History
1400 years ago, Korea was splitted in three different
kingdoms; Silla, Koguryo and Baek Je. The smallest one, Silla,
was constantly attacked by Koguryo and Baek Je. Therefore it was
very important that they had strong military forces, to
restore their freedom and independency. The 24th king, Chin
Heung, took the initiative to create an élitegroup of
warriors. He called them Hwa-rangdo. They were trained in strict
diciplines, and lived by certain rules, as follows:
1. Loyalty to the king
2. Obey their parents
3. Trust between friends
4. Never give up a battle
5. Kill with justice
Theese young warriors were tought marital art. Mainly Taen kyon,
and Soo bak. Their training also included mountain climbing,
swimming cold rivers, meditation and to compose music. They
became very famous, and recieved big respect, even from their
opponents.
In year 935 the kingdom named Silla was dissolved, and Koryo
was established. The king arranged annually tournaments in
the Kak chon temple on the Ma Am mountain. All the warriors could
participate in this competition, and the winners
were highly regarded. In fact three of the winners always became
generals. 25 postures had to be mastered by each
competitor. They also had to manage several fighting-techniques.
THIS IS NOT FINISHED. STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Last updated: 31.12.2000