Song Moo Kwan

[puunui]

Thanks for this. Can you offer any insight to why GM Ro, the SMK founder didn't sign on in 1978?

Sorry, my mistake. The Song Moo Kwan representative in 1978 was GM CHUN Jung Woong, not GM KANG Won Sik. I believe that by 1978, GM RO Byung Jick had retired and moved to the United States to live with his son, GM RO Hee Sang. GM RO Byung Jick used to operate a liquor store in Minnesota for many years. I heard that he may have moved to Washington State to retire but not sure on that one.

 

[puunui]

No this is not what I understand. He opened his 1st school in Kaesong at an archery range, 1 of the few martial arts allowed during the occupation on March 11, 1944, according to the Modern History. He was forced to close about 6 months later by the Japanese. He went south after the division of Korea by the USSR & USA in 1945. That photo was most likely in south Korea, not north Korea (Kaesong, just north of the present day DMZ), which was still part of a unified & occupied Korea back in 1944.

This is what the Modern History book says about the Song Moo Kwan:

*
From the Chung Do Kwan entry:

Right after the independence of Korea, the Chung Do Kwan, one of the five key Dojangs, was founded first.

Chapter 1, Section 5: Song Moo Kwan

The Song Moo Kwan was founded by RO Byung Jick in Kae Song in 1946. Song Moo Kwan founder RO Byung Jick studied together with Chung Do Kwan founder LEE Won Kuk in Japan. They both studied Karate under Funakoshi Sensei. Right before the Independence Day, he returned to Korea and taught youngsters Karate as a hobby at an archery place, the Kwan Duk Jung.

RO Byung Jick explained his school's name: "Song Moo Kwan's *Song* meant pine tree, which meant green and a long life. Also, Song was one of the Koryo capital city name, Song Do. And Song was also borrowed from the Song Do Kwan (Shotokan) when I learned Karate under Funakoshi while studying abroad."

RO's practice sessions started one hour earlier with warm up exercises consisting of lifting weights and then practicing on the Kwon Go (makiwara). He was known as a powerful puncher and kicker from his students.

RO always let his students punch the Kwon Go at least 100 times and then started the real practice. If students received the 4th Guep or higher, he let them spar. Like any other dojang, he was known to let his students practice in cold weather during winter, and in the hot weather during summer.

RO Kwan Jang's student, and the 2nd Kwan Jang, LEE Young Sup reflects: "Every six months, there was testing for promotion. Mainly one step sparring, three step sparring, free sparring and forms were used to decide promotions. But free sparring was for 4th guep and higher, and 1st Dan required breaking a board. If these rules were broken, the Kwan Jang was very upset."

The Song Moo Kwan graduates were:

1. LEE Hwae Soon
2. LEE Young Sup
3. KIM Hong Bin
4. HAN Sang Min
5. SONG Tae Hak
6. LEE Hwi Jin
7. JO Kyu Chang;
8. HONG Young Chang
9. KANG Won Sik (co-author of this book) and others.

However, its power and customs were the weakest among the first big five Kwans.
Song Moo Kwan's first Kwan Jang was RO Byung Jick; the second was LEE Young Sup and the third KANG Won Sik.

*

So what we have is the current Song Moo Kwan Jang stating that the Chung Do Kwan was first, not the Song Moo Kwan. Also, the picture was taken in Kaesong; it is written directly on the photo, and GM LEE Won Kuk said that they all went to Kaesong in November 1947 and did a demonstration to help GM Ro with his new school, because GM RO Byung Jick was a Chung Do Kwan member. GM Ro had come back from Japan in the late 1930's and stopped training until GM LEE Won Kuk came back in 1944. GM Ro's dojang was at the Kaesong Police Academy I believe, a position that GM Lee helped GM Ro obtain, through his connections with the police.

Back then, there were two main groups: The Tang Soo Do based group (Chung Do Kwan, Song Moo Kwan and Moo Duk Kwan, although Moo Duk Kwan was called something else) and the Kwon Bup group (Chosun Yun Moo Kwan Kwon Bup Bu and YMCA Kwon Bup Bu), each with their own curriculum.

 

[DMcHenry]

The Tang Soo Do based group (Chung Do Kwan, Song Moo Kwan and Moo Duk Kwan, although Moo Duk Kwan was called something else)

The Moo Duk Kwan first called their art Hwa Soo Do, later changing the name of their art to Tang Soo Do.

 

[puunui]

The Moo Duk Kwan first called their art Hwa Soo Do, later changing the name of their art to Tang Soo Do.

I was talking more about the school name than the art name, but it's true GM Hwang first called his art Hwa Soo Do. He even wrote a book entitled that.

 

[KarateMomUSA]

So what we have is the current Song Moo Kwan Jang stating that the Chung Do Kwan was first, not the Song Moo Kwan. Also, the picture was taken in Kaesong; it is written directly on the photo, and GM LEE Won Kuk said that they all went to Kaesong in November 1947 and did a demonstration to help GM Ro with his new school, because GM RO Byung Jick was a Chung Do Kwan member. GM Ro had come back from Japan in the late 1930's and stopped training until GM LEE Won Kuk came back in 1944. GM Ro's dojang was at the Kaesong Police Academy I believe, a position that GM Lee helped GM Ro obtain, through his connections with the police.

Thank you Sir for clearing that up. Your clarification makes sense & I appreciate it.
Can you please speak to the claim that GM Ro opened his 1st school on March 11, 1944 at an archery range in Kaesong?
It was reported to have been shut down some months later, as Korea was still occupied.

Now also does this mean that travel from Seoul to Kaesong was still allowed in 1947?
Since the USSR was the administration in the northern half, with the Soviets in charge, would GM Lee's police connections have helped? (I know hard question to evaluate & answer)

 

[puunui]

Can you please speak to the claim that GM Ro opened his 1st school on March 11, 1944 at an archery range in Kaesong? It was reported to have been shut down some months later, as Korea was still occupied.

Maybe that happened, but apparently GM KANG Won Sik doesn't feel that it warranted inclusion in the Modern History book to dispute the Chung Do Kwan's claim of being the first Kwan. Not many believe GM RO Byung Jick's claim, not even the current Song Moo Kwan Jang.

Now also does this mean that travel from Seoul to Kaesong was still allowed in 1947?

Yes. GM LEE Won Kuk said that GM CHUN Sang Sup and his best friend GM YOON Byung In used to travel to Manchuria through North Korea all the time for additional training during the late 1940's. GM Yoon had family up north.

Since the USSR was the administration in the northern half, with the Soviets in charge, would GM Lee's police connections have helped? (I know hard question to evaluate & answer)

The division of Korea during the late 1940's wasn't as cut and dried as you may think. There is a wikipedia article on it which may help you understand the times:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_of_Korea

 

[KarateMomUSA]

Quote:Originally Posted by KarateMomUSA
Can you please speak to the claim that GM Ro opened his 1st school on March 11, 1944 at an archery range in Kaesong? It was reported to have been shut down some months later, as Korea was still occupied.

Maybe that happened, but apparently GM KANG Won Sik doesn't feel that it warranted inclusion in the Modern History book to dispute the Chung Do Kwan's claim of being the first Kwan. Not many believe GM RO Byung Jick's claim, not even the current Song Moo Kwan Jang.

Yes I am leaning toward being inclined to believe it. I think it may have happened & I also think that Lee Won Kuk may also have been teaching in Korea before he opened the CDK in fall of 1944. If the SMK did open & then close, like the CDK did, it never really had the influence that the CDK did. So maybe that was why it didn't warrant mention. I would love to ask President Kang about that.

Yes. GM LEE Won Kuk said that GM CHUN Sang Sup and his best friend GM YOON Byung In used to travel to Manchuria through North Korea all the time for additional training during the late 1940's. GM Yoon had family up north.
The division of Korea during the late 1940's wasn't as cut and dried as you may think. There is a wikipedia article on it which may help you understand the times:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_of_Korea

Yes thanks for this & the link. I think it makes sense that there was more free movement past the 38th before the war or at least before the division was sadly made permanent in 1948. So the 1947 part now does make sense. Thank you again.

 

[puunui]

I think it may have happened & I also think that Lee Won Kuk may also have been teaching in Korea before he opened the CDK in fall of 1944. If the SMK did open & then close, like the CDK did, it never really had the influence that the CDK did.

No he didn't teach before Fall of the 1944. GM Lee arrived back in Korea in January 1944 and asked permission from Governor General Abe to be allowed to teach. He was refused but finally they allowed him to teach in the fall of 1944. After independence day in August 1945, GM Lee also closed his dojang for about six months due to the chaos in the country. Things settled down and he reopened in February 1946.