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Kumdo
(검도 (劍道), kumdō)

Focus	Weaponry
Hardness	Semi-contact
Country of origin	South Korea
Olympic sport	No

Kumdo is a modern martial art of fencing, the Korean equivalent of Japanese kendo. It is also romanized as kǒmdo, gumdo, or geomdo. The name means "the way of the sword," and is a cognate with the Japanese term.

History

Ancient Korean fencing

The use of swordsmanship on the battlefield in Korea dates as early as the Three Kingdoms period, where sword techniques using a two-handed sword are illustrated in a book named Bonguk Geombeop, believed to have been authored during the Silla dynasty.

According to the Army Account of Military Arts and Science (Hanzi: 武備志; Pinyin: Wǔ Bèi Zhì), a Ming dynasty strategy book written in 1629 by Mao Yuanyi, Korean fencing (朝鮮勢法; Cháoxiǎn shìfǎ) was a martial art that had reached Korea through Chinese martial artists. Much of this text was based on earlier works by Ming general Qi Jiguang, who successfully adapted and emulated the use of the Japanese katana by developing the wodao, to respond to the prevalent threat of the Japanese wokou or pirates. Joseon Saebeop, one of the few surviving techniques of historical Korean swordplay, is believed to be based on this work.

Later in Korea, warriors were regarded as inferior to scholars during parts of the Goryeo Dynasty (908-1392) and much of the Joseon Dynasty, due to the heavy influence of neo-Confucianism, which greatly valued scholastic achievement and refinement over martial prowess. Yangban, Joseon-era noblemen who were typically the only males eligible for government positions through the Chinese-based examination systems, generally preferred to apply for the civil service as opposed to the military as the civil service was considered more prestigious and a better guarantor of wealth and honor compared to comparable positions in the military's officer corps, which were also generally restricted to yangban and chungin. In addition, the royal court, mindful that the Joseon dynasty founder, Yi Seonggye, was a general who overthrew the last Goryeo king, looked warily at its successful and popular military leaders and were reluctant to support a large military. Influenced by Confucian thought, the royal court generally deferred to imperial China out of respect in regards to their foreign, cultural, and defense policies, relying on the Ming and Qing dynasties for military aid and necessary foreign intervention.

This is in contrast to their Japanese counterparts, who valued martial prowess and leadership because of centuries of continuous warfare between warlords or daimyo who fought over territory and hegemony, despite acknowledging a figurehead emperor and noble court based in Kyoto. Military life during this period allowed Japanese peasants a means of social mobility they otherwise would not have, as they could aspire to be elevated to samurai class and status before the Edo period, and even hegemony over Japan, as with the example of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

The Imjin War, the last large-scale pre-modern conflict between Japanese and Korean forces, is known more for the use of emerging weapons such as the Japanese use of the arquebus and the Korean use of naval technologies such as the turtle ship and panokseon that were advanced for its time and context, as well as the use of gunpowder-based artillery, than for the use of traditional weapons such as swords and spears.

While swordsmanship continued to be practiced, it was eclipsed in popularity by archery and the use of cavalry, was generally not as systematized as Japanese sword schools, and was seldom practiced beyond members of the military and their associates. Consequently, the popularity of certain martial arts waned without many successors to carry on its traditions. Today, there are only two remaining documents that refer to ancient Korean martial arts.

The Muye Dobo Tongji, compiled during the reign of King Jeongjo in the 1790s, cataloged various sword arts and applications known to Koreans during that time, as well as hand-to-hand techniques and the use of other weapons. This work was based on earlier Ming and Joseon texts including Qi Jiguang's Ji Xiao Xin Shu, the Muyejebo, and the Muyesinbo and incorporates known Chinese and Japanese martial arts and weapon techniques. While noting the efficacy of the Japanese katana and its applications, the manual noted that Chinese influences on Korean swordsmanship and other martial arts were more prevalent.

These ancient arts are not popularly considered to be ancestors of kumdo, though some kumdo scholars, including those at the Korea Kumdo Association, believe ancient Korean fencing as outlined in a Silla dynasty book known as Bonguk Geombeop (本國劍法; Korean Sword Method) was the basis of all modern two-handed sword techniques. This belief is not commonly held outside Korea.

Gekiken, kendo, and kumdo

Kendo, then still known as gekiken, was introduced to Korea from Japan in 1896 as a form of police and military training. After Japan outlawed all Korean martial arts, they introduced Japanese martial arts such as judo and kendo to schools. Its popularity in Korea spread quickly as part of Korea's first national physical education system. Up until end of the occupation in 1945, kumdo developed in parallel with kendo.

After the occupation ended, kumdo restructured itself, and the Korean Kumdo Association was formed in 1947. When the Korean National Sports Festival was reinstituted in South Korea in 1956, Kumdo was included as an official event.

Consequently, the history of kumdo in Korea can be seen in the following timeline, split in 2 periods; prior to Japanese invasion and after WWII. Chosun refers to Korea during the Yi Dynasty:

• Silla battlefield sword techniques developed for use the Three Kingdoms period

• Decline in popularity of swordsmanship and martial arts in general during Goryeo and Joseon period because of the influence of neo-Confucianism

• 1895 Japan's influence in Joseon becomes greater with the assassination of the Korean Empress, Myeongseong

• 1906 Japanese introduce gekiken, the precursor to modern kendo into schools

• 1908 a tournament held between the Korean police and their Japanese counterparts. Gekiken was also included in the first official national physical education program for the general public.

• Japanese Occupation of Korea and the suppression of Korean culture

• 1910 Joseon is formally annexed by Japan and becomes part of growing Japanese empire. Japan begins efforts to replace and repress Korean culture

• 1920 The term, kumdo, coined according to the Korea Kumdo Association. According to Japanese records, the term kendo is coined in Japan on August 1, 1919.

• 1927 Kumdo becomes an official curricular subject in junior high schools.

• 1935 Kumdo included in the 16th National Joseon Sports Festival

• 1938 National Joseon Sports Festival prohibited by Japanese

• 1945 Kumdo began to flourish again after Korea regains independence from Japan

• 1947 Korean kumdo began to restructure itself with the holding of the Seoul Police Kumdo Tournament

• 1948 Approximately 100 highly ranked kumdo instructors gathered in Changdeokgung Palace and formed the predecessor to the Korean Kumdo Association

• 1950 The 1st National Police Kumdo Tournament was held

• 1952 A committee was created to oversee the formation of the KKA

• 1953 The KKA was inaugurated and became affiliated with the Korean Amateur Sports Association

• The 1st National Individual Kumdo Championships were held (Same year that the All Japan Kendo Federation was formed)

• 1956 Kumdo was once more included as an official event of the National Sports Festival after a break of 20 years

• 1959 Kumdo became increasingly popular with the President’s Cup Grade Category Tournament, and the National Student Championships

• 1964 The Student Kumdo Federation became affiliated with the KKA

• 1970 The Student Federation separated into the Collegiate Federation and the Secondary Schools Federation. The International Kendo Federation was formed and a Korean named as Vice President

• 1972 Kumdo was included in the National Youth Sports Meet

• 1979 The news agency Dong a Ilbo joined forces with the KKA in sponsoring the President’s Cup National Championships

• 1988 The Korean Social Kumdo Federation was formed and followed by the 1st National Social

Championships

• 1993 Inauguration of the SBS Royal National Championships

Today

The rules and the equipment are almost the same as those of kendo because the two have only been allowed to diverge since 1945. Kumdo tournaments have abandoned some elements of Japanese culture, such as the squatting bow (sonkyo) performed by competing kumsa or kenshi at the beginning and end of a match. The hogu (호구; 防具), or armor, are often simplified compared to kendo's bogu. The scoring flags are different as well; blue and white instead of the red and white found in kendo.

While many practice with the same uniform as kendo, usually indigo-blue, kumdo practitioners have been willing to change elements of the uniform including the colour and other modifications. Many wear hakama without a koshiita and use velcro instead. In particular, the Korean national team wears white keikogi or dobok with black trim and stripes on their hakama, in contrast to the all indigo-blue worn by kendo practitioners. This style of uniform has become popular among kumdo dojang both in Korea and in countries like the United States, which have a substantial Korean population.

Forms practiced by kumdo practitioners include the Bonguk Geombeop (본국검법, 本國劍法), Joseon Saebeop(조선세법, 朝鮮勢法) and the ten bon or kendo no kata (검도의본, 劍法形), forms standardized by the FIK. Proficiency with these forms is required for rank promotion tests conducted by the Korea Kumdo Association, the de-facto governing body for Korean kumdo, and its overseas affiliates. However, the bon originating from kendo are practiced in a modified manner, omitting the sonkyo bow and using Korean names and terminology in place of the original Japanese. Joseon Saebeop and Bonguk Geombeop serve as kumdo's practical historical link to Korean swordsmanship from previous eras, while bon and overall training and sparring style reflect Japanese influences on modern kumdo.

A few kumdo dojang or schools will also incorporate kuhapdo forms, the Korean variant for iaido in their curriculum as opposed to the typical distinction where iaido is taught as a distinctly different though complementary art, alongside kendo.

While kumdo practitioners can enter and compete in kendo tournaments, many normally compete in their own tournaments for kumdo and avoid kendo tournaments because of a perceived bias against the Korean kumdo style by tournament officials. However, Korea sends a team to the World Kendo Championships or WKC held every three years and have been strong competitors in the past WKCs. During the 13th World Kendo Championships held in Taipei, Taiwan from December 8 - 10, 2006, Korea defeated the United States to win the men's team championship for the first time, the first country other than Japan to win a title at the WKCs. The United States had earlier eliminated the Japanese team during the semi-finals.

Though there are many kumdo organizations, the Korea Kumdo Association (KKA), a member of the Korean Sports Federation and by far the most influential and most dominant kumdo organization, claims to be the only official body for kumdo in Korea and serves as the Korean affiliate for the International Kendo Federation or FIK. Korean representatives to the World Kendo Championships (WKC) are typically chosen by the KKA, as the event is overseen by the FIK. The KKA's status is similar to that of the All Japan Kendo Federation, which is the dominant body for kendo in Japan and claims to be the only official body, despite the presence of numerous, but smaller kendo organizations.

There are also a number of kumdo dojang outside Korea, primarily where there are large numbers of Korean immigrants, such as the United States. Many of these dojangs choose to be affiliated with overseas branches of kumdo organizations like the KKA rather than the local FIK affiliate for that country. For example, many of the kumdo dojangs in the United States choose to affiliate with an overseas branch of the KKA instead of seeking association with the All United States Kendo Federation (AUSKF), the FIK affiliate for the US. However, because the KKA is a FIK affiliate, rankings awarded by them, are honored and accepted by the other affiliates including the AUSKF. While kumdo practitioners outside Korea will also compete in kendo tournaments, many choose to compete only at tournaments sponsored by a kumdo organization rather than a kendo organization. One example is the Bong-Rim-Gi kumdo tournament held annually in the summer among kumdo schools in the United States and sponsored by an overseas branch of the KKA in the US.

Many Koreans, who remember Japan's occupation and suppression of Korean culture from 1910 to 1945 and continue to harbour anti-Japanese sentiment, practice kumdo claiming that its origins and that of koryu kenjutsu, the forerunner of modern Japanese kendo, lie in ancient Korea. Others concede that Japan developed the equipment and rules for modern practice, but consider kumdo part of traditional Korean culture, thus claiming kumdo to be as much of a birthright for Koreans as kendo is for Japanese.

According to Alexander Bennett from International Research Centre for Japanese Studies, "recently with the ban on Japanese culture lifted and the ensuing popularity of things Japanese among Korea’s youth, even a number of young Korean fencers are starting to admit in whispered tones that they are essentially practicing a Japanese sport, and are starting to question the cultural insistence by their seniors that Korea is the suzerain nation of the art. Although, to many of the older generation who still practice kumdo actively, any hint of Japanese influence or suzerainty of the modern form of kendo/kumdo is abhorrent."

In competition, the main differences between kendo and kumdo are stylistic. Kumdo practitioners generally favor a dynamic style of play, focusing on using fast, aggressive, and effective small motion strikes to create openings for attacks. Kendo practitioners however, general focus on the perfect single strike, waiting patiently for an opening and the correct timing to land a decisive attack. In recent years, with frequent contact between kendo and kumdo stylists through cross-training and competition, this distinction has somewhat blurred, as individual practitioners of either kendo and kumdo have preferred styles of play.

Terminology

Kumdo uses Korean language terminology exclusively, though much of it is cognate with the original kendo terms. For instance, the criteria used to determine whether a point is scored is known as gigeomche (기검체; 氣劍體), instead of ki-ken-tai-ichi (気剣体一). This name derives from the same Chinese roots; "gi" (氣) for qi or spirit, "geom" (劍) for the sword, and "che" (體) for the body. Below is a table comparing some other similar terms and their corresponding Chinese characters. Note slight differences in the appearance of some characters are due to Japanese use of shinjitai characters.

Organizations

Notable Organizations

• Korea Kumdo Association (KKA) - the de facto governing organization for kumdo in Korea due to its size and its influence through their heavy promotion of the art in the media. The art promoted by them, Daehan Kumdo (大韓劍道), is virtually identical to kendo, with noted changes to reflect Korean cultural influences and methodology, and is the kumdo which Koreans normally refer to. However, it has been criticized for its affiliation with the FIK, which is dominated by practitioners of Japanese kendo, and for developing kumdo along the lines of Japanese kendo, based largely on the one-on-one dueling styles developed during the relative peace of Japan's Edo period. The KKA has established overseas branches in other countries which have substantial Korean populations and have kumdo dojangs or schools. Unlike most of the FIK affiliates, including Japan, they wish to see kumdo/kendo become an Olympic sport as with Judo and Taekwondo. It traditionally claims that kumdo's origins lie in the Hwarang from ancient Silla.

• World Kumdo Association (WKA) - founded around 2001 as a merger of thirteen smaller, rival kumdo organizations, they are critical of the KKA and seek to become a rival to the FIK by having kumdo included in the Olympic games with them as the recognized governing body ahead of the FIK. They are proponents of changes to the format and scoring system, advocating the use of electric scoring as with fencing. Although they have strong political ties with people who were involved in making Taekwondo part of the Olympics, their membership is far smaller in number to that of the KKA and many FIK affiliates. Some WKA officials are noted as being practitioners of taekwondo rather than kumdo. It claims affiliates in other countries as well.

• Haidong Gumdo, founded by members who seceded from the KKA. Haidong Gumdo is significantly different in style from standard kumdo, emphasizing what they consider a native Korean "battlefield" style of combat over the one-on-one dueling style found in standard or Daehan Kumdo. As such, it is unrelated to modern, standard kumdo, although it claims to be another form of kumdo.

Foot notes

1. Kumdo The Korean Art of the Sword
2. Bennett, Alexander. "Korea - The Black Ships of Kendo : the internationalization of kendo and the Olympic Problem". Kendo World.
3. Scanlan, Sean. "South Korea crowned team kendo champion". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2007-02-11.
4. Alexander Bennett, Korea - The Black Ships of Kendo, Kendo World Retrieved September 3rd, 2008

See also

• Kendo
• List of Korea-related topics
• Korean swordsmanship
• Haidong Gumdo
• Samurang
• Hankumdo

External links

• Official website for the Korea Kumdo Association (KKA) (In Korean)
• U.S HwaRangKwan
• Tae Kwon Do Times Interview
• Kumdo: The Korean Art of the Sword
• Korea - The Black Ships of Kendo
• List of Kumdo forms and videos
• Chosun Sebup video

• Korean martial arts
• Kendo