Hwa Rang Do

Summary

Hwa Rang Do is a bare-hand combat hailing from Korea. Given the natural survival instincts and aggressive elements in the human species, the arrival of human race along delivered hand-to-hand fights. Korean combat received some direction about 5,000 years ago. The direction turned out to be the germinating seed for Hwa Rang Do, which is a martial art of combative techniques and is made more lethal with the use of weapons.

History / Origins

ETYMOLOGY

To decode the meaning of Hwa Rang Do, just take each word one at a time:

• Hwa means flower.
• Rang means man.
• Do means way.

To make it cognizable, you can say “The way of the flowering man” or ‘The way of the flowering knights.” Simplifying further, it would mean “The way for an ideal man to grow and bloom.”

BEGINNINGS

The originator of Hwa Rang Do was Joo Bang Lee. His father who was proficient in Judo, Kendo, and Boxing, introduced him to martial arts early in his life In 1942, according to Joo Bang Lee, his father took him to a monk named Suahm Dosa, who took him and his brother Joo Sang Lee under his wings to train them in martial arts, including Kuk Sool Kwan at his training school in the hills in North Korea. There they remained for 10 years before the wave of communism forced them to flee to South Korea.

Later, Joo Bang Lee’s training was taken over by Choi Yong Sul, a martial art expert with another name. Under his guidance Joo Bang Lee honed the martial arts skills of Dae Dong Ryu Yu Sool.

In 1966, Kuk Sool Kwan style caught the eye of the South Korean president, who until then was not aware of what this fighting art was. The services of Joo Bang Lee were called on to begin a new era of martial arts in Korea. Joo Bang Lee began the unification work of different martial arts of Korea with his funds that were to be reimbursed by the government later but were not. The nation was introduced to a new martial art, Hapkido, on a televised program. In spite of the show being a hit, the unification fell apart due to inner differences. Despite this, Joo Bang Lee did not give up. With the blessing of his master, Suahm Dosa, he officially registered the Korean Hwa Rang Do Association in 1966 and Hwa Rang Do was born.

PRESENT DAY

After having done his part in Korea, Joo Bang Lee moved to California. Along with him went the headquarters of Hwa Rang Do from Korea to USA. Unlike other martial arts, Hwa Rang Do Association is the owner and sole proprietor of its teachings and it is copyrighted. However, it has liberally certified accredited academies all across the globe. These academies are scattered across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Philippines, Brazil, Russia and many other European and Asia countries. Another outstanding contribution of the organization is the humanitarian work it carries out. The group indulges in fund-raising campaigns for various charitable organizations.

FOLKLORE

It is speculated that the genes of Hwa Rang Do lie in Hwaran, a Buddhist youth organization in the ancient times of the “Three Kingdoms.” It was a warrior system dedicated to churning out the best skilled fighters. The members were children and young adults from aristocratic families who voluntarily joined the system to become warriors and gentlemen. These children were taught art and academics along with martial art skills. They were introduced to the long-held secrets of combative skills, which were hidden in the form of art called “Um-Yang kwon.” These secrete techniques have been passed on for generations and Joo Bang Lee is supposed to belong to the 58th generation of whom the art has been passed on to. Joo Bang Lee let the secret out in the form of Hwa Rang Do.