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———. 1991.Korean Martial Arts Resource Newsletter.4 issues.Korean Martial Arts, Chinese Influences on
The earliest archaeological evidence of Korean martial arts practices can be
seen in a tomb in northeast China, an area under the Koguryo Kingdom
(37 B.C.–A.D. 668), but colonized and under Chinese military control be-
tween 108 B.C. and A.D. 313. The wall murals at this site include one scene
that depicts wrestling (juedi in Chinese and kakjo in Korean), and another
with two men rushing at each other, which has been interpreted by some as
depicting boxing (shouboin Chinese and subakin Korean). Whether or not
the latter scene actually depicts boxing as opposed to wrestling remains a
matter of conjecture. In any case, the Chinese and other peoples bordering
China all appear to have practiced wrestling.
The Former Han History(completed in A.D. 83), covering the period
206 B.C.–A.D. 24, reveals that, during this time, Chinese martial arts had al-
ready developed to a relatively high degree of sophistication, with a clear
distinction made between wrestling and boxing practices. Although there
are no adequate Korean references to the martial arts prior to the Koryo
History(completed in 1451, and covering the period 918–1392), its cita-
tions provide evidence that the Koreans maintained a strict distinction be-
tween wrestling and boxing in the military, similar to the Chinese pattern,
which they may have emulated as far back as the Koguryo period. This
practice was continued at least into the fifteenth century, as confirmed in
the Veritable Records of the Yi Dynasty.
During the end of the eighteenth century, King Jongjo displayed an in-
terest in military affairs and commissioned a book on martial skills, which
was completed by Yi Dok-Mu in 1790 under the title Encyclopedia of Il-
lustrated Martial Arts Manuals.Yi Dok-Mu’s Encyclopediaoffers a fairly
comprehensive view of traditional Korean and Chinese martial arts prac-
tices up to that time. It draws on research from numerous Chinese sources,
Korean Martial Arts, Chinese Influences on 299