Hwa Rang Do® - The Way of the Flowering Knights - is a Korean martial art with roots more that 1800 years back in history.
The martial skills we today know as Hwa Rang Do® was originally practiced by Korean elite troops, whose armed and unarmed techniques made them feared and admired all over Asia. Hwa Rang Do® has since been preserved from generation to generation of especially chosen Buddhist monks (then under the name of Um-Yang Kwon, which is no longer in use) and has spread across the world during the last 50+ years.
The Hwarang warriors had much in common with the later Japanese samurai. Both classes consisted of professional, noble warriors who prefectioned their martial art to the outmost. Both classes was also subject to moral and ethical norms which limited the use of their knowledge and abilities. Hwa Rang Do® (or Um-Yang Kwon) was created as a military system, designed for the battlefield, not for sport or competitions.
Around the 14th century the Hwarang fell into disfavour when Silla was conquered by a new Korean kingdom, and several of the Hwarangs took refuge in remote mountain temples. It was in these temples that the martial art of the Hwarang has been preserved until today.
During the early 1940's two boys, Joo Bang Lee and Joo Sang Lee were accepted as the only students of the Buddhist monk Suahm Dosa. In the 1960's the brothers received permission from Suahm Dosa and the Korean government to publicly demonstrate and teach Hwa Rang Do® in Korea. This marked the first time in more than 500 years that the martial skills of the Hwarang were taught in public.
When Suahm Dosa passed away in 1969, Dr. Joo Bang Lee was appointed the 58th generation grandmaster. Since then Hwa Rang Do® has spread all over the world.
More information go to www.HwaRangDo.com or click below for:
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The name Hwa Rang Do® has now been internationally trademarked in an effort to protect the integrity and proud tradition of this martial art; thus preventing it from turning generic.