Customer Reviews

Muye Dobo Tongji : The Comprehensive Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts of Ancient Korea

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Dr. Sang H. Kim has made a very accessible translation of a military text written in 1790. This text contains martial arts forms that contain the weapon techniques existing in the far east at that time. The Korean Peninsula is a dangerous place, near larger, more powerful neighbors including: China, Mongolia, Manchuria and Japan. All these countries have long military traditions. While the military tradition flourished in Japan among the Samurai, during the 1300s the Koreans embraced Confucianism, which lead to a reduced emphasis on the military arts. A Japanese invasion in 1592 demonstrated an urgent need for the neglected military arts. A Chinese manual was acquired. After the Manchu invasions of 1627 and 1636, military preparedness again became important, and two more additions were made to the text, including Japanese techniques. The result is a well rounded manual of the weapon techniques which existed up to 1790.

The ancient Koreans put their military techniques into forms, in which these techniques could be practiced. This manual includes forms showing techniques with various weapons including short sword, long sword, twin sword, crescent sword, spear, flag spear, long stick, and even an early from of hand-and-foot techniques. The brief introduction to each form includes either some information about the weapon or the historical background surrounding the form. This book faithfully reproduces the diagrams and illustrations of the original text, with English translations of the movements. As any student of the martial arts knows, it is virtually impossible to learn a form from the printed description. This text is no different. Furthermore, some of the terms, such as "goose posture," "military messenger posture," and "single horned bull combat position," are unfamiliar to today's readers. Fortunately, the publisher also has a DVD titled "Ancient Korean Sword and Weapon Arts," Korean Sword and Weapon Arts DVD in which Korean masters demonstrate most of the forms in this book (excluding the forms on horseback). The DVD illustrates the postures, and the forms, just as the book explains the weapons and the background. This book, together with the DVD, provides a wealth of information for a student of the martial arts, especially for the sword student as about half the forms use some kind of sword. This book and DVD cut through the myths of martial arts schools and shows how martial arts were actually practiced in the far-east in ancient times. One rarely finds a bargain in the martial arts. This book, together with the DVD, are a best value and a valuable resource for the student of ancient weapons.

Paul Trogen, Ph.D.