kumdo vs Gumdo

[The Rose Knight]

OMG! Master Han, Sang-Hyun was my HDGD teacher in Korea! If you ever go and see that guy tell him hi for me. My name is June Noh and I trained with him in Taejun S. Korea. HDGD btw is fun and if you're not into the contact aspects of Kumdo where you wear Hogu, it's all about what you get out of whatever you practice. Damn..small world....

I'd love to tell him, but it is unlikely that I'll get the chance anytime soon, as I live in the US. My family immigrated from Ireland in the last century and everyone has been there except me. But when I finally do get to go, I will definitely seek him out.

Daniel

[ilporko]

For those of us in Ireland (me ancestral home), here's a link.

http://www.haidong-gumdo.ie/

Its the Irish Haidong Gumdo Assosiation. Looks pretty cool, and the videos are great too!

Slainte,

Daniel

Kamsahamnida to you, mate. I'm about to quit daehan kumdo, and to start haedong kumdo (mainly because I want the style and the exercise/work-out without the focus on sparring). I wondered if there were many kumdo schools in Ireland. No point buying equipment if I'll not be using it after this year in Korea.

[June]

Kamsahamnida to you, mate. I'm about to quit daehan kumdo, and to start haedong kumdo (mainly because I want the style and the exercise/work-out without the focus on sparring). I wondered if there were many kumdo schools in Ireland. No point buying equipment if I'll not be using it after this year in Korea.

Probably not a lot of HDGD schools, but we know there's at least one. Ha! BTW, I'm exactly the opposite of you ilporko. I did HDGD got my 1st Dan, quit/came back stateside where there wasn't anyplace that taught it. After a couple of years, I got the itch and started Kumdo/Kendo and love it because of the sparring. If you're going to do HDGD, yeah no use in buying some hogu. See if you can borrow a set to see if you like sparring though if you haven't yet. Much more fun that squatting in kimha-sae or the one where your left leg is at a 90 degree angle and knee off the ground in my opinion, but it's whatever floats your boat.

I do however miss the cutting bamboo....and the soju nights to a lesser extent....

[Bruce W Sims]

Something I have long advocated is that the Korean traditions get off their backsides and begin to give some coverage to the other sword types and their use. The fact is that historically, the 2-handed sabre which has become an icon for Korean sword was only one of five sword types used in Korean and was not even the most popular type used. While I appreciate the influence of Japanese traditions, the fact is that the single-handed TO and the straight-bladed GOM were far more widely used up to the Occupation. Whatismore the WOL-TO and HYUP-TO were still trained in all through the 19th Century. To my mind, if a person is going to talk about "Korean" sword, I think its only fair that in the same breath the current practices be properly identified as only a small fraction of the Korean sword traditions. Thoughts?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[June]

I always thought that the bow & arrow and the spear/trident/polearms were the main Korean weapons?

[Shawn Dormishev]

Ilporko why would you want to quit daehan for haedong. I dont get it.

[June]

Ilporko why would you want to quit daehan for haedong. I dont get it.

I didn't want to say it, but I'm glad someone else did...I love Kendo so much moe than HDGD.

[Bruce W Sims]

I always thought that the bow & arrow and the spear/trident/polearms were the main Korean weapons?

Yes, I think thats very true from the standpoint of the battlefield. What I was referring to is specificly the use of the sword in its many forms. I just wonder why the two-handed sabre gets as much focus as it does when historically it was not as much used as the single handed swords. Thoughts?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[June]

Japanese influence in western culture probably.

[Bruce W Sims]

Thats the same answer I have come to and have wondered why the Koreans do not do more to assert their own culture rather than simply knuckling-under to the Japanese material. Without efforty on the part of the Korean nation there is a very good chance that the material will die. FWIW.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[sleepykid156]

i guess its hard for Korea to assert their culture because Japanese destroyed many historical artifacts and records and killed off alot of Martial Arts Masters

[sleepykid156]

mostly ppl know koreans for Kimchi, Tae kwon do, and what they see in the press

[Bruce W Sims]

mostly ppl know koreans for Kimchi, Tae kwon do, and what they see in the press

I also think there is a more sinister side. Most of the folks who promoted MA after WW II were tied quite closely with the Japanese and the Occupation. I was very surprised, for instance, to find out how many people who were in the Japanese administration remained in government after the war and were never charged with their collaboration. In fact, the Japanese had an officer training school in Manchuria to help train Korean men as officers for service in the Japanese army.

Now my point is not to drag up any bad feelings but to make a very clear point about the Occupation.

The Japanese were determined to absorb the Koreans into the Japanese Sphere of Influence. In many ways they succeeded with the people in positions of influence such as industry or government. However, it seems that the typical Korean, out in his field or smaller towns and villages were not "converted" as readily. So while the officials and the big towns were influenced and controlled the rural areas and small towns had considerable largesse.

Here is where I have the problem.

When it was time to reassert the Korean nation, guess who had control of how things would go. I bet plenty of culture still survived out in the smaller towns and maybe in the temples. But who had control of what would be taught? Far as I can see it was the officials and folks in the larger towns.

Now to make my point a little clearer let me ask a question. If you had a friend from another country come to the US to see "the real country" would you take him to New York? San Fransisco? Or would you take if out away from the urban area to the Plains States or maybe Wisconsin? See my point?
Thoughts?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[ToddS]

I didn't want to say it, but I'm glad someone else did...I love Kendo so much moe than HDGD.

I'm a newbie just looking to get started but I have been doing a good bit of research, watching the videos, etc. For me it is an easy call. It seems Kumdo/Kendo, no matter how ancient the roots, reflect the sport it has become with methods designed to maximize the chuckdo where as the methods of haidong gumdo are geared to the actual sword. I realize prior to first dan I'll only be allowed a mok-gum but even here the feel is more akin to the blade. And while I enjoy a good sparring session, there is something about the flow and presentention of kata/poomse and bamboo cutting that is simply artistry.

[Daniel Sullivan]

Welcome aboard Todd!

The sport element of kendo/kumdo varies from school to school There are kata in kendo and hyung in most kumdo schools, as well as boken/mok-gum techniques, and sometimes, even a bit of iai.

Nothing wrong with Haidong Gumdo, so keep us posted as to how it is going.

Daniel