Tang Soo Do
| Also known as | Dang Soo Do, Kong Soo Do |
|---|---|
| Country of origin |
 Korea
|
| Founder | Won Kuk Lee, Hwang Kee |
| Ancestor arts | Shotokan Karate |
| Descendant arts | Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo, Chun Kuk Do, Soo Bahk Do, Kajukenbo Moo Soo Do |
| Tang Soo Do | |
| Hangul | 당수도 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 唐手道 |
| Revised Romanization | Dangsudo |
| McCune–Reischauer | Tangsudo |
Tang Soo Do (Hangul: 당수도, pronounced [taŋsʰudo]) is a Korean martial art incorporating fighting principles from subak (as described in the Kwon Bup Chong Do), as well as northern Chinese kung fu. The techniques of what is commonly known as Tang Soo Do combine elements of shotokan karate, subak, taekkyon, and kung fu.
"Tang Soo Do" (당수도) is the Korean pronunciation of the Hanja 唐手道 (pronounced Táng shǒu dào in Chinese), and translates literally to "The Way of the Chinese Hand"
The same characters can be pronounced "karate-dō" in Japanese. In the early 1930s, approximately 55 years after Japan's annexation of Okinawa,Gichin Funakoshi in coordination with others changed the first character, 唐, which referred to the Chinese Tang Dynasty, to 空, signifying "empty"; both characters can be pronounced "kara" in Japanese. Funakoshi ostensibly wanted to avoid confusion with Chinese Kenpō. Funakoshi claimed Okinawan Karate could "now be considered a Japanese martial art" and found the China reference "inappropriate" and "in a sense degrading". The Chinese pronunciation of 空手道 is kōng-shǒu-dào, and the Korean is pronounced [koŋsʰudo](공수도).
Outside of the Far East, the term "Tang Soo Do" has primarily become synonymous with the Korean martial art promoted by grandmaster Hwang Kee.
Beyond Won Kuk Lee, several other practitioners formed kwans in the area. By the 1960s, there were nine major kwans, which were based on an original five: 1) the Chung Do Kwan (Won Kuk Lee), 2) Moo Duk Kwan (Hwang Kee), 3) Song Moo Kwan (Ro Byung Jick), 4) Chang Moo Kwan (Yoon Byung-In), and 5) Jidokwan (Chun Sang Sup). Chun's original style, Yun Mu Kwan karate ("kongsudo" in Korean) became "Jidokwan" when his students found new teachers after his disappearance in the Korean War and the new name (meaning "Hall of Wisdom's Way") was adopted.
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