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The Roots of Tae Kwon Do Korean martial arts are thought to have first emerged during the
Three Kingdoms Period (18BC until 668AD). Since northern Korea was
occupied by the Chinese until the collapse of the Han Dynasty in 220BC,
it's clear that there was significant Chinese influence on Korean
cultural development at that time, no doubt including the martial arts.While there are no written accounts of martial arts practices from that period, there are a number of paintings and artifacts that make it clear that martial arts training and contests were popular. The picture to the right shows a painting on the ceiling of a tomb and is one of the earliest pieces of evidence of the development of martial arts in Korea. At this time, no complete fighting system had developed and Korean martial arts consisted of a number of separate technique areas such as T'ae Kyon (kicking) and Soo Bak (punching and butting).
During the late Three Kingdoms Period, the common style of dress was loose trousers and a loose jacket tied closed with a belt tied around the waist. Military officers of the Paekche Kingdom wore different colored belts to indicate their rank. No doubt, this is where the style of modern Tae Kwon Do uniforms originates. Once Korea was unified (AD668), the Silla Kingdom became a peaceful, mainly Buddhist Kingdom. The martial arts became more of a recreational and entertainment activity rather than a military one. This situation persisted until Korea came into conflict with the Machurians early in the Koryo Dynasty (935 - 1392). Numerous wars and political changes moved the practice of martial arts back into the military mainstream again. Later in the Koryo Dynasty and throughout most of the Choson (also known as Yi) Dynasty, as more sophisticated weapons and military tactics were developed, the martial arts were considered to be crude and an unsuitable pursuit for a nobleman or military gentleman. During this time, martial arts competitions were relegated to local folk entertainment and were no longer a part of military training.Korean martial arts had continued a slow steady decline until in 1592, Korea was invaded by one hundred and fifty thousand Japanese infantry. The Korean military was no match for the Japanese and they conquered most of the country without much difficulty. Martial arts and guerrilla tactics became the only means to stop the advance of the Japanese army. Eventually, the harassed Japanese retreated to the south where regular attacks on their navy by a Korean hero, Admiral Yi, further undermined their invasion. After seven years, the Japanese gave up completely and retreated from Korea altogether.
The 17th and 18th centuries were a period of isolation and peace for Korea, but conditions that lead to the Japanese invasion in 1592 were created once again, since the Confucian government neglected the military in favor of the cultural. By 1894, Korea's internal religious and economic struggles had resulted in both a Chinese and a Japanese military presence and ultimately a war between China and Korea for the possession of Korea. The Japanese won the Sino-Japanese war in 1910 and immediately occupied Korea. All Korean martial arts were outlawed and only Japanese martial arts were allowed to be taught in martial arts schools. Some Koreans studied the Japanese martial arts, Kendo, Judo and Jiu Jitsu, while others continued to practice Korean martial arts in secret. There's no doubt that Korean martial arts were heavily influenced by the Japanese during their occupation and many styles of martial arts were forged from the combination of Korean and Japanese styles. Strange though it may seem, this was also a period of time when there was a significant Chinese influence on Korean martial arts, since some martial arts masters left Korea during the occupation and lived in China. While in China, these masters took the opportunity to study Chinese martial arts and when Korea regained its independence, some of these masters returned to Korea. The Japanese occupation of Korea came to an end at the conclusion of World War II and many different forms of martial arts emerged or were created during the next few years. Most forms of martial arts bore significant Japanese influence despite efforts to renationalize them by emphasizing or reintroducing native Korean martial arts elements. Tang Soo DoTang Soo Do was the Korean pronunciation of the Hanja characters 唐手道, which in Japanese are pronounced Karate-do. In English, the characters translate to 'The way of the Tang hand'. These Hanja characters were first used to describe the Okinawan empty-hand martial arts system, since their system was derived from Chinese martial arts skills that originated during the Tang Dynasty. Tang Soo Do was used to describe a number of martial arts styles that came into prominence after Korea regained its independence in 1945. Clearly, the Okinawan influence on the martial art was reflected in the name Tang Soo Do. Other styles of Korean martial arts to emerge after 1945 were named Tae Soo Do, Kong Soo Do, Kwon Bop and Subak Ki. In the case of Kwon Bop and Su Bak Ki, the styles they were used to describe bore little resemblance to the original Kwon Bop and Subak.
Hwang Kee and the Moo Duk Kwan
At age 21, Hwang Kee went to Manchuria to work for the railroad and while he was there, he met a Chinese martial arts master named Yang, Kuk Jin. Master Yang instructed Hwang Kee in a variety of Chinese martial arts styles. When Hwang Kee returned to Korea in 1939, he continued to practice his martial arts skills in private and, in addition to his Korean and Chinese styles, he studied Okinawan Karate. When Korea regained its independence in 1945, Hwang Kee immediately siezed the opportunity to pursue his martial arts full time and started a Tang Soo Do school in Seoul named Moo Duk Kwan. Hwang Kee was, of course, recognized as a martial arts master and was referred to as Master Hwang Kee. Master Hwang Kee's school, Moo Duk Kwan, which means 'Martial Virtue School' was one of five kwans established immediately after liberation. The others were Chong Do Kwan (Blue Wave School), Song Mu Kwan (Pine Tree School), Chang Mu Kwan (Martial Development School), and Yon Mu Kwan (Yon Martial School). In 1955, all of the kwans except for Moo Duk Kwan ceased to exist as they adopted the new term Tae Kwon Do to describe the new Korean martial art. Master Hwang Kee made it clear that his objective was to strengthen Tang Soo Do's links to Taekyon and Subak by means of the Muyadebo-tongji (the classical martial arts text written in the late 18th century). He felt that the way to make martial arts a source of national pride again was to study and incorporate as much of the traditional martial arts skills as possible rather than just change the name and arbitrarily change the techniques and curriculum to make it distinct from Karate. Kyung Won AhnKyung Won Ahn studied directly under Master Hwang Kee. Vernon FosterVernon Foster studied under Master Ahn while stationed in Seoul for the US Army. When he returned home to Mississippi, he established the first of several Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do schools in New Jersey and New York. Later, Vernon established a series of schools called Koast Karate Klub in Mississippi and Alabama. Vernon Foster became Master Vernon Foster in 1984 when he received his 5th degree black belt from Master Ahn. Master foster attained 8th degree black belt and is now retired from martial arts. John Rankin
After moving to Wisconsin, John studied Go Shin Ryu Karate under Steve Gafbatz in Wausau, Wisconsin and in 1978 received his first degree black belt. While in Wisconsin, John also established another Tang Soo Do Tae Kwon Do school called the Wisconsin Academy of Martial Arts, advanced to second degree black belt level in Go Shin Ryu and studied Iaido for two and a half years.
In 1980, John moved to Colorado and in 1981, he attained his second degree black belt in Tang So Do Tae Kwon Do under Master Chul Woo Jung in Denver. Also in 1981, John established the Mountain Academy of Martial Arts in Kittredge, Colorado. In 1982, John was awarded his third degree black belt by Master Foster and then in 1984, his fourth degree black belt in Tang So Do Tae Kwon Do. In 1985, John earned his 2nd degree black belt in Hapkido and his first degree black belt in Iaido. John was awarded 5th degree black belt (attaining the title of Master) in Tang Soo Do Tae Kwon Do by the Governing Board of the Moo Duk Kwan Association, New Orleans, LA in 1987. In 1991, Master Rankin was awarded his sixth degree black belt and in 2003, his seventh degree black belt by the Moo Duk Kwan Association. The Mountain Academy GroupIn 1981, Master John Rankin established the Mountain Academy of Martial Arts in Evergreen a short time after he moved to the area from Wisconsin. Even though it wasn't Master Rankin's objective to establish additional schools, several of his high-ranked students expressed interest in running their own schools. Tom Feagans established a new school in Idaho Springs in 1992, Master Rankin established a new school in Lakewood in 1996 and Bruce Bishop took over the operation of the original Evergreen school. Currently, the Mountain Academy group of schools consists of the following five schools:
Check out the Mountain Academy of Martial Arts' EZBoard discussion group here.
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Around 550BC in the Silla Kingdom, the Hwa Rang warrior class emerged.
These warriors were well educated and had a high moral code of conduct.
The Hwa Rang were an important component in the later unification of
Korea into the Unified Silla Kingdom (AD668 - AD935). Since Korea was
more culturally advanced than Japan at this time, it is believed that
the Hwa Rang strongly influenced the development of the Japanese Bushido
('The Way of the Warrior'), the code of ethics followed by the Japanese
warrior classes.
Although repelling the Japanese invasion revitalized the
image of martial arts in Korea once again, it wasn't enough to make up
for the prior
centuries of decline. During the following two hundred years, a number
of books were commissioned by various emperors of the Choson Dynasty to
document many martial arts systems and techniques. The first book,
Mooyae Chebo, was written in 1599 and described pole, spear, sword and
shield, long-blade sword and trident techniques. Around 1680, Mooyae
singbo was written and it contained empty-hand fighting techniques in
addition to Korean and Japanese sword techniques. In 1790, the most
important book was written, the Muyadebo-tongji. This book contained
many techniques from the previous books, but also contained details on
equipment, uniforms, and training methods. It contained details of
Taekyon techniques along with various weapon and empty-hand hyung (patterns).Not
only did the Muyadebo-tongji become the standard textbook for military
training, but it was also made available to the general public, formally
encouraging the public to engage in Korean martial arts training.
John Rankin first studied martial arts while serving in the US Navy-
Submarine Service and after his discharge he studied Tang Soo Do under Master
Foster in Gulfport, Mississippi. In 1971, John attained his first degree black
belt and he established his first Tang Soo Do Tae Kwon Do school in Pascagoule,
Mississippi. John competed regularly in full-contact sparring competitions and
won several Southeast US championships during the period 1972 to 1977. John also
studied Hapkido under Master Ye Young Kim and in 1974 John received his first
degree black belt in that discipline. Check out the
Four times a year, the schools come together for the official belt tests
where students are assessed by the senior instructors, including Master Rankin.
The schools also get together for occasional social events and tournaments where
students can compete in forms and sparring. There are approximately 150 students
between the five schools. 
