Account and photos of Korea/Japan trip by The Hando Group (Plus some good links)

August 11th to 21st 2002
 
 
From memories and notes of Dr. Dennis Chua, Master Steve Kincade and Master Bob Banham 
and the photographs of Master David Carr and Instructor Nikki Banham.
(Chilsong does not guarantee the accuracy of information on sites linked to from these pages)
If some pictures don't load, right click - show picture.
 
 
Day 1 (Monday August 12th)
 
We had met Master van Boxtel at Schipol airport but they were flying with a different airline so we left them to make our separate ways to Korea. We arrived in Seoul first and waited at the airport for Dr. Chua from Singapore and Master van Boxtel and his party from Netherlands. We were met at the airport by Mr. David Kimm, Dojunim’s youngest son, and escorted to our hotel. The American party was arriving at around 11pm so, after a beer and a chat with Dr. Chua and the Dutch, we went to bed.

 

Having a Laugh (At a temple in Korea)

Left to right: Zollie Gudrie, Dan Allebach (with back to camera), Donald Kimm, Bob Banham, Dr. Kimm, Ken Mackenzie.

 

 
Day 2 (Tuesday August 13th)
 
Meeting old friends from America at breakfast – Dojunim and Mrs. Kimm, Master Steve Kincade and his wife Jan, Chiefmaster Serio and Master Penny Serio, Chiefmaster Donald Kimm, Master David Carr, Master Instructor Tim Wickersham plus Master Ken McKenzie and Master John Godwin, Blackbelts with Grandmaster Ji Han Jae and many people we didn’t know.
Visit to Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, to practice Koong Sul Korean Traditional Archery.
 
       
Hwaseong Fortress
 
Dr. Dennis Chua from Singapore asks, “Why archery, one may ask , in modern days. Archery is a part of Hanmudo syllabus. To hold a bow and aim the arrow gives a sense of spiritual martial feeling, to focus your mind on nothing but the objective. i.e. a Zen state. Unlike a machine like a gun, a bow and arrow is made of things from nature. When you aim the bow, you and the bow are part of nature. There is no machinery to help you, but your Ki and the bow. As you breathe into your Tanjeon, and extend the bow, your martial spirit is lifted, and you understand the mind of warriors of old. As you hold your Ki in your Tanjeon, and focus your aim, you are oblivious of things around you except your target. When the arrow flies, your spirit projects with the arrow towards your goal. Indeed a spiritual experience”.
 
 
The group practicing Koong Sul
 
Grandmaster Kang Shin-Chul, a famous WTF taekwondo master and President of the Korea Taekwondo Masters Association, and his students were with us doing archery. Grandmaster Kang was the head coach of the Iranian team for 10 years. You can see the results of his coaching in the World Championships where Iran is always in the top placings.
Grandmaster Kang wore a traditional Korean outfit and never wears modern clothes. After practice, we walked around the castle to hear warrior stories from our archery masters of Hwaseong Castle.
 
 
Grandmaster Kang poses with the group 
 
We then walked about a mile to Grandmaster Kang's dojang. Grandmaster Kang's dojang was quite small, but is filled with valuable info on TKD. His student's trophies abound in the cupboards in the dojang.
He explained to us the reasons for the formation of the Korea Masters Society. This is an elite organisation and is by invitation only. Korean masters want to look beyond sport TKD, and are redeveloping TKD into a more in-depth martial art  with strength in philosophy, technique, precision  and practicality
We had an exchange of demonstrations and techniques between students and masters, including forms and destruction. The students we saw were of a very high standard and the forms they had developed were very beautiful to watch.
 
 
At Grandmaster Kang's dojang

 

hat afternoon we visited Grandmaster Kim Jae Il. Grandmaster Kim  is 9th Dan in Kendo and Kumdo.
He tells us how Japanese Kendo developed from Korean Kumdo. He emphasises the difference in execution between Japanese and Korean. The Japanese sword is used quickly (“one strike one kill”). The Korean sword’s movement is controlled to give offence at the same time as defence. Korean swordplay developed during the Chosun period and is influenced greatly by the Chinese Warrior King Ching Woo. It has both slashing and circular movements.
We were also shown a farm implement weapon demo by a Korean Chinese from Manchuria.
 
 
 Farm implement demo
 
Also the sword form of Chosun Sae Bup. Grandmaster Kim Jae Il taught us the movements as well as the application.

 

 
Day 3 (Wednesday August 14th)
 
This morning we went to the outskirts of Seoul in the padifields to learn sword cutting from Master Moon Koo Ju.
He did a fantastic demo on cutting with both long and short swords. He also demonstrated jump kicks with cutting as used in actual combat.
 
 
 Master Moon demonstrates sword cutting
 
We were given safety instructions in the correct handling of and lessons in the use of a live blade. After that we had cutting practice on plastic bamboo.
Dr. Chua says “I realised there is so much difference in actual cutting and just swordplay. The result of incorrect handling and positioning of body weight prevent the blade from going through the bamboo”.
We were then shown the different types of swords. There were 2 gold swords, each valued at US$80,000. Master Moon himself has a business fabricating and selling Korean swords. He said he practices 4 hours every day.
 
We practice sword cutting!
 
 
In the afternoon we went to watch and to train with the Korean National Ssireum team.  The Koreans were HUGE. All over 6 feet tall with the National Champion about 7 foot 3! In Ssireum , whosever’s elbow or knee touches the ground first loses. There are only 2 weight categories 220 pounds below and above! They were a great bunch and everyone had a lot of fun being thrown into the sand! According to their etiquette, the winner  will help the loser up, and take a towel to wipe the sand off.
The National Museum of Korea is featuring Ssireum as it's Cultural Asset of the Month (Dec 02).
They say, "The traditional wrestling, "Ssireum," which competes one's physical strength and tactics by grabbing the opponent's waist-leg belt and trying to collapse the opponent to the ground. The existence and popularity of Ssireum from the Three Kingdom period, were represented by the both mural paintings of the Wrestling Tomb (Gakjeo-chong) of Goguryo kingdom and Genre paintings of Joseon dynasty.
The Ssireum matches used to be held everywhere, on the anniversary like the Dan-Oh day in May or Thanksgiving (Chuseok) day in August, or especially during the agricultural off-season. The winner of Ssireum was called, "The Stage-closer," because the matches were continued until no fighter can compete with a champion.
The folk matches like the Ssireum, were commonly practiced in China, Japan, Mongolia and other nations."

Karen Gambill (around 4ft 6ish)
and the
Korean National Ssireum Champion

The Boys practicing

 

 

 
Day 4 (Thursday August 15th)
 
Today is sightseeing in Seoul. Some people have gone to Master Kang's Taekwondo tournament but a lot of us end up at Gyeongbokgung Palace.
 
 
 
               
 
Gyeongbokgung Palace
 

 

 
Day 5 (Friday August 16th)
 
This morning we visited Independence Hall. This museum holds the historical records of Korea's fight for independence. 
As the brochure says, “Independence Hall collects, studies and exhibits historic artifacts and materials related to the Korean national resistance to aggression, the fight for independence, the search for a national identity and the record of development and progress. It is intended to awaken the Korean National consciousness and promote patriotism”.
 
 
Independence Hall 
 
Dr. Chua writes,
“Dojunim is so well versed in the history that we were glued to him as we walked through the different ages of Korean history. From the Koreans tribulation, we understand why the Koreans have such strong martial spirit. From ancient days, China tried many times to conquer Korea but were driven out. Japan also did the same, but Japan succeeded  and annexed Korea .The Koreans suffered tremendously. There is a plaque that states " We forgive but not forget".
Dr. Kimm mentioned this World Cup showed a new generation of Japanese supporting Korea in the finals”.
Maybe things are changing.
Tonight we are going to stay with the monks of Gol Gul Sa temple in Kyung Ju. We are told we will stay the night and get up at 4 am. to meditate and practice Sunmudo with them!
 
       
Gol Gul Sa Temple

 

 
Day 6 (Saturday August 17th)
 
After a very early meditation session, we had breakfast prepared by the monks. We were told that we must eat everything we took and this in itself turned out to be an exercise in indomitable spirit! The "diced potato" we all took large helpings of, turned out to be very hot pickled Korean radish! I managed to down the seven pieces I had taken, but I'm afraid that a lot of that taken by other members of the group ended up in the woods upon leaving the dining hall!
 
Eating the dreaded radish
 
 
                               
Exercise with the monks
 
When we leave the temple, we visit the ocean gravesite of King Mun Mu Hwang then to KaMeunSa temple where the king’s spirit in the form of a dragon, appears each day. Then on to KiRimSa, Master Seol Jeokun’s former temple that he rebuilt in 1983 and Sok Gul Am temple with caves of Buddha. The ITF pattern, Mun Mu, honours the thirtieth king of the Silla Dynasty. His body was buried near Dae Wang Am (Great King's Rock). According to his will, the body was placed in the sea "Where my soul shall forever defend my land against the Japanese". It is said that the Sok Gul Am (Stone Cave) was built to guard his tomb. The Sok Gul Am is a fine example of the culture of the Silla Dynasty. The 61 movements in this pattern symbolize the last two figures of 661 A.D. when Mun Mu came to the throne. We then drove back to Kyeung Ju and saw burial mounds and the world’s oldest observatory. Back to Seoul where the Master Instructors met to discuss future progress. They each  received souvenir tea cups.

       

                                    Us and the monks                                                    Master Seol & Nikki

                     

               

Treasures of the temple

 

 
Day 7 (Sunday August 18th)
 
The Grandmasters
 
Today we attend the 2002 Korean Invitational World Martial Arts Championships. There were around forty Masters and Grandmasters in attendance, including Grandmaster Ji Han Jae, some dressed in traditional clothes. They all sat on the stage and watched the demonstrations from all the different martial arts present.
Dojunim and Chiefmaster Serio gave a demo (Dojunim was the only Grandmaster who did) and so did Sosunbinim Nikki Banham. She says she was extremely nervous but she had a good partner in Zollie Guidry from Baton Rouge. 
Not content to be the only non-Korean to demonstrate to forty Grandmasters in the home of Korean martial arts, Nikki also decided to enter the championships. She came away with a gold medal for sparring, a silver for forms and a cup for overall best performance by a female competitor! 

                   

The World Champion!

 

 
Day 8 (Monday August 19th)
 
Today we fly to Tokyo. We have to leave on an earlier flight so we will wait for the others at Narita airport. The Dutch party couldn't get flights at all so we say 'Goodbye' to them in Seoul.
Tokyo is one big traffic jam but the buildings are remarkable. It's also nice to eat non-Korean food. Bulgogi and kimchi are very nice but so is Japanese.
 

 

 
Day 9 (Tuesday August 20th)

Today we are going to join the ITF Taekwondo class of Master Pak Chong Hyon and give a seminar to his Hanmudo students. We work out hard and then see a demonstration by the Taekwondo blackbelts.

               

Then, in the afternoon, we drive across Tokyo to visit Master Hatsuo Royama, Kyukoshinkai Master. Kyukoshinkai was my first martial art so I am quite excited.

       

We had to fly back to Seoul that night, to catch our return flight. It was a good trip!