During the 4th century A.D., wandering monks from China introduced Buddhism to Korea.
Some of the monks were accomplished martial artists, as indeed they had to be for their own
safety. There are reliable records of them teaching lay people martial arts.
The Silla Dynasty (A.D. 668 - 935) was a period when the martial arts expanded rapidly in Korea.
The Kingdom of Silla was one of the three Kingdoms in Korea. It occupied the
south eastern part of the Korean Peninsula. The Kingdom was notable for the military prowess of its young warrior class,
the Hwa Rang. The five basic priciples of Tang Soo Do are derived from
the principles of these elite warriors.
At the beginning of the Yi Dynasty (A.D. 1390 - 1907), the National Martial Arts Manual,
"Moo Yei Do Bo Tong Ji", was published, and the term "Soo Bahk Do" ("way of hand
fighting") became widely used. During the occupation of Korea by Japan (1907 - 1945)
the practice of native martial arts was prohibited. This prohibition forced many Korean Soo
Bahk Do Masters to emigrate, or to practice secretly.
Following the liberation of Korea in 1945, the Moo Duk Kwan
("Institute of Martial Virtue") and four other Martial Art Schools were formed.
The Moo Duk Kwan and Chi Do Kwan later
formed the Korean Soo Bahk Do Association in 1960 to develop
the study and practice of traditional Korean martial arts.
Tang Soo (Soo Bahk) Do has since spread throughout the
world. The "International Tang Soo Do Federation Moo Duk Kwan" (ITSDF) was formed in 1989 to unite and develop Tang Soo Do world-wide. The United Kingdom Tang Soo Do Federation
currently serves as its administrative and technical headquarters.
