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Tang Soo Do is a 2,000 year old, uniquely Korean martial art and way of life. In other times, martial arts masters from Korea, China and Okinawa freely travelled abroad and exchanged techniques and ideas. Thus, Tang Soo Do contains contributions from Chinese martial arts, Okinawan & Japanese karate, and traditional Korean martial arts. Tang Soo Do is the Korean pronunciation of the Hanja characters 唐手道. The characters can be translated as "Way of the T'ang Hand" or "Way of the Chinese Hand (from the T'ang dynasty of China's golden age)." A colloquial meaning might be "Chinese Boxing", as the Chinese martial arts were known at one time. Interestingly, in Japanese, these same characters would be pronounced "Karate-do." In the 1960's, some felt that a native Korean martial art should not contain any reference to another country, and many of the traditional Korean arts were renamed "Tae Kwan Do." For similar reasons, in contemporary Japanese, Karate-do is written as 空手道. The Japanese pronunciation of both sets of characters is the same, but the newer version means "Way of the Empty Hand" rather than "Way of the T'ang Hand", as the Japanese in the 1930's decided to remove the reference to China from "Karate-do." Like some other Korean styles, Tang Soo Do practioners train with deep and powerful leg techinques and kicks. However, we do not neglect the use of the hands in blocking and striking. Tang Soo Do students strive to be well rounded martial artists. Tang Soo Do is a way of thinking and acting. It will guide and teach students in all areas of life. The World Tang Soo Do Association attempts to preserve the traditional character of the Way of the T'ang Hand. The founder and current head of the World Tang Soo Do Association is Grandmaster Jae C. Shin. Grandmaster Shin was a student of the legendary Korean martial artist Hwang Kee. Grandmaster Shin is a member of the Martial Arts Hall of Fame, and is one of the best known martial artists living today. Grandmaster Shin, or Kwan Chang Nim as he is properly addressed in Korean, regularly attends black belt testing, clinics and tournaments held in Region 21. |
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An illustration of a hwarang, or a Korean knight, from the book Mooyae Dobo Tongji, circa 1790 A.D. Click the graphic for more information. |
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Email Master Califf |
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