It should be first understood that a Martial Art is not invented or created by any one person. Techniques are developed by many over a great number of years. Just as Olympic Wrestling, Boxing and Fencing are unique to the western world, Martial Arts have been developed through a long history of Asian Countries.
HapKiDo is a Korean Martial Art familiar to most people knowledgeable in the Martial Arts field, however, not many people actually know of its origins and more importantly, what makes it so unique.
There are two major personalities who have made HapKiDo what it is today, Grandmaster Choi, Yong Sool and Grandmaster Ji, Han Jae. Due to the various and partially contradicting predicates it can not be determinate precisely who of these two can be regarded as the founder of HapKiDo. However, the fact is that both were instrumental in bringing this development about and therefore both could be refereed to as founders of HapKiDo.
HapKiDo was derived from Daito-ryu-Aikijutsu, combined with a blend of Korean TaeKyon.
Grandmaster Choi Young-Sool (1904-1986)
GM Choi was one of the most influential people in the development of modern Korean martial arts, he was born in Chung Buk province in Korea. GM Choi's parents died when he was very young. In 1913 he was taken to Japan from Korea by a Japanese candy maker. GM Choi was eight or nine years old at the time. The candy maker ultimately abandoned GM Choi due to his uncontrollable energy. He began to wander the streets as a beggar and was regularly assaulted by other children. As is tradition in Japan, non-Japanese are literally looked upon as non-humans; thus GM Choi's life in Japan was filled mostly with hardship and discrimination. He was given over to the Buddhist temple for discipline. While visiting the temple, a friend of the priest named Grandmaster Sokaku Takeda took notice of GM Choi because of his unique situation. GM Takeda took GM Choi into his home to serve as his houseboy. For about 30 years GM Choi lived in Sokaku Takedas household. It is said that Takeda adopted Gm Choi and was given the Japanese name of Tatujutu Yoshida. GM Choi's Japanese name has also been given as Asao, Yoshida by some sources.
"But Many Japanese say that this is doubtful, as it has been suggested, that GM Choi was adopted by Takeda. Because this was not the custom in Japan, neither then or now, for Japanese families (especially prominent Japanese families) to adopt Korean children."
Grandmaster Sokaku Takeda (1860-1943)
An attempt to education GM Choi was not successful because He spoke poor Japanese and therefore he had big problems at school. GM Choi was disinterested in schoolwork and often wound up in fights with other school children. Consequently, he was unable to get a formal education. Unable to attend school, GM Choi spent his days doing work around the home and dojo of his Master, Sokaku Takeda. Takeda taught a style called Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu. Somehow during his exposure to the dojo over the next 30 years, Gm Choi acquired the techniques of Aiki-Jujutsu. Another famous student of Sokaku Takeda was Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), the founder of Aikido. As it seems to be clear that Japan was going to loose World War II, Sokaku Takeka committed suicide by starving himself to death. Before he died he ordered GM Choi to return to Korea. On his way back to Korea GM Choi's whole luggage was stolen including all his money and the certificates he had obtained from Sokaku Takeda. GM Choi settled in Korea in the village of Taegu, situated in the Kyung Buk province, and changed his name back to Choi, Yong Sool. After GM Choi returned to Korea he began studying the kicking techniques of TaeKyeon.
Grandmaster Suh Bok-Sub
GM Choi Yong-Sool's 1st student
In 1947, Suh Bok-Sub, who was a black belt in Yudo and the president of the Suh Brewery company, witnessed a fight from his second floor office window. He watched in amazement as a man defended himself against several attackers, with little effort. Suh was very impressed with, and curious about, what he had observed. He sent his office clerk to bring this man to his office. The man turned out to be GM Choi. Suh asked GM Choi what kind of martial arts he practiced. Without really answering the question, he asked Suh to grab him by the lapel. When Suh grabbed the lapel, GM Choi easily executed an elbow lock and threw Suh to the floor. Suh immediately grabbed GM Choi's lapel again, and was simply thrown to the floor a second time. After being defeated twice, Suh begged for GM Choi to teach him, promising him more free chaff (Food), as well as payment for lessons. When GM Choi agreed, Suh prepared a Dojang at the brewery where GM Choi then had the opportunity to teach what he had studied for so many years in Japan. The fact, that GM Choi’s first student held a 1st Dan in YUDO had an effect on the development of HapKiDo. All Defense techniques against holds at the wrist, sleeve, collar and against judo throws go back to GM Suh's Yudo roots. GM Choi named the material art, he had learned, Yawara. GM Choi changed the name of his material art several times. Among others he called it: Yu Sool (Soft Art), Yu Kwon Sool (Soft Hand Art), Hapki Yu Kwon Sool (In Unit with Ki Soft Hand Art), Hapki Yoo Sool (Korean pronunciation of Aiki ju-jutsu) A few years later GM Choi became a bodyguard and head of the security department of Suh Dong-Jin a congressman, and father of Suh Bok-Sup. On February, 12th 1951 GM Choi and Suh, Bok-Sup together opened up a Dojang named Korean Yu Kwan Sool Hap Ki Dojang. In 1958 GM Choi and Suh Bok-Sup decided to change the name of the martial art taught by them into HapKiDo. (Statement of Master Suh, Bok-Sup in an interview) There are different statements on who used the name HapKiDo first. Another variation is, that Ji, Han-Jae created the name and then passed it to GM Choi, in order to honor him, sometime in 1958 after GM Choi opened up his own Dojang.
Today the big controversy is that some Japanese are very prejudice against other cultures and they are claming that there is no records that proof GM Choi was adopted by Sokaku Takeda or that he ever hold any rank in Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu under Takeda. They are also claming that GM Choi learn some techniques of Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu by attending seminars. .
The fact is that GM Choi knew what he was doing when he develop HapKiDo. this is proof enough to show that GM Choi train in Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu under Takeda . And we all know that you can't learn as much as he knew by merely attending seminars. HapKiDo’s significant similarity to Daito-Ryu-Aiki-jujutsu gives proof that HapKiDo’s link to it is real.
Grandmaster Ji Han Jae
Founder of sin Moo HAPKIDO.
One of the prime movers in HapKiDo is undoubtedly Ji Han Jae. In 1936 GM Ji, Han-Jae was born in Andong, Korea. In 1949, at the age of 13, GM Ji began his training in the Korean Yu Kwan Sool Hap Ki Dojang under GM Choi. GM Ji was one of GM Choi’s best students. GM Ji studied at GM Choi until 1956. Afterwards he continued his studies with a master named “Taoist Lee”, and here learned the TaeKyon kicks, Jang-Bong (long stick), Dan-Bong (short stick) and techniques of meditation. With a nun, (that he knew only as “Grandmother”), he also learned spiritual techniques. In 1958 GM Ji left Taegu and returned to Andong, where he opened up his own Dojang, named Sung Moo Kwan. At that time he held a 3rd Dan in Yu Kwan Sool. Only nine moths later he moved to Seoul. In Seoul GM Ji began to develop his own style of HapKiDo by combining the techniques learned at GM Choi with the TaeKyon kicks, the weapon techniques, and the spiritual techniques. At that time there was a boxing school close to his Dojang. Boxing means the arm retracts immediately after the punch. Therefore, GM Ji developed some defense techniques against these” snapping” punches. In 1961 the Korean government was overthrown by General Park, Chung-Hee who shortly after became president of Korea. In 1962 GM Ji opened up a Dojang in the Hwa Shin department store. Next he became trainer of the military crack troops and of the President’s security service. In addition, he became the President’s bodyguard. In the early sixties the import relations concerning Japanese goods loosened and a book about Aikido fell into GM Ji‘s hands. He noticed that the sign for Aikido was exactly the same as for HapKiDo and decided to change the name from HapKiDo to Kido. In 1963 GM Ji establish the Korean Kido Association, but he left in 1965 after some differences of opinion and founded the Korea HapKiDo Association. Within an information and exchange program between the Korean government and the Pentagon GM Ji arrived in USA in 1969. There, GM Ji coached some of President Nixon’s bodyguards, FBI agents, and various special task forces. During this stay he met Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee was very impressed by GM Ji and asked him to coach him. Together with Kim, Moo-Hong and Myong, Jae-Nam, GM Ji founded the Republic of Korea HapKiDo Association in 1973. The name was changed into Korea HapKiDo Association later. Until 1979 GM Ji was chairman of this organization. As his successor followed his student Oh, Se-Lim, who began his HapKiDo, studies at GM Ji 1958 in Andong. In 1980 the Korea HapKiDo Association was renamed as Korea HapKiDo Federation. In 1979 the Korean president Park, Chung-Hee fell a victim to assassination. The assassin Kim, Chae-Kyu, was the head of the Korean CIA. GM Ji was imprisoned for about one year. The assassin had been a close student of GM Ji, and GM Ji had supported him in becoming the head of the Korean CIA. Therefore, he was accused of having been involved in the planning of the assassination attempt. In jail he developed his new system, which he called Sin Moo HapKiDo. Sin Moo HapKiDo aims even more at the spiritual side of the martial arts. Around 1981 GM Ji made a trip to Hong Kong and prepared his immigration into the USA. In 1984 GM Ji arrived in the USA. There he opened up a Sin Moo HapKiDo school in Daly near San Francisco.
Many HapKiDo techniques were product of different Korean circumstances, no matter if they were developed by GM Choi, GM Ji or other HapKiDo masters. Defense techniques against knives were of elementary importance as the underworld criminals were almost exclusively equipped with knives. Defense techniques against kicks were developed to defend oneself against Tang Soo Do, Kong Soo Do, Kwon Bupand and Taekwondo. The Dan Bong (short stick) techniques against sword attacks were developed, because Kendo is widespread in Korea. The Cane techniques were develop as a legal self-defense weapon since carrying a sword, nun-chucks or any martial arts weapon are illegal.
Today there are great Masters of HAPKIDO teaching all over the world and to mention a few names:
Grandmaster Bong Soo Han (1933 - 2007)
President of the International HapKiDo Federation (California, USA). Known as the Father of HapKiDo in the United States by promoting HapKiDo with the motion picture 'Billy Jack'
Dr. He-Young Kimm
founder of the Korean Martial Art HAN MU DO. Author of the books HapKiDo Bible & HapKiDo 2 and many other Korean Martial Arts Books
Grandmaster J.R. West
President of the United States Korean Martial Arts Federation (USKMAF) who is a Formidable North American HAPKIDO Instructor that promotes HapKiDo in the United States and around the World.
