Gwonbeop

Gwonbeop
Korean name
Hangul	권법
Hanja	拳法
Revised Romanization	Gwonbeop
McCune–Reischauer	Kwŏnpŏp

Kwonbeop is the term for unarmed methods in Korean martial arts as developed in the Joseon era (15th to 19th centuries). It is the Korean rendition of the Chinese Quan fa (拳法).

Destruction of the Korean palace and its libraries in 1126 as well as the Mongols invasion in 1231 and the subsequent Mongol domination of Korea (Yuan Dynasty 1231-1356) has eliminated any literary history of Korea prior to that time. As a result, no first-hand accounts of the origins of Gwon Beop practices in Korea is known. However, in 1145, King Injong (r. 1112-1146) ordered a Confucian scholar, KIM Bu-sik, to compile the Samguk Sagi (lit. "History of the Three Kingdoms"). Some 100 years later a Buddhist monk, Iryeon, compiled the Samguk Yusa (lit.: "Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms"). Both works indicate that militant attitudes between and among the three major States of the Three Kingdoms Period (37 BCE - 660 AD) resulted in each nation developing an institution for training its warriors in Military Science. While the term Gwon Beop was not used, cadets of the Pyong Dang ("educational institute") in the Goguryeo kingdom learned punching, strikes and kicks (K. Ji Leu Ki Beop), while cadets of the Silla Kingdom learned Chil Kuk (kicks) and Soo Bak (punches and strikes). In the Kingdom of Baekje, "empty-hand fighting" (K. Soo Sool) was included in the training. Consolidation of the Korean peninsula under Silla in 668 enhanced the Silla approach to hand-to-hand combat over its neighbors, though continued and repeated conflicts provided opportunity to refine and enhance the material. Infrequent references to Soo Bak contests indicates that contests in unarmed combat, often with considerable wagering by the audience, occurred on holidays and other special occasions up until the invasion and dominance of Korea by Mongols (1231 - 1392)

With the end of Mongol dominance, predations and incursions by Wa-Ko, coastal raiding forces of mixed nationalities, provided the Korean administration with some rationale for rebuilding Korean Military installations and units. However, such efforts were undercut by Neo-Confucian thought that disparaged Military practices in favor of leadership by scholars and bureaucrats. As a result, Korea was unprepared for the invasion by Japanese armies in 1591, intent on using Korea as an approach for conquering China. Known as the "Imjin Waerum" (Japanese invasions of Korea), the Japanese advance easily over-ran the Korean army and was stopped only by the Ming Army and the patriotic efforts of Korean nationals formed into "righteous armies" (K. Uibyeong; 위병). In September, 1593, King Seonjo of Joseon (1567-1608) established the Hunlyun Dokam (Royal Military Training Agency). At the encouragement of the Ming General Liu, T’ing, the Korean Prime Minister, Yu Song-Nyong, sought to reorganize the Korean army into a highly structured and versatile organization. His manual for this effort was the Jin Xiao Shin Shu or “Manual of New Military Tactics” written by General Qi Jiguang (1528-1588) and published in 1567. Chapter 14 of this manual addressed 32 methods of using the body for hand-to-hand combat, which General Qi stated was of little use on the battlefield but which contributed to the confidence and conditioning of his soldiers. These 32 methods, gleaned from an examination of 16 major fighting systems in Ming China, were recorded in 32 brief poems, while the practical use and applications were left to the Military Training cadre.

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