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Saigō Tanomo (西郷 頼母), May 16, 1830 - April 28, 1903) was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. Chief senior councilor (hittōgarō 筆頭家老 ) of the Aizu clan. The Saigô family held the post of karô to the Aizu-Matsudaira clan hereditarily, from generation to generation. In 1862, Lord Matsudaira Katamori was appointed the Kyoto Shugo Shoku (Military Commissioner of Kyoto). He achieved fame due to his distinguished action in the Boshin War. Surviving the war, he adopted the name Hoshina Chikanori (保科 近野里) .
The Saigô family held the post of karô to the Aizu-Matsudaira clan hereditarily, from generation to generation. In 1862, Lord Matsudaira Katamori was appointed the Kyoto Shugo Shoku(Military Commissioner of Kyoto). Saigô Tanomo, who was karô at the time, protested that Lord Katamori should not accept the post, and was dismissed from his karô position in 1863. In 1868, he was allowed to return the position after the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. In April, he entreated Lord Katamori to surrender after being defeated at Shirakawaguchi. Finally he was expelled (escaped?) from Aizu-Wakamatsu castle with his son Kichijûrô and headed to Hakodate. In total, 21 of his family members committed suicide before the Imperial troops entered the city. Following surrender of Hakodate, he was confined until 1872. He worked as a Shintô priest in Nikkô Tôshô Gû for awhile. In 1903, he died in Wakamatsu city.
Takeda Sōkaku (October 10, 1859 – April 25, 1943) was the founder of Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu. Takeda was born in Aizu Japan, modern day Fukushima Prefecture. He was the second son of Takeda Sōkichi, a samurai of the Takeda clan. Takeda grew up during the Boshin war and period. Takeda received his first martial arts training from his father who had a dojo on their property. Sōkichi was apparently expert in the use of both sword ( kenjutsu ) and spear ( yari ), and had once been a sumo wrestler of ozeki rank. It is believed that Sōkaku was exposed to the teachings of Hozoin-ryu Takada-ha and Ono-ha Itto-ryu, schools of spear and swordsmanship respectively.
Sōkaku spend a period of austere training. During this time he travelled, fought and trained at the schools of many teachers, a not uncommon practice of the time. Sōkaku engaged in many matches and duels with both shinai and live blades and was considered a swordsman of great skill in a period of time when such things were beginning to be forgotten. With the outlawing of the samurai class and the prohibition against carrying swords, Sokaku decided to emphasize the empty handed, jujutsu oriented, techniques of his ancestor's art, which he named Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu. Sōkaku spend his life travelling the country, giving seminars in martial arts to military officers, police officers and martial arts enthusiasts. Around 1914 a friend of Takeda introduced him to a trouble making Korean child call Yoshida Tatsujutsu. Faith will have it that Yoshida initially a servant cleaning Takeda’s household, would became one of his most influential students. Over a period of 30 years Yoshida was Takeda’s travelling companion and man servant. Yoshida learned from Takeda a Yawara utilitarian form of the Aizu clan martial style. Today there is large controversy around the relation of Takeda and Yoshida, specially as Yoshida latter claim Takeda was his surrogate father, when he return to Japan and change his name back to his Korean given name of Yong Sool Choi. Many legends exist placing Choi in multiple adventures in Japan teaching by Takeda. A particular legend places him hunting Japanese deserters by order of Takeda during the latter part of WWII around the Aizu region. He learned Yawara, Tanto-jutsu and Shuriken-Jutsu and Hojō-jutsu from Takeda. He started learning Ken-Jutsu from him, but by the time he took his leave from the Takeda household by the end of the war, he had yet to master these skills. People that knew Choi in Korea claim that he spends the rest of his life working on mastering the Ken-Jutsu skills taught to him by Takeda. Despite the controversy in recent years when asked about Choi, Kisshomaru Ueshiba confirmed that his father Morihei Ueshiba (founder of Akido) had participated in seminars with Choi. He also explained that his father had sent the Choi’s family a letter of condolence. Were he referred to Choi as an old teacher and friend. | |
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Choi Yong Sul (Father of Hapkido): Yong Sul Choi (1904-1986): is recognized as one of the most influential people in Korean martial arts. Born in 1904 at Choong Buk province, he lost both his parents at an early age. As a child, Choi was kidnap and taken to Japan where he studied Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu under the the instruction of Sokaku Takeda (1859-1943) the head of the Daito Ryu Aiki-jujutsu school. Choi began his studies at the age of nine. By the time Choi returned to the mainstream world, Korea had already been liberated from colonial Japanese rule. He returned to Korea in 1945 and took a train to the city of Tae Gu where one of his bags was lost. Unfortunately for Choi, he had his money and his certificates for his martial arts training he had received in Japan in that bag. Choi had originally planned to return to his home at Choong Buk province but decided to stay in Tae Gu since he had no money. After saving enough money in one year as a bread salesman, he began raising pigs. Choi would get up early every morning to to go to the Suh Brewery and receive free grain chaff leftover from brewing so that he could feed his pigs. There were always many people lined up to receive the free grain chaff and on one particular morning the President of the brewery, Suh Bok-sub, looked out of his second story window to see a conflict between those who were waiting. He saw one man defend himself against several attackers with a minimum of effort. Suh was very interested in what he witnessed and had one of his clerks bring the man to his office. When Choi arrived, Suh inquired about the techniques he had used to defend himself and Choi asked why he was interested. Suh replied that he wanted to learn the techniques to use in a martial arts tournament. Choi demonstrated a few simple techniques on Suh and immediately Suh begged for Choi to teach him. He promised to continue to give him free chaff along with money for his lessons and Choi agreed. Suh then built a dojang at the brewery and Choi was given the opportunity to teach Yu Sool to students. Later, "Yu Sool" was changed to Yu Kwon Sool" at the suggestion of Suh Bok-sub. While Yu Sool emphasizes joint locks and throws, Yu Kwon Sool includes punches and kicks. Suh began demonstrating Yu Kwon Sool and it soon became very popular among the public. Suh subsequently sold his brewery and opened a Yu Kwon Sool school In Tae Qu and in 1965, Suh opened a school in Seoul. Choi proceeded to impart the techniques he had learned to a select group of disciples. It was not until the 1957 that Hapkido was first taught to the common person when Choi students began to spread and popularize Hapkido during the Korean conflict. | |
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Dojunim Ji Han Jae (Founder of Hapkido) : Ji Han Jae, Dojunim (Founder) was born in 1936 in Andong, Korea. He began his martial arts training in Yawara with Choi, Yung Sul at the age of 13. The techniques he learned at this time were primarily joint locks, throws, low kicks, and sword techniques. He trained full time with Choi until 1956. When Ji was eighteen, he began to train with a man he used to refer to as Taoist Lee Dosa. Lee was Ji’s Samrangdo instructor. Lee trained Ji, primarily in mediation, the use of the Jang-Bong (6' staff), the Dan-Bong (short stick), and in Korean Taek-Kyun kicking. With many kicking techniques and high jumping techniques, Ji had a perfect complement to the grounded techniques of Yawara taught by Grandmaster Choi. Lee also began Ji on his mental and spiritual training. He trained him in numerous meditation and breathing exercises. He trained with Lee for almost five years after which he continued his training with Lee’s instructor, Saramonim “Grandma.” Ji would spend hours with Grandma at a temple that was a healing complex for terminally ill individuals. He spent about 3 years with her and considers Grandma to be his spiritual teacher. He continued training with her until he left Korea. Ji, Han Jae, opened his first dojang in Andong,at the age of 23. He called his new school the Moo Kwan and taught Yu Kwan Sool. After 9 month he relocated the Dojang to Seoul in September of 1957. Hwang, Duk Kyu, was his first student at this dojang, called Sung Moo Kwan. During April of 1960 Ji began to piece together the Yoo Sool (Yoo kwan Sool) teachings of Grandmaster Choi, with the methods of meditation, the Taek -Kyun kicking techniques, and the weapons techniques learned from Lee, along with the spiritual training he received from Grandma. The product was “Hapkido.” He had originally thought of calling it "Hapki-Yoo -Kwan-Sool," but decided against that, feeling it was too long. Instead he opted for using the word 'Do' meaning a path to follow, or a way of life, rather than simply 'techniques' as 'sool' implies. When General Park, Chung Hee (1917-1979) became the Korean President in May of 1961, Ji was teaching at the Korean military academy. After a demonstration and with assistance from Major Lee, Dong Nam, Ji was given permission to instruct the military Supreme Council in Hapkido techniques. Ji then received a government position teaching Hapkido to the President Security forces called the Blue House (a position he would hold until Park's death in 1979). In 1963, Ji, Han jae, Choi, Yong sool, and Kwon, Jang instituted the Korea Kido Association. In 1965, Ji, Han Jae left the Korea Kido Association and established the Korea Hapkido Association. Three dominant Hapkido organizations began to immerge during the next five years. They were the Korea Hapkido Association (founded in 1965 by Han-Jae Ji), the Korea Hapkido Association (founded in 1969 by Jae-Nam Myung), and the Korean Hapkido Association (founded in 1971 by Kim, Moo Woong). Eventually, in 1973, the leaders of these organizations met and agreed to unify their associations. The new association was named Dae Han Min Kuk Hapkido Hyub Hwe (Republic of Korea Hapkido Association). From 1967 to 1969, Ji traveled to Vietnam with some of his students to teach Hapkido to the US and Vietnamese and Korean soldiers fighting there. Ji first came to the United States as part of an exchange with President Richard Nixon’s security forces. He taught Hapkido to the US Secret Service, Special Forces, OSI, FBI, and CIA. While he was visiting and staying at Andrews Air Force Base, his good friend, Taekwondo Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, introduced Ji to Bruce Lee. Lee was impressed with Ji’s techniques and asked him to teach him. Ji taught Lee and also traveled to Hong Kong over the next few years to help choreograph martial arts movies and also star in a few of them. At this time, Ji taught movie stars such as Jin Pal Kim, Angela Mao, Samo Hong among many others. He appeared in three movies, Hapkido (Lady Kung Fu), Fist of the Unicorn Palm, and Bruce Lee’s Game of Death. Extra footage of Game of Death was recently released as a movie called A Warrior’s Journey, which features 18 minutes of fight scenes featuring Ji. Ji traveled to Germany to teach for three months in 1984. It was at this time that Grandmaster Ji, Han Jae began teaching Sin Moo Hapkido (pronounced “shin moo”) and formed the Korea Sin Moo Hapkido Association. “Sin” means higher mind (the old character could be translated to mean “godlike,” but the meaning Ji refers to is simply “higher mind” or “mental.”) “Moo” means martial art. Simply put, Sin Moo means, “Higher mind martial art.” Much of the techniques are the same as what he taught while in Korea, but the emphasis has changed. The Sin Moo focuses more on the mental and spiritual aspects of Hapkido as well as controlling Ki or Qi and being able to use it effectively. Dojunim has also expanded the weapon repertoire to include the cane, handkerchief or rope, knife and projectiles throwing techniques. Today there are still several dominant Hapkido organizations in Korea. These include, the Korea Kido Association, the Korea Hapkido Association, and the International Hapkido Federation. The Korea Hapkido Association is still the most prominent Hapkido organization in Korea. The graduates of the Original Sung Moo Kwan make up the majority of its senior instructors. Dojunim Ji Han Jae is Master Marquez' direct master instructor, mentor guide and teacher. | |
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