The Taekwon-Do Patterns
There are 24 patterns in Taekwondo, ranging from 19 move patterns to
72 move patterns. The initial patterns are very symmetrical & most
combinations or movements are repeated with both sides of the body, in
opposite directions. These first few patterns are reasonably basic &
introduce the novice student to the most common stances, blocking
techniques, strikes & kicks. The Tul
(sometimes known as Hyung) gradually increase in complexity
providing the student with a comprehensive tool to help develop his or
her martial skills. These obviously include the overall improvement of
those individual techniques that are contained within the patterns,
but perhaps not so obvious, the patterns also help to improve the
students balance, co-ordination, fine motor control of the body’s
muscles, concentration, control of the breath & control of the
movement of the body.
The Reason for 24 Patterns
The TKD patterns were created over a period of years by
Grandmaster Choi Hong Hi, who attached
his personal philosophy to the total number of patterns that were to
be the core of TKD.
(nb: It would be correct to give credit to Nam
Tae Hi, who assisted GM Choi to set up the
Oh-Do Kwan & the
Chung-Do Kwan in 1954 where TKD was developed. The
fore-mentioned Kwan’s were the military & the civilian martial art
schools).
General Choi designated that the 24 patterns were to represent this
philosophy:
"Here I leave Taekwondo for mankind as a
trace of man of the late 20th century. The 24 patterns represent 24
hours, one day, or all my life".
What the General is trying to convey with this message is that
compared to the life of the Earth or the Universe, mankind has existed
for a very short space of time. Here, Choi represents his own
existence lasting just one day, or 24 hours, compared the life of time
itself. The first part of the message is Choi’s legacy to the world &
to mankind. TKD was developed & has been promoted around the world to
leave this legacy for the good of future generations.
The Interpretation of the Patterns
The name of the pattern, the number of movements, and the diagrammatic
symbol of each pattern symbolizes either; important or heroic figures
or instances relating to historical events that shaped the course of
Korean history. The reason why the patterns were given
specific meanings was to inspire the students of TKD when performing
the patterns or when training & even in their daily lives. A great
many of the patterns are named after people who lived by high morals,
devoted their lives to the greater good, made sacrifices for their
beliefs or achieved greatness through courage.
Click on the Pattern names below for
step-by-step instructions on how to perform the individual patterns.
[Click here for the pattern diagrams]
CHON- JI
19 moves
Literally means "Heaven &
Earth". In the Orient it is interpreted as the creation of the world
or the beginning of human history. Therefore, it is the initial
pattern performed by the beginner. This pattern consists of two
similar parts; one to represent the Heaven and the other the Earth.
The word Chon in Korean means Heaven & the word Ji means
Earth, combined this can be interpreted as meaning creation
(the creation of the universe & beginning of life). This theory can be
largely attributed to the Chinese classic, the I Ching –the
“book of changes”. This text explained the processes of growth &
change in the natural world. The fundamental philosophy of this
ancient text is the need to retain balance & harmony within all
aspects of life. This is known as the Um-Yang relationship (or
Yin-Yang in Chinese).
The symbol of two interlocking “commas” is the Neo-Confucian symbol
called the t’aeguk & this symbol can be found on the Korean
national flag, the T’aeguk-ki . The flag also has further
symbolism attached to it in the trigrams (the different 3 bar symbols)
surrounding the Um-Yang roundel. These also originate from the I Ching.
DAN
GUN
21 moves
Dan Gun is named after the
holy Dan-Gun, the legendary founder of Korea in the year 2,333 B.C.
It is said that in the time of the mythical Chinese Emperor Yao, the
supreme deity Hwanin allowed his son, Hwanung, to descend to Earth.
This he did at T’aebaek-San (near modern day Pyong-Yang). The legend
has it that he overheard a bear & a tiger talking “would that we might
become men”. He promised to turn the creature who could complete the
challenge that he would set, into a human. The task was to live in a
cave for 21 days & to eat only garlic. The tiger, due to its
fierceness, could not complete the challenge, but the bear, with
greater patience & faith, was able to finish Hwanung’s test. He kept
his promise & turned the bear into a beautiful woman, Ungnyo. The two
were to have a child, this child was called Dan Gun (this name means
“mountain birch ruler” to represent his birth underneath a Pak-Tal
tree). Dan Gun eventually founded the Korean nation & led his people
to reside on Mount Paekdu.
In what
is now North Korea on the Chinese border, Korea’s highest mountain,
Paekdu-San (White Headed Mountain) exists. This is an ancient volcano
& at its peak a crater lake exists, named Lake Chon.
DO
SAN
24 moves
Do San is the pseudonym of
the patriot Ahn Chang-Ho (1876-1938), who devoted his entire life to
furthering the education of the Korean people and promoting its
independence movement.
Ahn Chang-Ho became a prominent member of the Independence Club,
an organisation established by reformists fired by feelings of
nationalism & a desire for social change. In 1899 he founded a school
in his hometown of Kangso, before leaving for America. There he
rallied Korean ex-patriots before returning to his homeland & taking
part in the forming of the secret nationalist society, Sinminhoe,
in 1907, with the purpose of promoting the patriotic
education of the people.
Once again he left Korea travelling in Russia, China, Europe & America
to again rally overseas Koreans.
After the 1st March independence demonstrations of 1919 he
joined the Government-in-Exile in Shanghai, but soon left due to the
political squabbling of it’s leaders. In 1926 he was arrested by the
Japanese, when caught with Manchurian freedom fighters. He was
released early due to ill health but was again arrested in 1937, he
died a year later.
WON
HYO
28 moves
Won Hyo was the noted monk
who successfully endeavoured to bring Buddhism to the peoples of the
Silla Dynasty before his death in the year of 686 A.D.
Won Hyo (617 to 686) is the best-known name in Korean Buddhism. At the
age of 28 he became a monk & spent many years trying to unify the
various schools of Buddhism that existed at that time. Later in life
he spent his time teaching, declaring that Buddhism & achieving
enlightenment was for all classes of people & not just for monks.
Won Hyo was invited to the royal court of King Muyol where he met &
fell in love with a widowed Silla princess & they had a son called Sol
Chong, who became a trusted royal advisor.
One story about Won Hyo recalls how, on a trip to China to study, he
found a cave to sleep in over night. In the cave he found a cup which
he used to drink from. In the morning he saw that the cup was in fact
a human skull & realising that the revulsion that he felt was purely a
matter of mind, he saw that he had no reason to travel to China &
returned home.
His writings were highly regarded in both China & Japan.
YUL GOK
38 moves
This is the pseudonym of the great philosopher and scholar Yi l
(1536-1584) who was nicknamed “The Confucius of Korea". The 38
movements of this pattern refer to his birthplace on the 38°
latitude and the diagram represents the Chinese symbol for
"scholar".
As a philosopher Yi I is regarded second
only to Toi Gye. He was an original political thinker & educator. His
brush name (Yul Gok) means “chestnut valley”. His mother was a
very educated woman & a skilled painter & poet. After his mother died
he went into the Diamond Mountains with thoughts of becoming a
Buddhist. In 1556 he returned home & moved to Seoul, there he rejected
his Buddhist teachings & took up Neo-Confucian philosophy, partly
because it embraced political & social activity. Four years later at
the age of 22, he stayed with Toi Gye for a short period at his
retreat in Tosan.
He then entered into the government
service & rose steadily up the ranks. In the last 4 years of his life
he held the highest posts in the land. He proposed new policies in
taxation, education & defence of the realm. He advised on maintaining
a standing army of 100.000 men but his advice was not heeded & 10
years later the Japanese invaded & faced virtually no opposition (the
1592 Imjin Wars).
32 moves
This pattern is named after the patriot Ahn Joong Gun who assassinated
Hiro-Bumi Ito, the first Japanese governor-general of Korea, known as
the man who played the leading part in the Korea-Japan merger. There
are 32 movements in this pattern to represent Mr. Ahn's age when he
was executed in the Lui-Shung prison in 1910.
Ahn Joong Gun was trained from an early
age in Chinese, horsemanship & archery. After the protectorate
treaty was signed in 1905 (giving the Japanese almost ultimate
control over the Korean government & people) Joong Gun fled Korea in
disgust. Based in Vladivostok he set up a volunteer army & fought his
way back into Korea with sporadic guerrilla raids. On 26 October 1909,
disguised as a Japanese, he made his way to the platform of the Harbin
railway station where he shot & killed the Japanese Resident-General
of Korea, Prince Hiro-Bumi Ito. He was immediately arrested & was
imprisoned & tortured at the Lui-Shung (Port Arthur) prison. During
his imprisonment Joong Gun left his indelible mark on the wall of his
prison cell with a single line of calligraphy (written in his own
blood, after cutting off a finger) that showed his love for his
country. It simply said; “The best rivers and mountains”.
37 moves
Toi Gye is the pen name of the noted scholar Yi Hwang (16th century),
an authority on Neo-Confucianism. The 37 movements of the pattern
refer to his birthplace on the 37°
latitude & the diagram represents the Chinese symbol for
"scholar".
Born in 1501, Yi Hwang was Korea’s
greatest philosopher, renowned as a genial, modest & amiable man. At
the age of 34 he had passed the exams to enable him to hold a position
in the civil service. This was held in high esteem, as this was not
usually completed until a person was much older. He held 29 official
posts in government. In 1549 he retired from public service,
justifying his brush name Toi Gye which meant “returning to the
valley”. In 1558 he wrote a short work titled Chasonhuak. This
became very influential with Japanese intellectuals after its
introduction to Japan in the 17th century. Even after 200
years later (19th C.) his work was still very popular
amongst the Japanese & his influence can still be felt today in modern
Korea, China & Japan.
29 moves
This pattern is named after the Hwa Rang youth group, which originated
in the Silla Dynasty in the early 7th century. The 29 movements refer
to the 29th Infantry Division, commanded by General Choi in 1953 where
Taekwondo was developed into maturity.
The 29th Infantry Division of
the Republic Of Korea (ROK) Army was created in 1953 by Major General
Choi under orders by the ROK Army Commander-in-Chief. This was to be
based on Cheju island in the town of Mosulp’o. The division was
nicknamed the “Ick” division or the “fist division”. The division
emblem was of a clenched fist superimposed over the background of the
Korean peninsular. This symbolized the smashing of the 38th
parallel, therefore reuniting the North & South; unifying Korea after
the division of the country. General Choi set out & put in place
Officers & NCOs who were teachers of the martial arts who then
instructed the soldiers in unarmed combat (initially Tang Soo Do,
later Taekwon-Do) as well as their normal military training. Very
quickly the unit became renowned for its prowess.
The Oh-Do Kwan was founded here. The name
derives from a statement by Confucius “Oh-Do-Il-Kwan-Zi”; My principle
is to master one thing.
[click
here for more info on the Hwarang]
30 moves
This was the name given to the great Admiral, Yi Sun-Sin of the Yi
Dynasty. He was reputed to have invented the first armoured battleship
(the Kobukson) in 1592,
This pattern ends with a left handed attack to symbolize his
regrettable death, having not had the chance to demonstrate his
unrestrained potential, which was checked by his forced reservation of
loyalty to the king.
In 1591 Yi Sun Sin, a high-ranking
military official was promoted to Left Admiral of the Korean fleet.
Realising that the likelihood of war with Japan was inevitable & that
the key to the successful defence of Korea was the mastery of the
southern seas, he set about building up his fleet & training his men.
The following year he developed the armoured battleship, the Kobukson;
the legendary “turtle ships”.
The Kobukson was about 30 metres long,
carried up to 160 men & had a concave roof to protect the soldiers &
oarsmen. This was covered by layers of iron plate, to provide
protection against arrows & gunshot. Cannon was arranged to give
all-round offensive ability, iron spikes covered the ship to prevent
boarders & a dragon’s head was installed at the front of the ship.
This was to blow out plumes of smoke; this provided cover & to instil
fear into their opponents.
Quickly establishing mastery of the seas
& contributing greatly to the failure of the Japanese invasion in
1592, Yi Sun Sin became an enemy of jealous rival, Won Kyun, the Right
Admiral of the fleet. When Yi Sun Sin was made Commander-in-Chief, Won
Kyun seized the opportunity to accuse Yi of not acting upon an order
that came from above. Yi was summoned to the Royal Court, put on trial
& was condemned to death. An influential member of the court managed
to overturn this decision but the Admiral was reduced to the rank of a
common foot soldier.
In 1597 the 2nd invasion
occurred & Won Kyun lost the Korean fleet & was captured & beheaded by
the Japanese. Yi Sun Sin was reinstated as Admiral & once again
succeeded in destroying the fleet that was re-supplying the Japanese
troops, with a small fleet of turtle ships. In 1598 at the age of 53,
Admiral Yi was killed in battle. His dying words were said to be: “Do
not let the rest know that I am dead, for it will spoil the fight”. It
was largely due to the successes of Admiral Yi that the Imjin wars
ended in 1598 & the Japanese returned home, their commander, Toyotomi
Hideyoshi, dead.
The name, Choong Moo, was given as a
posthumous, honorific, title. It means “Faithful Warrior”.
KWANG GAE
39 moves
This pattern is named after
the famous Kwang Gae T’o Wang, the 19th King of the Koguryo Dynasty,
who regained all the “lost territories” & included the greater part of
Manchuria. The diagram represents the expansion and recovery of lost
territory. The 39 movements refer to the first two figures of 391 A.
D., the year he ascended the throne.
Kwang Gae was the posthumous title of King Tamdok, meaning “Broad
enlarger of territory”. He was born in the year 375, ascended the
throne in 391 & reigned until his death in 413 AD. (The word Wang
means “King” & T’o, the abbreviation for T’aejo, was a
“reign title” which was sometimes used by Korean & Chinese kings).
During his reign, Kwang Gae extended the Koguryo kingdom to cover two
thirds of the peninsular & most of Manchuria, as far as the Sungari
River. On ascending the throne at the age of 19, Kwang Gae occupied
the Liaodong Province of China (now the modern day Jilin area). During
his reign he also increased the territory of Koguryo by taking land
from Paekche in the Han basin area.
His son erected a 24-foot high column next to his tomb carved with
18000 Chinese characters, the year following his death, which recorded
his exploits. According to this record, Kwang Gae conquered 64 Castles
& over 1400 villages.
36 moves
Po Eun is the pseudonym of the loyal subject, Chong Mong-Chu (14th
Century) who was a famous poet and whose poem "I would not serve a
second master though I might be crucified a hundred times" is taught
to every Korean. He was also a pioneer in the field of physics. The
diagram represents his unerring loyalty to the king and country
towards the end of the Koryo Dynasty.
Chong Mong-Chu (1337-1392) was also
employed by the royal court to carry out many diplomatic missions.
These included building relationships with the newly founded Ming
Dynasty in China. He also travelled to Japan to negotiate the
release of Korean prisoners taken by Japanese pirates.
He admired Yi Song Gae but eventually
declared his loyalty to the Koryo royal house. For this reason he was
assassinated by agents of the Yi household at Songjuk-kyo (“Good
Morning Bridge”) in Kaesong in 1392.
During the early part of the 16th
century Po-Eun was admitted to the national shrine & is known as one
of the country’s greatest loyalists. The brush-name of Chong Mong Chu
means “Recluse of the vegetable plot”.
The poem credited to Po-Eun reads;
Even if, I may die, die a hundred
times, Even if my skeleton may become dust and dirt,
And whether my spirit may be there or not, My single-hearted loyalty
to the lord will not change.
44 moves
This pattern is named after Ge-Baek, a great general in the Paekche
Dynasty (circa 660 AD). The diagram represents his severe and strict
military discipline.
In 660 AD General Gae Baek organised an
army of soldiers of the highest morale & courage, in defence of
Paekche when the combined forces of Silla & the Chinese Tang Dynasty
invaded under the leadership of General Kim Yoo Sin.
Before leaving to make war with the
invading forces, Ge Baek had his wife & children put to death. This
extreme act was to demonstrate his own willingness to die for his
country & to save his family from suffering at the hands of the enemy.
Ge Baek selected a force of 5000 warriors
who volunteered to fight to the death & led his troops into battle on
the Hwang-sang Plains, knowing that there was no hope of survival
against the superior numbers of the opposing forces. Initially, Gae
Baek defeated his enemies & drove them back four times in the battle,
but his troops exhausted, on the fifth encounter he was defeated & was
killed in the fighting. Thus, the Paekche Dynasty was destroyed after
678 years of rule but the name of General Ge Baek was forever
recognised for his bravery & loyalty to his country.
EUI
AM
45 moves
Eui Am is the pseudonym of
Son Byong Hi, leader of the Korean independence movement founded on
March 1 1919. The 45 movements refer to his age when he changed the
name of Dong Hak (Oriental culture) to Chondo Kyo (Heavenly way
religion) in 1905. The diagram represents his Indomitable Spirit,
displayed while dedicating himself to the prosperity of his nation.
Son Byong Hi was a commander of the Southern Dong-hak rebel army & was
involved in the peasant rebellion of 1894. This rebellion was against
the economic & social sufferings of the peasantry & the resentment at
the official corruption of the government. He narrowly escaped capture
in 1894 after taking up arms against a combined force of Japanese &
Korean government troops. After escaping to Vladivostok he was
selected to become the new leader of the Dong-hak movement.
He was exiled to Japan in 1901 & advocated Korean resistance to the
Japanese through non-violent measures. In 1919 the “Declaration of
Independence” was planned (see Sam-il), subsequently Eui-Am was
the first of the 33 signatories to be imprisoned. He died in 1921.
The Dong-hak movement drew upon both Confucian & shamanistic
traditions & proclaimed social equality of mankind which stemmed from
God being immanent in man.
KO
DANG
39 moves
Ko Dang is the pseudonym of the patriot Cho Man-Sik, who devoted his
life to the Korean Independence Movement & to the education of the
Korean people. The 39 movements signify his times of imprisonment &
his birthplace on the 39° latitude.
Cho Man-Sik (1882 to 1950) was a
nationalist who played a prominent part in the anti-Japanese movement.
He took part in the proclamation of the “Declaration of Independence”,
where he was promptly arrested. In the early 1920’s he led a movement
to promote economic nationalisation by urging the people to buy Korean
rather than imported goods. In 1945 he was nominated to a cabinet post
in the Korean People’s Republic, after which he became head of its
regional government in Pyong-Yang. There he formed the Choson
Democratic Party. As a native of Pyong-Yang & with his anti-Soviet
stance combined with his moderate views, he was immensely popular &
incurred the great hostility from Kim Il-Sung (the former president of
the North Korean DPRK). He was imprisoned by the Soviets & Kim Il-Sung
came into power with the approval of Stalin.
CHOONG JANG
52 moves
Choong jang is the pseudonym
given to General Kim Duk Ryang (16th century) who lived during the Yi
Dynasty. This pattern ends with a left-hand attack to symbolize the
tragedy of his death at 27 in prison before he was able to reach full
maturity.
Choong Jang (1567 to 1596?) was a commander of royal troops in the Yi
Dynasty. When the Imjin Wars started, with the Japanese invasion of
Korea in 1592, Kim Duk Ryang was appointed to serve as an army
general.
In 1594 he was commissioned as the Commander-in-Chief in charge of the
Honam province. Under his leadership the army was able to repel the
Japanese invasion force from the province. After his initial victory,
Choong Jang in conjunction with another Korean commander, Ja Wu Kwak,
attacked & destroyed many Japanese camps. Due to his bravery &
fierceness in battle, the Japanese were terrified of Choong Jang & in
light of this he was known as General Ho-Ik (“Tiger Wing”).
Choong Jang had many jealous rivals in the Korean court & in 1595 he
was arrested in connection with the killing of a slave girl, but he
was then released on a direct order by King Sonjo. He finally met his
end when he was poisoned to death because of his alleged participation
in the rebellion of Mong Hak Lee. He was, however, posthumously freed
from any dishonour for this involvement.
SAM
IL
33 moves
Sam il denotes the historical
date of the independence movement of Korea which began throughout the
country on March 1 1919. The 33 movements in the pattern stand for the
33 patriots who planned the movement.
Also known as the March 1st movement, Sam-il was brought
about by increasing calls for Korean independence & the suspicion that
the Japanese had poisoned the former Korean Emperor, Kojong. Although
the Declaration of Independence was intended as an incitement to
non-violent protest to the Japanese occupation, the 33 signatories
were immediately arrested after a demonstration in Pagoda Park, Seoul.
Demonstrations quickly spread through the country involving all levels
of society. The Japanese army reacted brutally killing over 7,500 &
wounding nearly 16,000 Koreans. Over 20,000 were arrested & large
amounts of property were destroyed. Order was restored by May 1919,
with the Independence Movement apparently crushed, however, the
effects were much longer lasting & the Japanese adopted a more
accommodating approach to its colony.
Sam-il was so called as sam means 3 in Korean, representing the 3rd
month ie: March, & il means one ie: the 1st.
YOO
SIN
68 moves
This pattern is named after
General Kim Yoo Sin, a commanding general during the Silla Dynasty.
The 68 movements refer to the last two figures of 668 A.D., the year
Korea was finally united. The ready posture signifies a sword drawn on
the right rather than left side, symbolizing Yoo Sin's mistake of
following his King’s orders to fight with foreign forces against his
own nation.
Kim Yoo Sin (595 to 673 AD) was a great Silla general, he descended
from the royal house of Kaya. He became a Hwarang at the age of
14 & was known for his noble character. He was a friend of Kim Chunchu,
whose sister he married & who he helped to eventually succeed the
throne in 653 (now known as King Muyol). As a younger general, Yoo Sin
won a formidable reputation by capturing a rebel held walled mountain
fortress. He was also sent on a rescue mission to Koguryo when, after
a diplomatic assignment, his brother-in-law was held hostage by Yon
Gae Somoon.
The peninsular was finally unified under Silla rule with the help of
the Tang Chinese. The two Kims co-operated with the Tang general, Su
Dingfang to defeat Paekche in 660, when combined forces of 180,000
soldiers attacked the capital in a pincer movement. However, Kim Yoo
Sin proved too old & ill to lead the war against Koguryo which was
subjugated in 668, therefore completing the unification of the
peninsular.
Having captured the rulers of two of the three kingdoms, the Chinese
Emperor, Goazong, anticipated the imminent submission of Silla to
Chinese rule. These plans were to be thwarted & the Tang were finally
driven from the peninsular in 676 AD.
CHOI
YONG
46 moves
The pattern is named after
General Choi Yong (14th century), premier and commander-in-chief of
the armed forces during the Koryo Dynasty. Choi Yong was greatly
respected for his loyalty, patriotism, and humility. He was executed
by his subordinate commanders, headed by General Yi Sung Gae, who
later became the first King of the Yi Dynasty.
Choi Yong (1316 to 1388) was a renowned army general & royal
confidant towards the end of the Koryo Dynasty. General Choi succeeded
in suppressing organised raiding parties of pirates along the coast.
These pirates, based in Tsushima Island, & using fleets of hundreds of
ships had caused major problems by raiding merchant shipping & by
raiding coastal towns, searching for slaves & plunder. Choi also twice
defeated the Honggon-jok, a powerful group of Chinese insurgents known
as the “red turbans”.
General Choi was furious when he learnt of the Chinese Ming Dynasty’s
plans to occupy the area of Korea, north of Chull-yong. As a counter
measure he decided to conquer the Chinese held district of Yo-Dong
(previously part of Koguryo). His plan was strongly supported by King
Wu & he was promoted to C-in-C of the armed forces. During 1388 he
recruited an army to invade Yo-Dong, however, his ambitions were not
to be realised. His jealous sub-ordinate, Yi Sung Gae, who opposed the
conquest, overthrew General Choi & the invasion never took place. Yi
had Choi executed & then deposed the king, placing a puppet king in
his place. Yi eventually ascended the throne in 1392 starting the Yi
(or Choson Dynasty).
A man of integrity, Choi Yong lived his life by the motto left to him
by his father; “Don’t be covetous of gold”, he lived his life without
violating this creed.
UL
JI
42 moves
This pattern is named after
General Ul-Ji Moon Dok who successfully defended Korea against a
massive Chinese invasion force, of nearly one million soldiers, led by
Yang Je in 612 A.D., Ul-Ji employing hit and run guerrilla tactics,
was able to decimate a large percentage of the force. The diagram
represents his surname. The 42 movements represent General Choi’s age
when he designed the pattern.
Ul Ji is a great national hero to the Korean people. When the Chinese
Sui dynasty invaded Koguryo in 612, Ul Ji used clever tactics to
defeat the opposing force of far superior numbers. Having failed to
take Liaoyang, 300,000 of the Chinese force moved on to take Pyong-Yang.
Knowing the Sui force were both weary & hungry, he lured them to
within sight of capital, by giving the impression of losing battles &
then feigning retreat. After trapping the Sui force & attacking them
with a surprise cavalry charge, the Koguryo forces left the Sui too
exhausted to take the city & they retreated to Liaodong (South East
Manchuria). There they were ambushed at Anju, when making a crossing
of the Ch’ong-chon river & were almost completely destroyed by the
Koreans. It has been recorded that only 2,700 out of the 300,000
returned to the site of the siege at Liaoyang. This calamitous defeat
ended the designs of expansionism of the Sui Dynasty.
SE
JONG
24 moves
The pattern is named after
the greatest Korean King, Se-Jong, who invented Han-Gul, the Korean
alphabet, in 1443. King Se-Jong was also a noted meteorologist. The
diagram represents the king, while the 24 movements refer to the 24
letters of the Korean alphabet.
King Se-jong (1397 to 1450) came to the throne in 1418. No Korean king
has had a greater personal influence on the country’s culture as Se-jong.
He encouraged developments in printing, personally supervised
developments in music & his finest inspiration was the devising of a
native alphabet, known as Han-gul. He ordered the preparations
of important documents & publications, such as various dictionaries,
maps, books of songs & other records of historical importance. He
began keeping records of rainfall & encouraged improvements in
agriculture. He founded the Royal Observatory & constructed 18
different astronomical instruments between the years 1432 & 1442. He
also had installed a carved stone map of the stars, giving further
evidence of the breadth of his scientific knowledge.
King Se-jong also improved the system of beacon fires that ran the
length & breadth of the country. This originally dated from 1149 &
consisted of an estimated 966 beacons. This system of communication
was intended to convey messages, using pre-arranged signals. A message
could be sent over a distance of 350 miles in approximately 4 hours.
He exemplified the Confucian ideal of the ruler who governs by virtue
& personal example.
Han-gul
is a true phonetic alphabet & originally consisted of 28 characters (4
of which were ceased to be used over a period of time). The alphabet
was originally known as Hunmin Chongum, it was given the name
Han-gul in 1912, meaning “Great Script” (or sometimes “Korean
Script”). When originally developed some of the Korean literati viewed
the new system as “vulgar writing” & it took a number of years before
it was accepted & took the place of the Chinese writing system. Its
popularity spread as it enabled the general populace to have access to
reading & writing skills.
YON
GAE
49 moves
This pattern is named after
Yon Gae Somoon, a famous General who lived during the Koguryo Dynasty.
The 49 movements refer to the last two figures of 649 A.D., the year
he forced the Tang Dynasty to quit Korea after destroying nearly
300,000 of their troops at Ansi Sung.
After the invasion of the Sui Dynasty in 612 that was repulsed by
General Ul-Ji, another famous Koguryo general, Yon Gae Somoon, advised
& supervised the building of a great defensive wall that ran along the
length of the Liao River. The newly established Tang Dynasty in China
failed to appreciate the role that Koguryo had played in the downfall
of their predecessors. The Tang mounted a land & naval invasion in 644
which proved costly & unsuccessful. This was followed by a number of
failed attacks between the years 647 & 655.
An alliance between Koguryo with Paekche saw the combined kingdoms
lead an attack on the neighbouring kingdom of Silla in 655. In
response to Silla’s plea for help, the Tang Dynasty joined forces &
launched an offensive which not only eliminated Paekche but ultimately
led to the fall of Koguryo.
Koguryo had become politically weakened by the death of Yon Gae in 666
& in 668 King Pojang surrendered the capital & China took over Koguryo,
as it had to Paekche, as a province of the Middle Kingdom.
As Chief of the Eastern Province, Yon Gae was also instrumental in
introducing Taoism to the Koguryo nation. He was known to have an
imposing presence & was a broad minded individual. It was said that he
seduced the people by claiming that he was born under water.
MOON
MOO
61 moves
Moon-Moo honours the 30th
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 Moon Moo came to the throne.
Moon Moo was the Silla king who united the three kingdoms in the year
668 AD. He rejected China’s proposal as its Governor-General of a new
province, evicted the Tang armies & established the Unified Silla
Dynasty. In 674 he commissioned the building of the Anap-Chi .
This was an ornamental lake (originally called “Moon Lake”) set in the
pleasure gardens in the capital of Kyongju as part of the recuperation
after the wars that had racked the country. Forming part of the
detached palace of the Crown Prince, it became the focal point for
court diplomacy & entertainment. 28 buildings are known to have
existed on this site, the largest could host over 1000 banqueting
guests.
Before his death in 681 King Moon Moo began work on the Kamun-Sa,
the “temple of gratitude”. It was completed by his son in 682. The
temple was built as an invocation of divine help against the Japanese
pirates that were terrorising the coastal areas. It was said to house
the spirit of the “Dragon King”, the spirit of Moon Moo.
In order to save the expense of a lavish funeral, he instructed that
he should be cremated & his ashes buried at sea, so that his spirit
could protect the kingdom. An underwater tomb was built at Daewang-Am
to house the ashes..
The Sokkuram grotto was built in between 701-704 AD & is positioned on
a remote point on the mountainside where it faces the Eastern Sea &
catches the first rays of dawn sunlight. It is most widely known for
the 17-foot white granite statue of the Buddha housed within.
SO
SAN
72 moves
So San is the pseudonym of
the great monk Hyujong (1520-1604) who lived during the Yi Dynasty.
The 72 movements refer to his age when he organized a corps of monk
soldiers with the assistance of his pupil Samyong Dang. The monk
soldiers helped repulse the Japanese pirates who overran most of the
Korean peninsula in 1592.
Hyujong (meaning “Rest & Peace”) was known as Grand Master Sosan, a
Buddhist monk famous for his cursive (flowing/joined) & semi-cursive
calligraphic script. He was most famed for leading one of the many
bands of monks which waged guerrilla warfare against the Japanese
invaders during the Imjin Wars. This force comprised of 5000 warrior
monks, called uisung-byong. As Sosan was too old for battle he
appointed one of his closest disciples, Samyong, as a field commander.
Under his command the warrior monks earned a reputation for their
fierce courage & they played a major role in repulsing the Japanese.
Born as Choi Yosin at Anju he was orphaned at the age of seven, he
began life as a neo-Confucian but became a Buddhist monk at the age
of twenty. He developed into the leading teacher of his day & a major
influence on later Korean Buddhism.
Sosan, whose name means “West Mountain”, taught the Son school
of Buddhist thought, that emphasises that meditation is the surest
course to enlightenment. Sosan wrote a book on the fundamentals of
Korean Son Buddhism, the Songa-gwigam, the “tortoise mirror of
the Son school”, this is derived from the use of tortoise shells in
ancient Chinese divination, which made the tortoise a metaphor for
moral guidance.
Before becoming a disciple of Sosan, Samyong, himself a Buddhist
priest, spent his time wandering in the mountains searching for
enlightenment. On one of his travels he met Sosan & according to
legend they engaged in a contest of magic. Samyong turned a bowl of
needles into noodles & presented them to Sosan, who promptly turned
the bowl upside down & sent needles falling to the floor. Samyong’s
next feat was to stack eggs end-to-end vertically several feet into
the air. Sosan’s reply was repeat the trick but started from the top &
worked downwards. Samyong responded by turning the clear blue sky to a
thunderstorm & challenged Sosan to return the torrential rain to the
sky. Sosan calmly met the challenge & added his own flourish by
transforming the droplets into a flock of birds. Duly humbled Samyong
asked to become a disciple of the great master.
TONG-IL
56 moves
Tong-il denotes the
resolution of the unification of Korea, which has been divided since
the end of the 2nd World War in 1945. The diagram
symbolizes the homogenous race.
When the second world war came to its
conclusion the Japanese occupation of Korea ended, but Korea was to
suffer further when, after the turmoil & political disputes between
the various factions vying for power, an ideological conflict broke
out between the USA & the USSR. This was to result in the country
being divided. On June 25th 1950, North Korean forces
backed by communist Chinese forces invaded the South. The United
Nation’s forces sent troops to the South to drive back the North
Korean forces. After a bitter struggle a treaty was signed on July 27th
1953, this left Korea a divided country, split along the 38°
parallel. Estimates of the casualties are put at over 4 million
killed, wounded or missing. Korea also paid a political price, with
Kim Il Sung quick to create a dictatorship in the North. In the South,
the war had reinforced Syngman Rhee’s autocratic tendencies & paved
the way for nearly 30 years of military dominance & repression.
Tong-il represents the
Korean peoples desire to become a unified country once more. The
diagram of this pattern symbolizing the North & South becoming one.
In recent times there have
been tentative steps taken to move forward to this goal.
