general Qi Jiguang described its use in his book, the ''Jixiao Xinshu'', which was reproduced in the Korean ...

wisteria ''Wisteria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae), that includes ten species of woody twining vines that are native to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Southern Canada, the Eastern United States, and north ...

shield and throwing spear *

shield and waist sword *

Nangseon The ''langxian'' was a branched, multi-tipped spear with blades attached to the branches. The blades could be dipped in poison. The ''langxian'' was a weapon well suited for defense, as it would be difficult for an opponent to assault the wielder ...

(thorny spear) *

Dangpa Dangpa, or dang pa, is the Korean name for a Ranseur (three-pronged trident-like spear) first described in the ''Muyejebo'', a Korean martial arts manual of the Joseon Dynasty (published 1610). Types There were several types of dangpa, such as ...

(

trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marine ...

) The information regarding the use of the shield and throwing spear in combination with one another is part of the same chapter that covers the combined use of the shield and waist sword.

Modern publication

Only one copy of the original ''Muyejebo Beonyeoksokjip'' has survived to the present day. It was found in the Keimyung University library in Daegu, South Korea in 1998, and was granted national treasure status in 2001. The Keimyung University Press republished the ''Muyejebo Beonyeoksokjip'' in 1999.

References and further reading

External links

The International hosinsool Federation
{{Authority control Martial arts manuals Korean martial arts 1610 books

History

Content

Modern publication

References and further reading

See also

External links