History: References to Karate and Kung Fu

Some people believe that Tae Kwon Do originated from Kungfu, the Chinese self-defence art. According to a Chinese document, the Chinese art of self-defence was initiated as a sort of physical exercise when the Bodhi Dharma, a great Indian Buddhist Zen Master, taught the monks of Hsiaolin Temple in Tungpung County, Honan Province, China in 520 A.D. However, the mural paintings of Tae Kwon Do in the ancient tombs of Koguryo belong to the period 3 A.D. to 427 A.D., so Tae Kwon Do does not owe its origin to the Chinese Kungfu.

No detailed record is available of when Karate, the Japanese self-defence art equivalent to Tae Kwon Do, was initiated. There are two-fold explanations about it. One is that a Chinese named Chen Yuanpin, who lived in the late Ming dynasty, was naturalised as a Japanese and imparted the Chinese "Kungfu" to the Japanese people. The other explanation says that Karate is a developed form of "Okinawate," a self-defence art indigenous to Okinawa.

However when the Okinawate itself began is not known either. In order to trace the origin of Okinawate, we might rely on "The Historical Record of Chosun (another name for the Yi dynasty)" which only says that envoys from the Ryukyu Island made frequent visits to bring tribute to the Kings of Chosun.

At that time in Korea, "Subak", an old name of Tae Kwon Do, has gained great popularity among the people, so perhaps the envoys from Okinawa learned Subak and introduced to their people.

This speculation is not too absurd when we recall the fact that "Nul", the Korean see-saw, was also adopted by the people of Okinawa from Korea.

It may be concluded that the Japanese Karate, in turn, derives from Taekyon or Subak, the primitive form of Tae Kwon Do.

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