|
 In 1936
Grandmaster Ji, Han-Jae was born in
Andong, Korea. In 1949, at the age
of 13, GM Ji began his training in the Korean Yu Kwan
Sool Hap Ki Dojang under GM Choi. GM Ji was one of GM
Choi’s best students. GM Ji studied at GM Choi until
1956. Afterwards he continued his
studies with a master named “Taoist Lee”, and here
learned the Tae Kyon kicks, Jang-Bong (long stick),
Dan-Bong (short stick) and techniques of meditation.
With a nun, (that he knew only as “Grandmother”),
he learned spiritua tech-l niques. In
1958 GM Ji left Taegu and returned
to Andong, where he opened up his own Dojang, named Sung
Moo Kwan. At that time he held the 3. Dan in Yu Kwan
Sool. Only nine moths later he moved to Seoul. Here, two
very famous Grand Masters, who later emigrated into the
USA, began their HapKiDo carrier. GM Han, Bong-Soo
(founder of the International Hapkido Federation) and GM
Myung, Kwang-Sik (founder of the Wold Hapkido
Federation). Later he awarded them both the 9. Dan. Han,
Bong-Soo 1984 and Myung, Kwang-Sik 1986. In Seoul GM Ji
began to develop his own style by combining the
techniques learned at GM Choi with the Tae Kyon kicks,
the weapon techniques, and the spiritual techniques. He
called this new material art HapKiDo. (As already
mentioned above, he passes this name to GM Choi as a
sign of reference.) At that time there was a boxing
school close to his Dojang. Until then only defense
techniques against punches were used, based on the
assumption that the arms remains stretched after the
punch. In those days this was the technique taught by
some material arts. Boxing means the arm retracts
immediately after the punch. Therefore, GM Ji developed
some defense techniques against these ”snapping” punches. Many HapKiDo techniques
were product of the Korean circumstances, no matter if
they were developed by GM Choi, GM Ji or other HapKiDo
masters. Defense techniques against knives were of
elementary importance as the underworld criminals were
almost exclusively equipped with knives. Defense
techniques against kicks were developed to defend
oneself against Tang Soo Do, Kong Soo Do, Kwon Bupand
and Taekwondo. The Dan Bong (short stick) techniques
against sword attacks were developed, because Kendo is
widespread in Korea. In 1961 the
Korean government was overthrown by General Park,
Chung-Hee who shortly after became president of Korea.
In 1962 GM Ji opened up a Dojang in
the Hwa Shin department store. Next he became trainer of
the military crack troops and of the president’s
security service. In addition, he became the president’s
bodyguard. In the early sixties the import relations
concerning Japanese goods loosened and a book about
Aikido fell into GM Ji‘s hands. He noticed that the sign
for Aikido was exactly the same as for HapKiDo and
decided to change the name from HapKiDo to Kido.
In 1963 GM Ji became member of the
Korean Kido Association, but he left in
1965 after some differences of
opinion and founded the Korea Hapkido Association.
Within an information and exchange program between the
Korean government and the Pentagon GM Ji arrived in USA
in 1969. There, GM Ji coached some
of president Nixon’s bodyguards, FBI agents, and various
special task forces. During this stay he met
Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee was very impressed by
GM Ji and asked him to coach him. Between
1972 and 1974
GM Ji shot many films in Hong Kong. “Game of Death” with
GM Ji as adversary of Bruce Lee. “Hapkido”, with Sammo
Hung (known for his films with Jackie Chang) and Angela
Mao Ying. Later this film was renamed as “Lady Kung Fu”.
“The Dragon Tamers” , with Jackie Chang as action
director. During his stay in Hong Kong coached GM Ji
Bruce Lee. Together with Kim, Moo-Hong and Myong,
Jae-Nam, GM Ji founded the Republic of Korea Hapkido
Association in 1973. The name was
changed into Korea Hapkido Association later. Until
1979 GM Ji was chairman of this
organization. As his successor followed his student Oh,
Se-Lim, who began his HapKiDo studies at GM Ji 1958 in
Andong. In 1980 the Korea Hapkido
Association was renamed as Korea Hapkido Federation. In
1979 the Korean president Park,
Chung-Hee fell a victim to assassination. The assassin
Kim, Chae-Kyu, was the head of the Korean CIA. GM Ji was
imprisoned for about one year. The assassin had been a
close student of GM Ji, and GM Ji had supported him in
becoming the head of the Korean CIA. Therefore, he was
accused of having been involved in the planning of the
assassination attempt. In jail he developed his new
system, which he called Sin Moo Hapkido. Sin Moo Hapkido
aims even more at the spiritual side of the martial
arts. Around 1981 GM Ji made a trip
to Hong Kong and prepared his immigration into the USA.
In Hong Kong he played minor roles in the film “Tower of
Death” and in some other films. In
1984 GM Ji traveled via Germany,
where he met his two students Kim, Sou-Bong and Song,
Il-Hack, into the USA. There he opened up a Sin Moo
Hapkido school in Daly near San Francisco.
Many high-ranking masters of HapKiDo
emigrated from Korea to make HapKiDo known throughout
the world. Many settled in the USA. Most of the GM in
HapKiDo are former students of GM Ji, even if today many
of them regard GM Choi as their teacher. There are
different statements of why these students turned away
from GM Ji. In an interview GM Ji had the following
explanation: he had been successful when he had been far
too young. Many of his students had been younger than
him. After having also studied at CM Choi, they passed
the much older and therefore more respected GM Choi as
their teacher. Another Korean statement says, that many
Korean masters consider GM Ji as jointly responsible for
the assassination of president Park, and therefore still
hate him. Furthermore many people regard it as a
degradation of HapKiDo, that GM Ji was defeated so fast
as a master of HapKiDo in the film “Game of Death” with
Bruce Lee. Again and again there are discussion on who
introduced which techniques in HapKiDo. Some say, that -
in the true sense - GM Choi coached pure Daito-Ryu
Aikijujutsu until his death. On the other hand, some
argue that he united a number of Korean material arts.
It is said that he showed a keen interest in Kumdo and
Kendo, what would suggest that he contributed to the
sword techniques. GM Ji claims the integration of the
cane techniques, the long and short stick techniques,
and a large part of the kicks into HapKiDo. Some Hapkido
masters developed own styles and united traditional
HapKiDo techniques with other martial arts and/or
techniques of meditation, sciences of dance and health.
Some styles tend more to strong techniques like fixed
blocks and short techniques. Other became eve more soft
and expansive within their movements, and approximate to
Aikido. The environment of the school and the master
always played an important role. As they usually lived
off their students, they had to adapt to the material
arts common in the regions, and offer techniques against
them. |
