“All Hapkido Started with This Man” (Please share with a friend)
Choi Yong Sol 1904- 1986
“All Hapkido Started with This Man”
Choi Yong-Sol (Choi Yong-sul) was
founder of the martial art hapkido. He
was born in today’s Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea, and was reportedly taken to
Japan during the Japanese occupation of Korea when he was eight years old. Choi became a student of Takedo Sokaku,
founder of a form of jujutsu known as Daito-ryu Aiki Jujutsu. Takedo gave him the name Yoshida Asao.
Though there are conflicting opinions and points of view as to Choi’s relationship with Takedo, and the martial arts training he received, such differences have been largely resolved by balancing the rich history of oral tradition with the written record. It is recognized that Choi Young Sol was abducted by a Japanese merchant, and then placed in a Buddhist temple when he was abandoned. Further that the temple monk Wantanabe, took the boy to his friend Takeda, who took him in as a house boy who later became a trusted manservant. Because of this position, Yoshida was always on hand at training sessions, and became highly skilled in Daito-Ryu Aiki-jujutsu, as a student of the founder Takedo.
It is known that Sokaku Takeda always
sent Yoshida to defeat challengers of the Master—a shrewd move by Takeda. If the challenger was defeated it was by the
manservant of Takeda, a Korean. Takeda
usually overcame objections of favoritism by his higher ranking students by
saying: “Who has been with me longer
than my manservant Yoshida?”
After Sokaku Takeda died Yoshida left the service of the Takeda Clan and returned to his homeland, changing his name back to Choi, Young Sol.
Takedo Daito-Ryu Aiki-jujutsu, is a Japanese martial art emphasizing empty handed methods based on the sword style and jujutsu in which Grand Master Takeda was an expert. Takeda was the teacher of Morihei Ueshiba, as well as producing other competent senior students like Yoshida Kotaru to carry on his schools. He encouraged his students to found new schools.
Choi returned to Korea in 1945. He settled in Daegu. He began to teach at a makeshift dojang created on the site of the Seo Brewery, with the support of owner Seo Box, who later became Choi’s first student. Choi called his art Yoo Sool, and began to modify Takeda Sensei’s style with some kicking and weapons techniques. Choi later called his art Yu Kwon Sool and Hap Ki Yu Kwon, and eventually Hapkido.
Choi Yong-Sol was honored with the
title doju, which can be translated as ‘Keeper of the way’, or simply
‘Founder’. The arts of Hapkido, modern
Hwa Rang Do, Kuk Sool Won, as well as lesser known arts such as Han Pul, show
influence of his teachings. His students
include: Chinil Chang, Ji Han-Jae, Kim
Moo-Hong, Kim Yun-sik, Kim Yoon-Sang, Kim Jung-Sool, Seo Bok-Seob, Moon
Jong-Won, Kim Yoon-Sang, Bong Soo Han, Yoo Byung-Don. Many of Choi’s students would go on to found
their own schools, and to hold Executive positions.
Park Jeong Hwan, one of Choi’s students, opened a school in the US which is still active. Choi travelled to America in 1982, to visit his highest ranked student, Chinil Chang, in New York City, and to preside over the creation of the U.S. Hapkido Association. Choi awarded the only 10th Dan in Hapkido to his successor Chinil Chang on January 15, 1985.
Choi influenced the spread of Hapkido and Jujitsu world-wide. Though he encouraged the freedom to develop new schools, he became alarmed by signs that the system was splintering. Choi’s wish in the end was to unite his art as one family, one branch, one heart.