About Kunmudo 군무도

 

Korean martial arts are military practices and methods which have their place in the history of Korea but have been adapted for use by both military and non-military personnel as a method of personal growth or recreation.

Kunmudo (군무도), alternatively spelled 'Gunmudo', is one of the Korean martial arts. It is based on dance, music and the martial art itself. The music utilises the gayageum, a Korean zither-like string instrument. In 1957, Jung-Hyo Ha founded a kunmudo-school, and started reforming the art along with his students.

Kunmudo is said to be a dance performed by ancient soldiers, and has its roots in the Silla kingdom (4th century). The Hwarang of this era were said to practise a martial art called 'Musa Chum', meaning 'sword dance' and might have been a predecessor of the modern form of Kunmudo.

The martial art itself contains both armed and unarmed techniques, and some of the weapons used includes Korean sword, spear and bow and arrow equivalents. The weapons training also include horseback riding. All techniques seem to switch between flowing elements reminiscent of T'ai chi, and explosive elements bearing some resemblance to Shaolin Kung Fu.

The current grandmaster of the system is Eung-Sun Kang, who travels around the world as an artistic dancer and martial arts instructor. There has also been some reports that seems to imply that Eung-Sun Kang has recently compiled his knowledge into a system called Poong Ryu Son Do, which includes kunmudo in its curriculum, but also includes other arts such as Vajra Zen Yoga.