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The History Of TukongMoosul

The origin of the Dae Yeon Sa Temple can be traced to AD 1200 years. The first original Temple was Dae Yeon Am, meaning "Great Achievement Place". It was located in North Korea, and founded by Master Ji Suk along with two other masters. During this time the masters practiced Buddhism without the Martial Arts. It was only after Master Song Jae and Master Bup Kwang came to the temple that the practice of Martial Arts began around AD 1269.

Several hundred years later, the temple moved to South Korea (1692) and the name changed from Dae Yeon Am to Dae Yeon Sa ("Great Achievement Temple"). At that time, three masters from China joined and continued to develop the Martial Arts. That is why the origin of the Tukong Moosul system is both a hard and soft style, a blending of Chinese and Korean techniques. In 1965, Grandmaster Wonik Yi went to the temple and began training in Buddhism and the Martial Arts.

In Korea there are two types of Buddhist temples. One is similar to a church of missionary work and is open to all people. The other is solely for individuals who wish to seek self-enlightment. These temples are ones of sanctuary and privacy, and are not open for public visitation. A few of the temples in Korea choose the later type. The Dae Yeon Sa Temple is a very traditional temple that teaches Buddhism and Martial Arts. This is the tradition that is taught to the students of Tukong Moosul today.

Eun Kwang Bup Sa was born in 1895 and passed away in 1996 at the age of 101 years. He was headmaster of Dae Yeon Sa Temple from 1955 until his passing. Eun Kwang Bup Sa was Master Yi's Grandmaster and greatest mentor influencing, molding, and guiding Master Yi for the rest of his life.

Eun Kwang Bup Sa taught "Jeong Shin Il Do, Ha Sa Bul Sung". Translated, this means that when one summons one's mind, heart (body), and spirit in one direction together, nothing is impossible and you can accomplish anything that you desire. Grandmaster Wonik Yi's goal, in honor of headmaster Eun Kwang Bup Sa, is to offer and pass forward to his students all of the knowledge, wisdom and philosophy that he has acquired through his years of training. The students that are willing to listen and work hard will find direction in their life; they will become humble beings, with a great understanding of self-accomplishment, self-esteem, and an understanding of the importance of life.

Grandmaster Wonik Yi entered Dae-Yeon temple at the age of five in 1964. He lived at the temple until the age of nineteen and trained in traditional Moosul (Martial Arts) until he joined the South Korean Special Forces to do his duty for his country.

While he was in the special forces, his commander, General Chang, and the Korean Government noticed his prominence in Martial Arts and asked him to devise a more modern, powerful, and effective fighting martial arts for the South Korea Special Forces and the military version of Tukong Martial Arts was born in February of 1978.

In the beginning, Tukong Moosul was called Tukjun Moosul. In 1980, Korean Military 26th division became Tukong Division and most other divisions started creating the Tukong Battalion.

There are now over a few hundred thousand South Korean military and reserve soldiers training each year in the military version of Tukong Martial Arts.

Grandmaster Wonik Yi came to America in 1982 and has been teaching Tukong Moosul ever since. The Tukong Moosul taught by Grandmaster Yi in the USA is very traditional and taught in the same way he learned from his Master, Eun Kwang Bupsa, at the temple.

His Tukong Moosul is the combination of this traditional ancient temple style which was developed through many generations from 1200 AD and the innovative modern style based on scientific research and theories.

Tukong Moosul taught by Grandmaster Yi consists of the following:

* Basic physical conditioning to optimize the human body's condition
* Advanced physical conditioning utilizing acupressure and acupuncture
* Basic and advanced body movements in forms and steps
* Traditional and modern weaponry
* Basic and advanced Ip-sun (Tai Chi)
* Ultimate Ki Kong (Ki Energy) Training

Grandmaster Wonik Yi was granted the 9th degree designation, which is the ultimate degree in martial arts, by his master, Eun Kwang Bupsa, before he passed away in 1996. Grandmaster Yi also holds a doctorate degree in education.

Grandmaster Wonik Yi's Tukong Moosul is evolving into a total philosophy of the human being. What he teaches is not just physical or mental martial arts. He teaches the students how to live their lives. That is because he strongly believes that the best way to predict the future of a human being is to create one.

Basic research would seem to suggest that this art blends the rudiments of hapkido and tae kwon do with the influences of internal/external northern Chinese martial arts like Long Fist and Northern Mantis. This means that it embraces (apparently) the more pragmatic approach of Korean martial arts, yet applies the internal energetics of Chinese technique.

In summation, what I am reading about this art indicates a hybridized traditional art with no specific focus but a wide range of different disciplinary techniques. Visual observation suggests that it shares striking technique with the WTF/ITF school of tae kwon do thought (for those playing the home game, that's the non-Olympic format, which is WTF). On a personal note, I do not believe that the Ip-sun techniques are equivalent to taijiquan, but are instead intended to replicate the moving qigong meditation of northern China (as tai chi has become somewhat generic and interchangeable with that term.) Also important to note is the obvious preference for Chinese weaponry, rather than the traditional Korean weaponry used in more typical, popular martial arts from that part of the world. While the katana is evident, so is the taiji long sword, the waxwood staff, and several other signature Shaolin weapons.

This is all based upon visual observation and the limited information I could find online. Most web sites seem primarily focused upon the history of the art, with little technical detail.