Protecting and Preserving the Traditional Korean Martial Art of Dangsoodo
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Great Grandmaster Hwang Kee
Hwang Kee (Hangul: 황기; Hwang Gi; November 9, 1914 – July 14, 2002) was one of the most important figures in the Korean martial art of Tang (Dang) Soo Do. He was the founder of Soo Bahk Do and the school of Tang (Dang) Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan.
Hwang Kee was born on November 9, 1914 in Jang Dan, Kyong Ki province of Korea, while it was under Japanese occupation. His father was a scholar and teacher, thus Kee was one of the few young men in the province to complete high school in 1935. He first studied martial arts, Soo Bahk and Tae Kyun while in school. Following graduation, he went to work for the Manchurian Railroad, where he claimed to have learned the martial art of Kuk Sool under Chinese Master Ynag Kuk Jin, although some of his peers doubt this assertion. Master Won Kyuk Lee of the Chung Do Kwan, claimed that Kee was a student at his kwan, gaining the equivalent of a green belt. Kee disputed Lee's claim, and acknowledged only Yang Kuk Jin as his teacher. Hwang returned to Korea from China in 1937, he wanted to continue his martial education, but the Japanese occupation limited his options. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, while working for the Cho Sun Rail Way Bureau, he began to study Okinawan Karate by reading books available at the local library.
In 1945, grandmaster Hwang Kee formed his first school. Initially he titled his first school Hwa Soo Do ("Flowering Hand Way") Moo Duk Kwan, and his first two attempts at running a school were unsuccessful. In the early 1950s, he changed the name of his school to Tang (Dang) Soo Moo Duk Kwan because Dang Soo (a direct Korean translation of Chinese and Okinawan/Japanese "Tote/Karate") was more familiar to Koreans from their exposure to Japanese martial arts. Much of the philosophy and many of the original forms (hyung) and techniques were direct expressions of the Okinawan Tote and Japanese Karate.
In 1957, Kee claimed to have made several major discoveries in his reading the four hundred-page woodblock print Muye Dobo Tongji. The Muye Dobo Tongji was a book commissioned in 1790 by King Jeongjo of Korea, which illustrated indigenous Korean martial arts. Hwang Kee incorporated these teachings into his Tang (Dang) Soo Do discipline. By 1953 and onward until 1960, the Moo Duk Kwan had risen to become biggest Moo Do organization in Korea, with close to 75% of all martial artists in Korea practicing Tang (Dang) Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan.
TIMES OF IMPORTANCE
November 9, 1914 - Hwang Kee is Born
1910 to 1945 - The Japanese Occupation of Korea
1936 - Hwang Kee Worked on the railroad in Manchuria, he was introduced to a Chinese master, Master Yang.
November 9, 1945 - Hwang Kee started teaching Hwa Soo Do
1947 - Changed the name to Tang Soo Do
1950 - Korean War halted the development of Tang Soo Do
1953 - Hwang Kee returned to Seoul after the war.
1955 - He opened his first Dojang. Utilizing the term "Moo Duk Kwan" with the help of Kim Yong Duk and Choi Hee Suk.
1957 - Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan was first introduced to U.S. Servicemen.
1957 - Research began on the "Moo Yeh Do Bo Tong Ji", leading to documented techniques known as Soo Bahk.
1960 - Hwang Kee changed the name to Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan, even though his art was already being taught around the world as Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan.
1961 - The Korean Government began it's martial arts revolution
1964 - The Korean Tae Soo Do Association was formed, which became the Korean Tae Kwon Do Association in 1965.
1965 - The Korean Government attempted to unify all of the existing schools under the Tae Kwon Do Banner, Hwang Kee refused and won 2 legal battles allowing him to run the Moo Duk Kwan without interference.
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