Is Hapkido (合氣道) Korean?
Do you know Mao Zedong?
Mao Zedong is a politician who established the People’s Republic of China, the first chairman of the state, and a communist.
However, the term Mao Zedong is used only in the Republic of Korea. If you pronounce Mao Zedong as “Mo Taek Dong” to foreigners, they will not understand. Of course, even if you ask Chinese people who Mao Zedong is using that pronunciation, they will not know.
In countries other than Korea, the original Chinese pronunciation Mao Zedong (Mao Tsetung) is used.
However, even if the pronunciation is different, the fact that Mao Zedong is Mao Zedong does not change, and all Koreans know well that Mao Zedong is Mao Zedong (Mao Tsetung). It is simply that the pronunciation is written differently.
Soccer is soccer / football. The word “chukgu” is used only in Korea, and this is not a global common term. However, in the same way, Koreans can understand that chukgu means soccer / football. There are countless words used as global common terms that are pronounced differently only in Korea and can only be understood by Koreans.
This is because of the cultural characteristic of Korea, which has been influenced by Chinese characters and uses many loanwords.
When asking those who claim that Hapkido is a Korean martial art, “For what reason is Hapkido a Korean martial art?” they argue that the pronunciation of Aikido (合氣道) and Hapkido (合氣道) is different. Therefore, they claim that Hapkido is different from Aikido, and that Hapkido is Korean.
As stated at the beginning, even if the pronunciation is different, if the meaning is the same, it is recognized as the same.
Hapkido is a loanword. It is not a pure Korean word. If we interpret its meaning, it is “hap (to combine), gi (energy), do (way),” meaning “to combine energy.”
The meaning of Japanese Aikido (合氣道) is exactly the same as the meaning of Korean Hapkido (合氣道) without any discrepancy.
Just because Mao Zedong (Mao Tsetung) is pronounced as Mo Taek Dong in Korean does not mean that Mao Zedong becomes Korean.
When listening to those who claim that Hapkido is a Korean martial art, they compare Hapkido with Taekwondo. “Even though Taekwondo was influenced by Japanese Karate, it is recognized as a traditional Korean martial art in the world, so the claim that Hapkido is not Korean because it was influenced by Japanese Daito-ryu is wrong.”
It is difficult to understand how such an illogical claim can be made.
Once again, comparing Taekwondo and Hapkido on the same line is a mistaken idea.
The formation background of Taekwondo was influenced by Karate (空手道), but it does not use the name Karate. It created and uses a newly coined word, “Taekwondo (跆拳道).” Even if Taekwondo has similar forms or a similar technical system to Karate, there is not even a 0.1% possibility of causing disputes with Japanese Karate organizations because it uses the name Taekwondo.
However, the problem is that Korean Hapkido (合氣道) uses the same name as Japanese Aikido (合氣道).
If General Choi Hong-hi had used the name Karate (空手道) instead of Taekwondo at first, and after decades claimed that Karate is Korean because the pronunciation is different, would that be logical?
If Korean Hapkido practitioners claim that Hapkido is a Korean martial art because its technical system is different from Japanese Aikido, it results in putting Korean Hapkido in an even more difficult position.
What Japanese Aikido practitioners are claiming is not about the technical system of Korean Hapkido. They are not claiming that Korean Hapkido techniques are similar or identical to Japanese Aikido and should not be used.
They are simply stating that the notation “Aikido (合氣道)” was first used by Japan, and that it did not originate from Korea’s Silla Hwarang tradition.
They say that Aikido (合氣道) was officially founded in 1942 by Morihei Ueshiba, and they are asking not to distort the history of Aikido (合氣道).
They are also requesting not to use or to change the foreign term “合氣道,” whether in Korean style or foreign style.
However, Korean Hapkido practitioners respond to the claims of Japanese Aikido practitioners by saying, “They claimed Dokdo was theirs, and now they are claiming Hapkido as well!”
If anyone criticizes Korean Hapkido, the response inevitably comes back as “traitor,” “remnant of Japan,” or “you Japanese bastard.” This kind of response only worsens the image of Korean Hapkido.
To prove that Hapkido is a Korean martial art, historical evidence can simply be presented.
For example, it is known to anyone who has even a slight interest in Hapkido that Ji Han-jae first used the name Hapkido in 1956 and established a Hapkido school.
This is about 14 years later than Japanese Aikido (合氣道).
If the name Hapkido (合氣道) is truly a unique name of Korean Hapkido, then presenting materials prior to Morihei Ueshiba in 1942 would be sufficient.
This is a very simple matter.
Then, just as they have done to us, pressure could be applied to Japanese Aikido organizations to prevent them from using the name “合氣道.”
Because of the claim that “Hapkido is a traditional Korean martial art that has continued the spirit of the Korean people for hundreds of years,” Morihei Ueshiba, who claimed to have founded Aikido in 1942, ends up being portrayed as someone who illegally copied Korean Hapkido.
As a result, Japanese Aikido practitioners around the world are put in the position of deceiving Korea and the world. In other words, Japanese Aikido organizations are placed in a situation of life and death.
I know that talking about the reality of Korean Hapkido may be displeasing to some Korean Hapkido practitioners.
I also know that it may bring disadvantages to the Korea Gongkwon Yusul Association, which I represent, and to the Gongkwon Yusul organization.
There is nothing beneficial to me or to the Gongkwon Yusul organization in any aspect.
I even feel sorry to the masters who belong to the Gongkwon Yusul Association.
Nevertheless, the reason I have not stopped writing about Hapkido is not because I want to “say what I want to say.”
It is not because I like Aikido, which I have never even trained in.
My wish is only that Korean Hapkido correctly recognizes its current problems and wisely overcomes them with great concern.
That is all.
Now the world has changed.
With the development of the internet and the establishment of social networks, martial artists of various disciplines discuss martial arts of different countries.
While Korean middle and high schools, which focus on Korean, English, and mathematics, are reducing Korean history education, foreigners are instead deeply researching Korean history.
They are looking at Korean Hapkido from a realistic and objective perspective.
The world is becoming as small as the palm of a hand.
In 10 years, or even 5 years, what will Korean Hapkido look like in the world?
If it continues like this, it is clear that the status of Korean Hapkido in the world will face increasing crisis.
If the status of Hapkido declines, other Korean martial arts, including Taekwondo, will inevitably decline together.
Now it is no longer just a problem of Hapkido practitioners, but a problem of all Korean martial arts.
Korean Hapkido organizations must unite and make efforts to solve this problem.
Also, Korean Hapkido practitioners should not only passionately argue within Korea that Hapkido is Korean, but must present logical evidence to martial arts websites around the world that the name Hapkido/Aikido (合氣道) originated from Korea.
If Hapkido practitioners truly love Hapkido, they must establish measures for the development and future of Korean Hapkido from now on for a long-term plan.
The enemy of Korean Hapkido practitioners is not Japanese Aikido organizations.
What we must fear the most is not realizing that Korean Hapkido (合氣道) is being ignored even within Korea.
