Demonstrations of the 24 martial arts of the Joseon Dynasty are held every day except Monday at Hwaseong Haenggung, the detached palace of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress. The demonstrations can be seen in front of Sinpungnu Pavilion at 2 p. m. on weekdays and at 3 p. m. on Sundays.
For a long time after the Joseon Dynasty was established in 1392, Korea suffered no major wars. But then came the Japanese invasions led by Hideyoshi Toyotomi (Imjin Waeran) in 1592 and the second Manzhou invasions of Korea in 1636 (Byeongja Horan), wars that devastated the land, depleted the country's finances and caused Koreans great suffering.
The authority of the king weakened while the voices of the court officials rose. The civil and military officials who governed the nation, far from looking after the affairs and livelihood of the people, engaged in endless political strife, naturally earning the resentment and criticism of the general populace.
It was in such a climate that Silhak, the school of "practical learning," arose in the late 17th century. Silhak, which emphasized a search for truth based on fact and practical use of human knowledge, became systemized and established as a philosophy among the leading intellects of the day who wanted to create a new kind of society. The Silhak scholars believed that academic study would help the nation to prosper and the people to lead more affluent lives.
The 24 disciplines of the military arts, or "muye 24 gi" were established under the influence of Silhak thought. To be more precise, this refers to the 24 disciplines of the military arts described in detail in the book Muye Dobo Tongji (The Comprehensive Illustrated Manual of the Martial Arts of Ancient Korea) that was published in 1790, the 14th year of the reign of King Jeongjo.
The 24 disciplines of the military arts are described in detail in the book Muye Dobo Tongji (The Comprehensive Illustrated Manual of the Martial Arts of Ancient Korea) that was published in 1790,the 14th year of the reign of King Jeongjo.
The importance placed on the 24 martial arts was spurred by Korea's painful history of war. After the devastating Hideyoshi Invasions, Koreans realized that success in war depended not only on the traditional bows and arrows, canons and strong battle formation, but also martial arts that had been neglected such as spear throwing and sword fighting. Thus in 1598, King Seonjo ordered the compilation of the book Muye Jebo, a training manual that explained six Chinese fighting methods, such as use of the long spear (jangchang) and long sword (ssangsudo). In 1604 the book Gwonbo was published explaining empty-hand fighting, and in 1610, during the reign of King Gwanghaegun, the book Muye Jebo Beonyeok Sokjip. Later, Crown Prince Sado ordered the publication of Muye Sinbo, which explained 18 martial arts. King Jeongjo, son of Sado, ascended the throne in 1776 and he added four mounted martial arts to the existing 18 and ordered that soldiers be trained in all of them. From 1785, these military arts were the subjects of military service exams, and in 1790, in order to enhance training for the cavalry, mounted arts and gyeokgu, a sport similar to polo, were added to the manual to complete the set of 24 martial arts that are handed down to this day. These were complied into an illustrated manual titled Muye Dobo Tongji by Jangyongyeong, a military unit in charge of guarding the palace that King Jeongjo had created.
Muye Dobo Tongji, one of the best martial arts manuals in Asia, was the product of the joint efforts of the Joseon king and the best military and civil officials of the day. It was distributed not only to Jangyongyeong but also to other central and provincial military units to be used as a textbook for training.
A compilation of the best martial arts of China, Japan and Korea, Muye Dobo Tongji was put together by two of the leading Silhak scholars of the day, Lee Deok-mu and Park Je-ga. As a result, it is a manual based on the philosophy of Silhak which stressed the implementation of realistic policies, and that the people take practical jobs, scholars make practical books, soldiers train in practical arts, merchants sell practical goods, and craftsmen make practical items. Ultimately, Muye Dobo Tongji is the product of a great king, Jeongjo, the soldiers who protected the country with their lives, and the Silhak scholars who tried to build a rich country with strong defense. In other words the book is a precious cultural property, an expression of the Silhak spirit based on a long history and real life experience of war, and also the symbol of independent defense of the nation.These days, the 24 martial arts practiced by the soldiers of Jangyongyeong are being revived. Every morning at 5:30 a.m., members of the community from students in their 20s to senior citizens in their 70s gather at Yeonmudae at Suwon Hwaseong Fortress to practice the 24 martial arts, their shouts cutting through the morning air.
This morning drill is aimed at disseminating the traditional 24 martial arts among the citizens under a project to create a "historical and cultural town," with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Korean Cultural Centers Federation.
But what is the connection between the traditional 24 martial arts and the fortress walls of Suwon Hwaseong? In 1784, King Jeongjo inaugurated a martial arts examination to honor the memory of his father, late Crown Prince Sado, who had been locked in a rice chest until he starved to death. Among the successful candidates, those who excelled in the military arts were chosen to form the king's personal corps of guards called Jangyongwi.
Jangyongwi was renamed Jangyongyeong in 1788 and became firmly established as a military unit. It was expanded and reorganized into the inner unit, Naeyeong that looked after the capital and the outer unit, Oeyeong that looked after Suwon Hwaseong and the outskirts of the capital. It eventUally became bigger and more important than the existing unit, Ogunyeong.
This mighty military corps of King Jeongjo practiced the 24 martial arts as their prime training method and worked hard to maximize their fighting capabilities. Therefore, the place that trained the finest warriors of the day was Jangyongyeong, which trained at Suwon Hwaseong, the fortress built to protect the tomb of Crown Prince Sado and the Hwaseong Haenggung Palace, and the place where the Oeyeong was stationed. Yeonmudae at Hwaseong is where the soldiers of Jangyongyeong actually trained in shooting, riding, spear throwing and sword fighting.
Suwon Hwaseong is not just an ordinary fortress; it is the place where the 24 martial arts of the Muye Dobo Tongji are still alive, and a symbol of the filial piety of King Jeongjo, Silhak thought and the determination to defend the nation.
At Yeonmudae, the pavilion inside the fortress where the Joseon soldiers trained, the spirit of the traditional martial arts is being revived. Every day at dawn, the shouts of those drilling in the 24 martial arts that were used to defend the nation through countless wars and that formed the spiritual base for independence fighters as they battled to regain Korea from Japanese colonial rule, break through the morning air.
Source: Pictorial Korea - October 2005
