Who's Who in
Tukong Moosul
Eun Kwang Bup Sa
Wonik Yi |
Tukong Moosul (more accurately, Teuk-gong
Musul, Korean 특공무술, meaning literally "Special Forces Martial Art")
officially began as the self-defense system of the South Korean
Special Forces. It is widely used by South Korean special warfare
units, such as the elite 707 Special Mission Battalion. The roots of
Tukong run much deeper, its origins can be traced back many
generations, to the Dae Yeon Sa Temple in South Korea.
The martial artist practicing Tukong Moosul is trained in four
areas, based upon the distance theory. The four areas include
Throwing (leverage techniques), Punching (hand techniques), Kicking
(foot techniques), and Weapons (extended body techniques).
The Dae Yeon Sa Temple has origins as
early as 1200 CE. Dae Yeon Am, meaning "Great Achievement Place,"
was the predecessor to Dae Yeon Sa. Founded by Ji Suk and two other
masters in North Korea, they practiced Buddhism without the Martial
Arts. The arrival of Song Jae and Bup Kwang at the temple marked the
establishment of Martial Arts at the temple around 1269 CE.
Around 1692, the temple was moved to South Korea and the name was
changed from Dae Yeon Am to Dae Yeon Sa ("Great Achievement
Temple"). From this point, three masters from China joined and
continued to develop the Martial Arts being practiced at the temple.
This explains why Tukong Moosul exhibits both hard and a soft styles
(or external and internal styles). Strong undertones relating to
Chinese Tai Chi were incorporated, and the internal form of Tukong
Moosul known as Ip Sun was created, analogous to Chinese Tai Chi.
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-enlightenment. These
temples are ones of sanctuary and privacy, and are not open for
public visitation. A few of the temples in Korea are of 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
died 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 Yi's
Grandmaster and greatest mentor influencing, molding, and guiding 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. Wonik Yi's goal, in
honor of Eun Kwang Bup Sa, is to offer to his students the
knowledge, wisdom and philosophy that he has acquired through his
training.
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. In addition to his training
in Moosul, Yi also trained in Shaolin (Kung Fu) style martial arts.
Due to this, there are many similarities between Tukong Moosul and
Shaolin martial arts.
While he was in the special forces, Yi's commander, Chang Ki Oh, 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. 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 several hundred thousand South Korean military and
reserve soldiers training each year in the military version of
Tukong Martial Arts.
Wonik Yi came to America in 1982 and has been teaching Tukong Moosul
in Austin, TX since then. The Tukong Moosul taught by Yi in the USA
is traditional and taught in the same styles and forms originating
in South Korea and under the guidance of his Master, Eun Kwang Bupsa,
at the temple.
Yi's 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.
Wonik Yi was granted the 9th degree
designation, which is the ultimate degree in martial arts, by his
master, Eun Kwang Bupsa, before he died in 1996. Yi also holds a
doctorate degree in education.
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