History of Hapkido

The history of Hapkido does not reach very far back in time, although it does have links with Korea's Buldo moo sool (Buddhist martial arts). The modern resurrection of the art is due to a man named Yong Shul Choi. In 1910 Choi went to Japan to study Daito ryu aiki-jitsu under Master Shokaku Ching Takeda. When he returned to his homeland 40 years later, he brought with him his style of Hapkido. At first the style was not well received, as it proved difficult to master. However, a stalwart group of individuals eventually mastered the entire dynamic system. This is the style responsible for…