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Taekkyon

Traditional Korean martial art

  • 15 min read
  • 11 chapters

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Since the twentieth century, taekkyon has come to be seen as a living link to Korea's past. As such, it has provided historical references for modern Korean martial arts and is often considered as the oldest martial discipline of Korea. It was almost wiped out during the Japanese occupation, before being rediscovered after the Korean War. It influenced the name and conceptualization of taekwondo.

Taekkyon was the first martial art listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011. It is also the 76th Intangible Cultural Property of South Korea.

History

The earliest written source of the term appears during the reign of King Jeongjo (1776–1800) of the Joseon dynasty, in the book Jaemulbo (also Manmulbo), which included an entry about a 2nd-century Book of Han reference of contests of unarmed combat. In this entry, author Lee Sung-Ji extended a 3rd-century annotation of this reference to say that such competitions were like the taekkyon of his time:

"Byeon: Byeon is hand to hand combat (Subak), competing in a martial game, like today's Taekkyon."

The word Taekkyon is written in Hangul, which denotes its connection with the common people while the rest is written in Hanja.

Song Deok-gi (1893-1987) who was the main source of the taekkyon revival after the occupation, wrote in the preface of his only book: "It cannot be said for sure when and how Taekkyon came into existence, but until the end of the Korean kingdom, certain people did Taekkyon together."

Taekkyon was documented for the first time in the West by anthropologist Stewart Culin in his book Korean Games, written in 1895. In the 1921 book Haedong Jukji (East Sea Annals) by Choe Yeong-nyeon, taekkyon is called "flying leg technique". Taekkyon was widely practiced during the Joseon period. Two versions existed at the time: one for combat application used by militaries, the other as a game, very popular among lower classes alongside ssireum (Korean wrestling). Both combat sports were often seen at festivals, attended by all social classes. For example, during the Dan-O-Festival, a tournament called Gyeoll-yeon-Taekkyon was held. Players who beat five opponents consecutively could take a rest and re-enter the tournament again later.

Taekkyon's popularity declined as Neo-Confucianism became widespread among the elite and it underwent a long period of decline toward the end of the Joseon Dynasty. At the dawn of the 20th century, it was only practiced around the capital city of Hanyang (Seoul), in the district of Jongro. The subsequent Japanese occupation prohibited gatherings of people and indigenous fighting techniques, which nearly made the art extinct.

After the Korean War there was only one surviving master: Song Deok-gi, who was part of the last generation that received a traditional education under the tutelage of renowned Master Im Ho (1870's?~1920's?). After the passing of his master, Song had maintained his practice in secret throughout the Japanese occupation. The style he practiced was called Widae (high-village) after his village of Sajik. Song was critical in the preservation of taekkyon due to his link to pre-war teachings. After a martial arts demonstration given for then-president Syngman Rhee's birthday, he was revealed to the public on 26 March 1958 and became known as the "Last Taekkyon Master of the Joseon Dynasty".

Nonetheless, taekkyon did not enjoy a sudden resurgence, faced with lack of interest from the general public and competition from modern martial disciplines. Despite sporadic interest by taekwondo figures (such as Park Chul-hee, Kim Byeong-su, Im Chang-su...), taekkyon remained relatively obscure. Lee Jun-seo and Ko Yong-woo, the two earliest known students of Song (and current leaders of the Widae Taekkyon Preservation Association) started their training during that period.

On June 1, 1983, taekkyon was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Asset by the Korean government, through the effort of Song's pupil, Shin Han-seung (1928-1987).

After two unsuccessful registration attempts, Shin, himself a physical educator, created a modern training system by adapting methods from other martial arts and sports. This new system introduced several innovations that were originally absent from the original taekkyon such as pre-arranged forms (bonddae-boigi), a formal ranking system and overall, a re-conception of taekkyon as a sanitized, modern sport. While these efforts helped taekkyon gain official recognition, they also created a rift within the community between modernists and preservers.

Following this honor, both Song Deok-gi and Shin Han-seung were given living national treasure status. Taekkyon is one of two Korean martial arts to receive this recognition, the other being Ssireum. Since then, taekkyon has enjoyed a renaissance with the establishment of university clubs, the opening of new schools, and active promotional efforts from the government and associations alike. The first contemporary taekkyon competition took place in Busan on June 30, 1985.

After more than 70 years of public disappearance, this competition was a landmark event that marked the return of taekkyon as an organized modern sport. Song Deok-ki and Shin Han-seung demonstrated respectively mack-boigi, and bonddae-boigi. Future leaders of taekkyon's modern associations, Lee Yong-bok (KTF), Jeong Kyung-hwa (KTTA) and Do Ki-hyun (KTA) were also in attendance.

Shin Han-seung and Song Deok-gi died in 1987, twenty days appart. Following their passing, their Important Intangible Cultural Asset status was revoked.

After the death of the two masters, the Taekkyon community was definitively split by the establishment of more separate schools. The followers of Song's teachings, represented by the Widae Taekkyon Preservation Association emphasize the preservation of traditional forms. In contrast, the followers of Shin—whether his direct students or those inspired by his system—pursue a more sport-oriented approach and bringing the art to a global stage.

In November 2011, Taekkyon was recognized by UNESCO and placed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List, honored as the first martial art on the list.

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