I wrote the following for my students, who have asked for some kind of historical overview of Korean swords. Not a lengthy piece and not a scholarly piece, but I'd like think that it is reasonably on target, if very broad.
In the interest of getting this section going again, and in the interest of any feedback from those who may be more knowledgeable than myself, here it is:
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A brief overview of Korean sword arts
By Daniel Sullivan
The usage of the sword in Korea dates back over a millennium, as it does in virtually all cultures. Swords in Korea, as in all cultures, varied based upon the region and time period. Also, as with all cultures, trends and developments in surrounding cultures had influence on the Korean sword and its use. The surrounding cultures with the greatest influence on Korean swordsmanship were China, Mongolia, and Japan.
The golden age of Korean swordsmanship is often portrayed as being between the fifth and tenth centuries, during which the three kingdoms period ended (668 AD) and the Silla kingdom rose to power by conquering Baekje and Goguryeo, and during which the legendary Hwarang were active. The Hwarang were a group recruited from the youth of the aristocracy of Silla and trained in classical arts as well as the military arts.
In 1392, the Joseon Dynasty arose and in 1394, Confucianism became the countrys official religion. It was in the fifteenth century that Hangeul, the Korean alphabet was invented and in sixteenth century that Korea would achieve its most famous military success; the defeat of Japans invasion attempt. Given the improvements in metallurgy in the region and further development of the sword, it more likely that 16th century Joseon was the golden age of the sword. In 1790, the Muyedobotongji was written by Yi Deokmu. The Muyedobotongji was a military manual that included details of sword practice of the day. It incorporated the material of earlier manuals as well. Joseon would last until 1910.
In the late nineteenth century, Japan exerted great influence over Korea and manipulated Korea into signing treaties that brought Korea out of Chinas influence and under Japans. During this time, gekkiken, form of fencing with bamboo swords, was introduced to Korea as a form of police training, and later was introduced to Koreas schools. Gekkiken was called kumdo in Korea, the term being coined in 1910. The name would change to kendo in Japan in 1919. Japan formally annexed Korea in 1910, with one of the results being that the only martial arts permitted to be practiced in Korea were judo and kendo.
Japans occupation of Korea ended in 1945 with Japans surrender at the end of World War II. Kumdo remained popular, but with Japans constraints removed, pre-modern Korean sword arts were explored, resulting in some claimed reconstruction sword arts (such as Haidong Geomdo) and some new Korean sword arts. Reconstruction arts were reconstructed upon information in the Muyedobotongji.
Also, from 1945 to 1973, the modern art of taekwondo was codified and formalized. Taekwondo was spread around the world from the seventies through the current decade. The result of taekwondos popularity has spurred interest in Korean sword arts as well, as people realized that there was more to Asian sword work than the popular Samurai. Most of the modern Korean sword arts, such as Haidong Geomdo, make use of a two handed curved saber analogous to the well known Japanese katana. This is a benefit, as it makes training swords easily attainable.
This brief overview is just a brief (very brief) overview and far from an historical document.
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Like I said, this is not a scholarly work and if those more knowledgeable than myself have insights or corrections, please post them!
My thanks in advance,
Daniel
In the interest of getting this section going again, and in the interest of any feedback from those who may be more knowledgeable than myself, here it is:
----------------------------------------------
A brief overview of Korean sword arts
By Daniel Sullivan
The usage of the sword in Korea dates back over a millennium, as it does in virtually all cultures. Swords in Korea, as in all cultures, varied based upon the region and time period. Also, as with all cultures, trends and developments in surrounding cultures had influence on the Korean sword and its use. The surrounding cultures with the greatest influence on Korean swordsmanship were China, Mongolia, and Japan.
The golden age of Korean swordsmanship is often portrayed as being between the fifth and tenth centuries, during which the three kingdoms period ended (668 AD) and the Silla kingdom rose to power by conquering Baekje and Goguryeo, and during which the legendary Hwarang were active. The Hwarang were a group recruited from the youth of the aristocracy of Silla and trained in classical arts as well as the military arts.
In 1392, the Joseon Dynasty arose and in 1394, Confucianism became the countrys official religion. It was in the fifteenth century that Hangeul, the Korean alphabet was invented and in sixteenth century that Korea would achieve its most famous military success; the defeat of Japans invasion attempt. Given the improvements in metallurgy in the region and further development of the sword, it more likely that 16th century Joseon was the golden age of the sword. In 1790, the Muyedobotongji was written by Yi Deokmu. The Muyedobotongji was a military manual that included details of sword practice of the day. It incorporated the material of earlier manuals as well. Joseon would last until 1910.
In the late nineteenth century, Japan exerted great influence over Korea and manipulated Korea into signing treaties that brought Korea out of Chinas influence and under Japans. During this time, gekkiken, form of fencing with bamboo swords, was introduced to Korea as a form of police training, and later was introduced to Koreas schools. Gekkiken was called kumdo in Korea, the term being coined in 1910. The name would change to kendo in Japan in 1919. Japan formally annexed Korea in 1910, with one of the results being that the only martial arts permitted to be practiced in Korea were judo and kendo.
Japans occupation of Korea ended in 1945 with Japans surrender at the end of World War II. Kumdo remained popular, but with Japans constraints removed, pre-modern Korean sword arts were explored, resulting in some claimed reconstruction sword arts (such as Haidong Geomdo) and some new Korean sword arts. Reconstruction arts were reconstructed upon information in the Muyedobotongji.
Also, from 1945 to 1973, the modern art of taekwondo was codified and formalized. Taekwondo was spread around the world from the seventies through the current decade. The result of taekwondos popularity has spurred interest in Korean sword arts as well, as people realized that there was more to Asian sword work than the popular Samurai. Most of the modern Korean sword arts, such as Haidong Geomdo, make use of a two handed curved saber analogous to the well known Japanese katana. This is a benefit, as it makes training swords easily attainable.
This brief overview is just a brief (very brief) overview and far from an historical document.
-------------------------------------------
Like I said, this is not a scholarly work and if those more knowledgeable than myself have insights or corrections, please post them!
My thanks in advance,
Daniel
