Choi Hong Hi (1918 – 2002): AKA General Choi, a South Korean army general but better known as the father of Taekwon-do. Last couple of weeks I introduced many different Okinawan and Japanese karate ryu-ha (styles). I did not include this Korean style though I mentioned about some connection of some karate masters with the Korean practitioners. It is very interesting for the Shotokan practitioners to find that Shotokan had a big influence on the creation of Taekwon-do. Choi combined elements of Taekkyeon (Korean martial art) and Shotokan karate to develop his own unique style. He named his style Taekwon-Do (跆拳道 the way of hand and foot) in 1955. Choi is regarded as the Founder or Father of Taekwon-do mainly by International Taekwon-do Federation (ITF). At the same time, he was a very controversial figure in the history of this style. His story upsetted many Korean martial artists because Choi openly admitted the lineage to the Japanese karate. Many Korean people want to believe all the cultural things went from Korea to Japan. They have an issue with anything that is reverse. World Taekwon-do Federation (WTF) portrays Choi as either an unimportant or a dishonorable person in Taekwon-do history by omitting him from their versions of Taekwon-do history. I am afraid this is a very unfortunate discredit to Master Choi and a sad history for all Taekwon-do practitioners. I present Chois quote: “A warrior who over reacts will rarely finish anything successfully.” More reading on Master Choi: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choi_Hong_Hi
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 15:42:08 +0000
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