ANCESTRAL ARTS THAT HELPED SHAPE TANG SOO DO EMERGE

SILLA KINGDON FOUNDED IN SOUTHEAST KOREAN PENINSULA

(one of three seperate kingdoms of Korea)

KOGURYO KINGDON FOUNDED IN NORTH KOREA

(one of three seperate kingdoms of Korea)

PAEKCHE KINGDON FOUNDED IN SOUTHWESTERN KOREA

(one of three seperate kingdoms of Korea)

5 CODES OF TANG SOO DO DRAFTED BY THE MONK WON KWANG

(Not to be confused with the 5 Pillars of Moo Do)

SILLA, KOGURYO & PAEKCHE KINGDOMS ALL UNITED UNDER SILLA DYNASTY. INSTRUMENTAL IN THE UNIFICATION WAS THE "HWA RANG DAN", A GROUP OF YOUNG ARISTOCRATS WHO FURNISHED MANY OF THE EARLY LEADERS OF THE TIME

UNIFIED SILLA KINGDOM OVER THROWN BY WARLORD WANG KUN. KORYO KINGDOM BEGINS

KORYO KINGDOM SUCCEEDED BY YI DYNASTY

MOO YEI DO BO TONG JI - THE MOST IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION OF KOREAN MARTIAL ARTS IS WRITTEN

JAPANESE OCCUPATION OF KOREA DURING WHICH TIME PRACTICING AND TEACHING MARTIAL ARTS IS RESTRICTED

ORIGINAL FIVE KEY STYLES IN KOREAN MARTIAL ARTS AFTER WWII WHICH HAVE BEEN A MAJOR INFLUENCE ON CONTEMPORARY KOREAN MARTIAL ARTS:

• SCHOOL MOO DUK KWAN FOUNDER HWANG KEE LOCATION SEOUL

• SCHOOL YEON MOO KWAN FOUNDER CHUN, SANG SUP (STYLE LATER CHANGED TO JI DO KWAN) LOCATION SEOUL

• SCHOOL YMCA KWON BOP BU FOUNDER YUN, BYONG IN (STYLE LATER CHANGED TO CHANG MOO KWAN) LOCATION SEOUL

• SCHOOL CHUNG DUK KWAN FOUNDER LEE, WON KUK LOCATION SEOUL

• SCHOOL SONG MOO KWAN FOUNDER NO, BYONG JIK LOCATION GAE SONG

THE NAME “TANG SOO DO” IS COINED BY WON KUK, LEE (FOUNDER OF CHUNG DO KWAN) WHO STUDIED KARATE DO “CHINESE HAND WAY.” WON KUK, LEE REPLACED “KARATE DO” WITH “TANG SOO DO” AND STARTED THE TANG SOO DO CHUNG DO KWAN SCHOOL IN SEOUL, KOREA

MASTER HWANG KEE FOUNDS THE MOO DUK KWAN ORIGINALLY CALLING HIS ART “HWA SOO DO” (WAY OR ART OF THE FLOWER HAND)

AFTER HAVING MET WON KUK, LEE - HWANG KEE REEVALUATED THE FUTURE OF THE MOO DUK KWAN AND DECIDED TO INTEGRATE THE ART OF TANG SOO DO INTO HIS HWA SOO DO DISCIPLINE AS HIS SCHOOL WAS NOT GROWING DUE TO A LACK OF FAMILIARITY AMONG KOREAN YOUTH WITH KOREAN MARTIAL ARTS AS A RESULT OF THIRTY-SIX YEARS OF JAPANESE OCCUPATION.

HWANG KEE DISCOVERS THE MOO YEI DO BO TONG JI AND FROM IT REALIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF “SOO BAHK” AS A TRADITIONAL KOREAN MARTIAL ART. ON JUNE 30, 1960 HWANG KEE REGISTERS AND INCORPORATES WITH THE KOREAN GOVERNMENT UNDER THE NAME “KOREAN SOO BAHK DO ASSOCIATION INC.” USING “SOO BAHK DO” TO DESCRIBE THE ART WHILE CONTINUING TO USE “TANG SOO DO” AS IT WAS WIDELY ACCEPTED AND VERY POPULAR AT THE TIME.

KOREAN TAE SOO DO ASSOCIATION WAS FORMED AND WENT UNDER THE NAME OF THE “KOREAN ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION, INC.” THE FOLLOWING YEAR (1965) THE KOREAN TAE SOO DO ASSOCIATION CHANGED THEIR NAME TO THE “KOREAN TAE KWON DO ASSOCIATION.” THE KOREAN SOO BAHK DO ASSOCIATION, MOO DUK KWAN DID NOT TAKE PART IN UNIFICATION UNDER THE TAE KWON DO NAME.

ATLANTIC-PACIFIC TANG SOO DO FEDERATION IS FOUNDED IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA USA

JOHN ST. JAMES
PRESIDENT & FOUNDING MASTER

THUNDERBIRD MARTIAL ARTS IS FOUNDED IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO USA

THOMAS J. WITTERHOLT - RETIRED
FOUNDING MASTER

THUNDERBIRD MARTIAL ARTS REORGANIZED AS RISING PHOENIX TANG SOO DO - ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO USA

DR. PETER M. ESTRADA
FOUNDING MASTER