The Martial Arts Explorer/Martial Arts Explorer, The (1995)(Future Vision)[Mac-PC].iso/mac/MAE/GLOSSARY.DIR/00451_Field_HWARANG.txt

Text File | 1995-01-22 | 2KB | 42 lines

HWARANG: A group of Korean nobles
from the kingdom of SILLA, sent by Queen
Songduk to CHINA in the sixth century
A.D. There they absorbed a combination of
Confucianist loyalty to the monarch,
Buddhist control of  both mind and
body, and various Chinese fighting
techniques, including archery,
horsemanship, and unarmed combat. By
the early seventh century the principles of
their philosophy, also called hwarang, was
studied by all Korean nobles. A Buddhist priest
named Wong Wang later developed a
moral code for the hwarang fighters and
transformed the science into a DO, or way
of life. In many ways, HWARANG-DO
resembled BUSHIDO of JAPAN; members
of the hwarang corps are often compared
with the SAMURAI. Just as the SAMURAI
developed JUJUTSU as a form of unarmed
combat, the hwarang developed their own
open-handed fighting style called
kwonpup. For many years the hwarang
nobles formed a dreaded army of
remarkable prowess and legendary exploits.
By the late eighth century, however, the
hwarang became overly confident in their
martial abilities. Many abandoned the strict
code of HWARANG-DO for a life of
luxury. In turn, the Kingdom in SILLA
itself was weakened, and in 935 A.D. it was
overrun by the KORYO DYNASTY. Under
the succeeding Koryo Dynasty of KOREA,
HWARANG-DO was studied by all men in
KOREA, regardless of rank. For a time,
kwonpup was a compulsory subject in
KOREA for all males over the age of six. A
modified form of HWARANG-DO is also
practiced today, both in KOREA and in
North America. (See also Korea article).