Ji Han-Jae

Ji Han-Jae
Ji Han-Jae at the first international Sin Moo Hapkido conference.
Born	지한재 1936 (age 80–81) Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea
Residence	United States
Nationality	South Korea
Style	Hapkido, Sin Moo Hapkido
Trainer	Choi Yong-Sool
Rank	Grandmaster
Occupation	Martial artist
Notable relatives	Fellows: Kim Moo-Hong, Kim Yoon-Sang, Myung Kwang-Sik, Hwang In-Shik
Notable students	Kwon Tae-Man, Yoo Young-Woo, Oh Se-Lim, Hwang Deok-Kyoo, Kim Yong-Jin, Jeong Won-Seon, Tom Johnson, Grandmaster John Beluschak
Notable school(s)	An Moo Kwan, Sung Moo Kwan
last updated on: 2010-02-23

Ji Han-Jae (Hangul: 지한재; Chi Hon-tsoi) was born in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea in 1936. He is one of the highest ranking hapkido instructors in the world and founder of Sin Moo Hapkido as well as acting in the movie the Game of Death with Kung-Fu master Bruce Lee.

He began his martial arts training in 1949 under the direction of Choi Yong-Sool (Hangul: 최용술), and was Dan # 14 under Choi. Ji trained with Choi Yong-Sool until 1956 when he moved to Seoul in order to open a school of self-defence in the nation's capital. Ji Han-Jae trained in the ancient methods of the Korean martial arts, known as Sam Rang Do Tek Gi by a man named Taoist Lee. Though this man's identity can not be confirmed, it is believed that he trained Ji in meditation, the use of the Korean long staff "Jang-Bong (장봉; 長棒)", short staff "Dan-Bong (단봉; 短棒)", and the unique kicks of Sam Rang Do Tek Gi.

In 1959 Ji Han-Jae combined all of his martial arts knowledge together and began to teach hapkido.

Many people consider Ji Han Jae to be the founder of hapkido, while others will credit his teacher, Choi Yong-Sool, who referred to his art as "Yawara (Hangul: 야와라; 柔)" or "Yu Kwon Sul (Hangul: 유권술; 柔拳術)". It is commonly claimed by his students that it was Ji who first started using the name hapkido for the techniques he was teaching at that time. Seo Bok-Seob, the first student of Choi, however points out in a 1980 interview that it was Jung Moo Kwan who first used the term to refer to the art as well as the symbol of the eagle to represent the art. Regardless, some of the kicking techniques that many styles of hapkido has today is marked by changes that were implemented by Ji Han-Jae and Kim Moo-Hong (Hangul: 김무홍; also rendered Kim Moo-Woong or Kim Moo-Hyun) who was also a student under Choi Yong-Sool. After studying with Choi, Kim went to a Buddhist temple and learned a local kicking art there. Traveling to Seoul in 1961 he lived and trained with Ji for a period of 8 months and together, implementing the kicking methods they had both learned, they finalized the kicking curriculum for hapkido, significantly expanding it to include kicks to higher targets, spinning kicks and jumping kicks, none of which were originally part of the system taught by Choi Yong-Sool.