Gumdo - Korean Sword Martial Arts
The ABSOLUTE TRUE origins of the Korean Sword Art known an Gumdo
(the Way of the Sword) are unknown.
What we do believe is Gumdo originated in the ancient kingdom
of Korkuryo. In the beginning, Sulbongsumin, who mastered the secret
of swordsmanship, established the training dojang (school) called
Samurang, and taught his disciples Gumdo -- the “Way of the Sword”
It is believed that Samurang became the origin of the Samurai in
Japan. Samurangs adopted the concepts of loyalty, filial piety,
courtesy, justice, faithfulness, intelligence, virtue and physical
soundness as their ideals for the training of the mind and body.
They served the Great King of Kwangkaeto ( 371 – 384 AD ) to build
a great and mighty kingdom. The basic type of sword used was of
Chinese design. This was
a long sword with sufficient weight to require the use of two hands.
The basis of the art are The Double Handed Swords (DHSF).
DHSF are a series of cuts, block, moves and stances developed
based on ancient duels among a group of combatants.
For our purposed, we refer to the student practitioner as the
‘warrior’, and all others as opponents.
There are twelve DHSF known as Ssangsu Gum Bup followed by a single
form know as Shim Sung that must be learned to achieve the rank of
Il Dan – 1st degree Black Belt.
Other volumes will continue the progression through advanced
Black Belt Forms.
Learning the forms is a simple matter of memorizing a series of
movements, cuts and block.
To Master these techniques requires many years of sustained
daily practice.