through their perceptions, understanding, and communicative abilities.
Martial arts are reflections of the cultures that create them, and as the cul-
tures change, so do their martial arts. They are modified to meet the needs
of the cultures as they grow and interact with other cultures. Martial com-
bative forms are adaptive to pressures that exert themselves on and
threaten a culture from without and from within.
Warfare between the Ming and Qing dynasties of China; the invasion
of the Mongol hordes; Japanese encroachments on the Korean peninsula;
political strife between the Three Kingdoms of Koryo, Paekje, and Silla;
and constant battles with Chinese and Japanese pirates helped to shape
muye do, generally, and Haedong Kumdô, specifically. However, while all
of these forces exerted some form of influence on what is now called Hae-
dong Kumdô, to say that Haedong Kumdô is Chinese or Japanese is incor-
rect. The Koreans have a propensity for assimilating things from alien cul-
tures and making them uniquely Korean. This is true of kumdô. The
Koreans combined their own indigenous sword forms (Bonkukgum) and
philosophies with those of external origin to create Shimgum.
Shimgum is the soul of Korea, a way and manner of wielding the
sword that reflect the hearts and minds of the Korean people. It is the dis-
tilled essence of the collective martial experiences of the Koreans through-
out their long history. But Shimgum is more than a philosophy and a train-
ing method. It is the external expression of the Korean soul and character.
What is contained within the heart and mind is reflected without through
Shimgum.
Paldo/Chakgum
An example of Shimgum is the practice of paldo/chakgum. Paldo/chakgum
is the practice of drawing the sword, cutting, and returning the sword to its
scabbard (kumchip). In Haedong Kumdô, paldo are used to open the pum-
sae and chakgum are used to close the sets. Paldo/chakgum are also taught
as individual pumsae, outside of the kumbup. Most of the paldo/chakgum
used in Haedong Kumdô are derived from Japanese iaidôkata (forms). It
must be remembered, however, that while the origins of these forms are
alien to Korea, they are studied as a part of Shimgum. Iaidô is an art form
and kendô is a sport. While these arts are the legacy of martial forms, they
have long been divorced from their practical martial heritage. The All
Japan Kendô Federation did not formalize the seitei gata (representative
forms) for iaidô until 1968. Additional forms were added to its curriculum
in 1980 as a result of dissatisfaction among kendô practitioners who felt
the required forms were inadequate to learn true swordsmanship. Haedong
Kumdô has made a concentrated effort over the years to avoid becoming
solely an aesthetic art form or a popular sport. Shimgum is a martial art.
Swordsmanship, Korean/Hankuk Haedong Kumdô 601