Hwa Rang Do is a Korean martial art which was formed in its contemporary practice by
Dr. Joo Bang Lee and his brother, Joo Sang Lee. Hwa Rang Do trains and
promotes self defense techniques, spiritual instruction, academic
improvement, and creative. Hwa Rang Do has a broad history, and a very
elaborate formation
Hwa is the Korean character for flower or the act of blooming.
Rang means man, on occasion used as a suffix in official titles.
The term Hwarang does not exactly indicate "youth" or "boys
Hwa rang do is translated as "Flower Knights" , "Flower Youths." Or
"The way of the Flowering Manhood"
Hwarang leaders were also sometimes referred to as state immortals Hwa Rang Do was named after the Hwarang, an influential youth order of the Silla kingdom
during the Three-Kingdoms period, in what is now Korea. The Hwarang were an
rank of youths, typically from noble families, who were educated in artistic,
educational, and military subjects . Although the organizer and practitioners
of Hwa Rang Do maintain that their system is inborn from the warfare technique used by
the Hwarang, there is a great deal of disagreement among contemporary historians
about whether or not the Hwarang were largely a warrior organization
The claims and investigation of various historians dispute Joo Bang Lee's
allegation that Hwa Rang Do is a martial art resulting from the fighting techniques
of an ancient warrior order. In addition to the aforementioned dispute regarding the
nature of the Hwarang order itself, it is known that he and his brother were both
skilled in
other martial arts, from which the techniques of Hwa Rang Do could have been.
It is a universal allegation amongst martial artists and historians that contemporary
Korean
martial arts were in fact derived from the martial arts of other countries (mainly Japan)
Japan tried to overwrite the native Korean civilization in their occupation of the Korea
during WWII. Joo Bang Lee's detractors claim that Hwa Rang Do is an mixture of other,
Japan-originated arts Joo Bang Lee learned, namely hapkido. Joo Bang Lee himself
admitted, in the aforementioned interview, that in 1961 his own school was promoted
hwa rang do and hapkido.
Photographs taken from demonstrations organized by his school in the late 1960's display logos commonly associated with kuk sool won and hapkido.
In Hwa Rang Do, there are over 4,000 techniques, in addition to 108 weapons.
In Hwa Rang Do, students are given belt or sashes to indicate their advancement Before
first dan (first black), the belt ranks goes from white
to half-black:
White Sash: Coo Kub (ninth grade)
Orange Sash: Pal Kub (eighth grade
Yellow Sash: Chil Kub (seventh grade)
Green Sash: Yuk Kub (sixth grade)
Purple Sash: Oh Kub (fifth grade)
Blue Sash: Sa Kub (fourth grade)
Brown Sash: Sum Kub (third grade)
Red Sash: E Kub (second grade)
Half-black sash: Il Kub (first grade)
After receiving a black belt sash, a student earns the title of
instructor or (Jo Kyo Nim) Additionally, every degree of black belt has its
own title. Notice that there can only ever be one
ninth degree and one tenth degree at any one time
Cho Dan: first degree black
Jo Kyo Nim (Assistant instructor)
E Dan: second degree black belt
Kyo Sa Nim (Instructor)
Sam Dan: third degree black
Sa Bum Nim (Head Instructor)
Sa Dan: fourth degree black belt
Susuk Sa Bum Nim (Chief Instructor)
Oh Dan: fifth degree black
Kwan Jang Nim (Master)
Yuk Dan: sixth degree black
Chil Dan: seventh degree black
Su Suk Kwan Jang Nim (Chief Master)
Pal Dan: eighth degree black
Kuk Sa Nim or Chong Kwan (Grandmaster)
Gu Dan: ninth degree black
Kuk Sun (Head Grandmaster)
Ship Dan: tenth degree black
Do Joo Nim (Supreme Grandmaster)