Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 18:52:07 -0800 (PST) From: the_dojang-request@martialartsresource.net Subject: The_Dojang digest, Vol 9 #65 - 4 msgs X-Mailer: Mailman v2.0.8 MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Sender: the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net Errors-To: the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net X-BeenThere: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.8 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net List-Help: List-Post: X-Subscribed-Address: rterry@idiom.com List-Subscribe: List-Id: The Internet's premier discussion forum on Korean Martial Arts. List-Unsubscribe: Status: OR Send The_Dojang mailing list submissions to the_dojang@martialartsresource.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to the_dojang-request@martialartsresource.net You can reach the person managing the list at the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of The_Dojang digest..." <<--------------- The_Dojang mailing list --------------->> Serving the Internet since June 1994. Copyright 1994-2002: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource The Internet's premier discussion forum devoted to Korean Martial Arts. See the Korean Martial Arts (KMA) FAQ and the online search engine for back issues of The_Dojang at http://MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! Today's Topics: 1. History - part 8 (Ray Terry) 2. Titles (Ray Terry) 3. [Eskrima] Guru/Enlightment/long (Ray Terry) 4. Edward Sell article (Ray Terry) --__--__-- Message: 1 From: Ray Terry To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Date: Fri, 08 Feb 2002 16:32:09 PST Subject: [The_Dojang] History - part 8 Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Colonial history - part 8 Preservation of Korean Culture A group of about 10 Korean teachers in private schools organized the Korean Language Society (Joseon Eohakhoe) in December 1921, with the mission of "contributing to the education of our next generation by studying the principles of the Korean language." The Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo dailies and monthly magazines rendered full cooperation to the Korean language movement. The Chosun Ilbo designated a Hangeul Day, when the daily carried a special supplement presenting treatises by scholars specializing in the study of the Korean language. A journal devoted to Han-geul was published and by 1932 had secured for itself a firm position as the organ of the Korean Language Society, which not only conducted research but also subsidized scholars faced with financial difficulty. The society fixed a new spelling system for the Korean language in 1933 and standardized Korean and the transcription system of foreign words. Also, the task of editing and publishing a Korean dictionary was undertaken in 1929 and continuously pursued by the society. Choe Hyeonbae's works on Korean grammar and linguistic theory contributed immensely to the promotion of the national language movement under Japanese rule. Meanwhile, the daily newspapers launched a mass enlightenment campaign. The Dong-A Ilbo adopted the newly proclaimed spelling system April 1, 1933, and the Chosun Ilbo soon followed suit. Furthermore, the newspapers sponsored a literacy campaign, enlisting the participation of middle school students. The Chosun Ilbo upheld the slogan, "the Movement toward the People." However, beginning in October 1942, leading members of the society were arrested and imprisoned, and only the Japanese surrender of August 15, 1945, ended the long ordeal of some of these patriots. The Japanese embarked upon rewriting Korean history from a strongly Japan-centered viewpoint which tried to denigrate the nation. Korean historians in their struggle for independence had to refute and discredit the Japanese historiography on Korea, and describe the results of Japanese aggression as they witnessed it. Bak Eunsik, Sin Chaeho, An Jaehong and Jeong Inbo made the most outstanding contributions by refuting the distorted history of the Japanese colonial scholars. Bak Eunsik (1861-1926) attempted to find the means to convey to contemporary Koreans and future generations the reality of the nation's efforts to achieve overall reform, and to do justice to Korean experiences during the armed resistance against alien invaders. During his exile, he wrote two books with cooperation from his colleagues. These books, which were published at the same time, made a lasting impact upon the minds of Koreans. Song Sangdo (1871-1946) was a unique researcher who compiled biographies of each of the independence fighters after gathering facts through on-the-spot inquiries. Undertaken under the shadow of Japanese surveillance and oppression, his work, concentrating on the period between 1919 to 1945, supplemented Pak EUn-shik's works dealing with activities abroad until 1919. Sin Chaeho (1880-1936), who wrote on the early history of Korea, actively participated in the armed independence movement in Manchuria, Shanghai and Beijing. He continuously made public the results of his studies on Korean history. Modern literature, written in Hangeul, called upon the public to achieve social and national awakening, and sought to absorb the spiritual heritage of modern European literature. Two main streams developed in the process of absorbing foreign literature: one group of writers produced satirical works in an effort to stimulate a spirit of independence and patriotism, while the other group looked to foreign influences in their efforts to stimulate modernization in Korea. Bak Eunsik, Sin Chaeho and An Gukseon produced works belonging to the first category, and representative among writers of the second group included Yi Injik. Both groups suffered from the degradation of their spiritual ethos under Japanese domination. The essence of modern Korean literature can be found in the literary activities of a group of writers who in the 1920s contemplated the colonial reality from a nationalist viewpoint and tried to overcome their dilemma through literary works. The move toward what was called "new literature," replacing the traditional literature, started as early as 1908. It was impossible for Korean writers to produce enlightening works before 1919, because of the press law forced upon the Korean government in 1907. The Government-General allowed the Koreans publish their works only through the Maeil Shinbo, the Japanese propaganda medium in Korean; thus it was difficult to create a literature reflecting the true Korean consciousness. In 1919 Kim Dong-in and Kim Eok founded a literary magazine, Changjo (Creation) marking the starting point of modern Korean literature. The magazine was followed by Pyeheo (The Ruins), published in 1920 by Hwang Seogu and Yeom Sangseop; Baekjo (White Tide) published in 1922 by Yi Sanghwa and Hyeon Jingeon; and Geumseong (Gold Star) published in 1923 by Yi Janghui and Yang Judong. Through such literary works, these writers tried to grasp the dominant current of thought and show the future course Korea should take. Other literary magazines which appeared during the 1920s and 1930s laid the basis for the future development of modern Korean literature. Almost all of these magazines were ordered to discontinue publication in the 1940s as the Japanese tightened their grip with the spread of their aggressive war to the Pacific and all of Southeast Asia. The important task of the 1920s was to work out ways of introducing foreign elements into literary works dealing with the reality of colonial rule in Korea. Sim Hun's Sangnoksu (Evergreen Tree, 1943) was based on the theme of rural development pursued by the Koreans. Yi Gi-yeong's Gohyang (The Home Country, 1932) described the process of infiltration of Japanese colonial capital into the rural areas. In these works and others, the poverty of Korean rural villages of the 1930s was delineated with a romantic touch. Hong Myeonghui's Im Kkeokjeong described a confrontation between corrupt government officials and a group of bandits led by Im Kkeokjeong and stirred the people's antagonism toward Japanese colonial rule. There were many poets as well who appealed to the national sentiment. Perhaps the greatest pioneer of modern poetry was Han Yong-un. His Nimui Chimmuk (The Silence of My Beloved, 1925) expressed his affection for a homeland deprived of sovereignty. The beautiful spirit of another poet, Yi Sanghwa, sang his boundless love of his homeland in a symbolic way, and Yi Yuksa, who was arrested, imprisoned and tortured to death by the Japanese military police, expressed his endless hope for the future of his fatherland. These were the main themes in the Korean literary spirit throughout the colonial period. Yeom Sangseop was one writer who pursued national consciousness in historical perspective. He tried to describe the independence struggle in the 1920s in terms of the interaction between nationalism and communism. In Samdae (The Three Generations, 1932), a literary masterpiece, he gave expression to the dilemmas and frictions faced by Koreans in the process of transition from a traditional to a capitalist society. In deriving their themes from such transitional phenomena, writers of the 1930s had to part from Yeom's naturalistic, realistic style and resort to satirical touches. One of these writers, Chae Mansik, made his debut late in the 1930s. His Taepyeongchun (The Peaceful Spring on Earth, 1937) ridicules the outdated vestiges still found in colonized Korea, and his Tangnyu (The Muddy Stream, 1941) satirizes Korean society in general, sharply criticizing Japanese capital for its devastating effect on Korean society. Singanhoe: A Unified National Organization Founded on February 15, 1927 in Korea under the Japanese rule, Singanhoe (New Stem Association) was a unified national organization. The association attempted to form a joint front by combining leaders of the nationalist and Communist camps. The plan to organize Singanhoe was first proposed by nationalist leaders keenly realizing the necessity of combining leaders of the nationalists and Communists into one of the various independence organizations. The Communist camp, under a directive from the Comintern, also felt the need of forming a joint front in cooperation with the nationalist camp. At the time of its founding, Singanhoe was headed by Yi Sangjae, president, An Jaehong, secretary-general, and Hong Myeonghui, in charge of organization. Yi Seungbok distinguished himself in raising operational funds. From the beginning, the association was subjected to extreme oppression by the Japanese police. Although not all of the aims of the association proclaimed upon its inception were implemented, its main platform - the call for political and economic awakening, unity of purpose and rejection of any compromise with Japan - continued to be the ideological mainstay of the association. The association sponsored local meetings which were aimed at discussing such measures as: the exemption of school fees for children of proletarian families; demands for the teaching of the Korean language; opposition to the Japanese emigration policy; the denunciation of compromising political movements; abolition of the "Laws and Ordinances of 1919" and of special control laws against Koreans (laws aimed at oppressing the nationalist and Communist movements); opposition to all county agricultural associations (Japan's exploitation agencies); enforcement of education for the benefit of Koreans; the acquisition of freedom for the study of social sciences; opposition to imperialistic colonial education policy; and the abolition of hyanggyo and acquisition of the right to dispose of property. The Singanhoe was, however, plagued by disunity and pressure from the Comintern, which soon ordered the Korean Communists to work for its dissolution. Early in 1931 the leftist leaders of Singanhoe asked for its dissolution. The Busan branch was disbanded, and at a Seoul meeting on May 16, 1931, the resistance organization finally disappeared, succumbing to maneuvering by its left-wing elements. Its nationalist leaders were arrested by the police, and there emerged no other resistance organization of comparable scale that replaced it. (almost done) --__--__-- Message: 2 From: Ray Terry To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Date: Sat, 09 Feb 2002 7:51:08 PST Subject: [The_Dojang] Titles Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Just something from the US MA Assoc and Philip S. Porter. Porter is very well known in the Judo circles and has been active in the martial arts for over 60 years. Some of his (well known) teachers were Sumiyuki Kotani (10th Dan in Judo), Trevor Pryce Leggett (9th in Judo), Tadao Otaki (9th in Judo) and Walter Todd (9th in Karate). Classification of martial arts titles... Students: 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree Black Belts are students. They are sometimes call 1st degree = Advanced Student = 2 to 5 years of training. 2nd Degree = Senior Student = up to 10 years of training. 3rd Degree = Senior Advanced Student = up to 15 years of training. Skillful Technicians: 4th and 5th Degree Black Belts are skillful technicians. They are sometimes called "Renshi" in Japanese. 4th Degree = Skilled Martial Artist = up to 20 years of training. 5th Degree = Senior Skilled Martial Artist = up to 25 years of training. Teachers: 6th and 7th Degree Black Belts are teachers. They are sometimes called "Kiyoshi" in Japanese. 6th Degree = Teacher = up to 30 years training and teaching. 7th Degree = Senior Teacher = up to 35 years training and teaching. National Leaders: 8th Degree Black Belts are "National Leaders" or "Important People" of the Martial Arts. They are often called "Hanshi". 8th Degree = Important Person of the Martial Arts = about 40 years of teaching, leading, and training in the Martial Arts. Masters: 9th and 10th Degree Black Belts are Master or Grandmasters of the Martial Art. They are often call "Hanshi". 9th Degree = Master = about 45 years leading, teaching and training in the martial arts. 10th Degree = Grandmaster = about 50 years leading, teaching and training in the Martial Arts. 10th Degrees traditionally wear a solid red belt. --__--__-- Message: 3 From: Ray Terry To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Date: Sat, 09 Feb 2002 18:14:57 PST Subject: [The_Dojang] [Eskrima] Guru/Enlightment/long Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Just fyi... I crossposted the Guru question/comment posted here over to the Eskrima list in hopes of demonstrating how sensitive folks can be about titles. No need to respond to these questions as I have no interest in posting them back to the Eskrima list. (Note: I did not crosspost over there the name of the originator. But Pak Vic and his brothers are so well known in martial arts circles that I didn't bother attempting to filter out the many items that would have identified him.) I posted that email over there in hopes of educating -them- wrt their own concerns over use of the title Master in the Japanese, Korean, etc arts. Heck, Master and Grandmaster and GreatGrandMaster are even used in Eskrima, yet it isn't all that common. Bottom line, terms like Tuhon, Guro, Guru, MaHa Guru, Sensei, Master, Sifu, Pendekar, Hanshi, etc used in a studio/dojang/kwoon/dojo/tjabang/kendang (or just backyard) -essentially- mean instructor/teacher. Yet when we are used to hearing and using Guro, Master seems highly pretentious. Just as those used to hearing and saying Master may feel uneasy using the title MaHa Guru. My $0.02 worth, viva la difference. Ray Forwarded message: Selamat all: Mas Ray, no Idea who the post was from, but as it is this the United States Called Free Speach. Here a question to the person of that post: 1. Who are you? that you can speak with such authority of Indonesian/Indian Culture? 2. Who are you to judge, who "GURU TUA" Dan Inosanto is? 3. Who and were have you gotten your schooling in the Mah Hat Mah? 4. Who are you? and How old are you? 5. Who are you to attached Spiritual meanings to a Pentjak Silat Serak Guru? 6. Who are you? to ask what is a Indonesian Guru vs Indian Guru? 7. What are the Seven Enlightment Structures of Guidence? These questions are directed to You pretender of knowledge with the jealous heart! Please enlighten this forum with you guided wisdom. Or if you wish please send us private emails to either this forum or to Seraksatu@aol.com And if you can not SIR!, then kindly play in your sandbox that seems limited in the broader enlightment of the spirit from within. Come back in thirty years from now, maybe by then you have grown in wisdom, so you can stand even in the shadow of GURU TUA Dan Inosanto or even in the Shadow of any true Guru mentioned in the Ring of Fire or any True Guru that has many years of practice and enlightment within their structure and heart, and guided others to the enlightment in what ever their goal was or still is. Guru Tua Dan Inosanto, Founder of the Inosanto Academy has, enlightend hunderds, No! Thousands of folks from the early sixties. Have you? I doubt it very much. So, we all know that Guru Dan is a Exceptional Martial Artist, so you realy did not have to bring that up about Sifu Bruce that is old news. If you were or belief what a Guru is then for a certainty, bring us in the light and not keep us with old news that is when we all were in the dark. Looks to me you failed in your own quest to do so. May the spirit of Sifu Bruce rest, appearently you found it necessary to bring Sifu Bruce out. Let his great spirit rest in peace please. Sifu Bruce a brother in Guru Dan's Heart and Spirit and they were very close. So YOU!, Jealous of the fact that Guru Dan has Enlightend the folks world wide are you? This is not an post of anger to you, but a post so you may learn, and find your door. "So You" can come back after the years of humble learning of enlightment. Be well, and may "YOU" ""Hold on tight in what you see in your hand, should you not, then the value can slip like the sands of the desert and your spirit may wander as the eternal wanderer in darkness. For it is the true GURU that can lead you to the light were ever you spirit needs to go"" By Pak Vic (C) 1956 --__--__-- Message: 4 From: Ray Terry To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Date: Sat, 09 Feb 2002 19:26:12 PST Subject: [The_Dojang] Edward Sell article Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net There is an article on Grandmaster Edward Sell in the latest issue of the WTF Taekwondo quarterly magazine. It starts with... Edward Sell Becomes First Non-Korean to Earn 9th Dan The first 9th Dan black belt holder among non-Korean taekwondoists was born through a promotion test at the Kukkiwon in Seoul last September. He is Edward Sell of the United States. It is nothing strange for him to reach the highest level one can attain through the martial art practice for the first time among non-Koreans because he was the first American to earn a 3rd Dan black belt and the first foreigner to get a 4th Dan black belt. The 9th Dan black belt had been granted only to 238 Koreans. ... Sell started practicing the Korean martial art in 1961 when he served as a military police at the US Air Force base in Osan, a city located about 100 kilometers south of Seoul. After eight years of taekwondo practice he returned to his home state of Florida ... Grandmaster Sell is also on the cover of the latest issue of Taekwondo Times. Congrats to him on this honor! Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com --__--__-- _______________________________________________ The_Dojang mailing list The_Dojang@martialartsresource.net http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang It's a great day for Taekwondo! Support the USTU by joining today. US Taekwondo Union, 1 Olympic Plaza, Ste 104C, Colorado Spgs, CO 80909 719-578-4632 FAX 719-578-4642 ustutkd1@aol.com http://www.ustu.org Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com. Copyright 1994-2002: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply. Remember 9-11! End of The_Dojang Digest