Muyedobotongji

Muyedobotongji
Korean name
Hangul 무예도보통지
Hanja 武藝圖譜通志
Revised Romanization Muyedobotongji
McCune–Reischauer Muyedobot'ongji

In 1790, King Jeongjo of Korea commissioned a book called the Muyedobotongji which was an illustrated manual of Korean martial arts. This book, written by Yi Deokmu (이덕무, 1741-1793) and Pak Jega (박제가, 1750-1805), described in detail Korea's martial arts of which an unarmed combat style of kicking and punching is extensively illustrated. It was published in four volumes and there is an additional volume in which the original Hanja characters are presented in the Korean script, Hangul.

Contents

Motivation

The motivation for this major publication, especially in a kingdom whose Korean confucianism ideologies and scholarly elites frowned upon the martial arts, came from the foreign invasions of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. These invasions disturbed the peace of the last 200 years of the Joseon Dynasty, and brought about awareness of the need to revive Korea's military training.

Volumes

The first volume of the Muyedobotongji is based on the earliest known Korean martial arts treatise, the Muyejebo (무예제보), written in 1599; the second and third volumes are based on the Muyesinbo (무예신보), written in 1759.

The four volumes contain 23 chapters in which all 24 methods are explained. The last chapter of the third volumes described the use of the shield with two different weapons. The book also has descriptions and pictures of the uniforms for the soldiers.

Contents

Volume 1

Volume 2

The long sword is handled with both hands. These frighteningly big, heavy swords were originally called "long swords" (jangdo), or sometimes "applying sword" (yonggum) or "plain sword" (pyunggum). Swords of this type came to be known during invasions of China since they were used by Japanese pirates invading China's coastal areas. Wielding these swords, the Japanese pirates cut long spears, or even enemy soldiers, into half in a single strike. The long sword skills were therefore introduced in Korea to prepare its troops for combat against Japanese pirates.

Volume 3

A fighting skill using two swords with both hands, this was one of the most difficult skills to master. Double swords on horseback required even greater prowess. The fighter could attack and defend at the same time using two swords. The smaller, saber‐size swords with round hand guards (hwando) were generally used for this technique. The swordsman kept a pair of swords, one referred to as male and the other one as female, in a single scabbard to draw them quickly. The folk double swords dance (Ssanggeommu) was derived from this skill.

Volume 4

Sources

Earlier sources can be traced to Chinese General Qi Jiguang's treatise on troops training, the Ji Xiao Xin Shu (Hangul: 기효신서, Hanja: 紀效新書, "New Books of Effective Methods"). Ji Xiao Xin Shu was written in 1561. The authors considered that although this type of training had little value for large-scale battle, it was nevertheless useful to train bodily flexibility, reflexes, hands speed, quick yet solid footwork and jumping capacity, all of which were very valuable for a warrior.

Improvements

As a manual, the Muyedobotongji made several improvements over its Chinese sources since many practical comments on training and the value of the described techniques were added, and shows the influence of the neighboring Chinese martial traditions on the Korean peninsula.

The book divides the techniques into stabbing, cutting and striking techniques, while earlier books divided them into long and short weapon skills. The old classification method had to be abandoned with the development of firearms. The long spear had lost its function as a long-range weapon by the time the book was written. [1] Quite clearly, first bow and arrow, and later the advent of firearms, rendered the long spear obsolete in this role.

Revival

Many modern Korean martial arts claim a relationship between their techniques and those found in the Muyedobotongji. Proof for this is however often not given.

There are however several groups that study the Muyedobotongji and try to reconstruct the techniques. The most famous of these groups being Shippalgi; 18 methods of fighting, and Muye24gi, 24 methods of fighting.

References and further reading

  1. ^ Ehwa University Press 2008, Sippalgi: Traditional Korean Martial Arts, Dr. B.K. Choi

See also

External links