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From The Art of Hon Sang Mu Sa Hapkido
Hon Sang Mu Sa Hapkido
In the following pages I will represent to you the history of Hapkido, but more specifically the eclectic style of Hon Sang Mu Sa Hapkido, which literally translates to Way of the Ancient Spiritual Warrior, Harmonizing Energy. The art was founded by Master Art Mason in 2002 after 16 years of study in Kuk Sul Hapkido and Tae Kwon Do. The art has been evolving since it's creation in 2002. It can from Master Mason's desire to have an art that transformed age. Instrumental in the creation of the art, are Master Mason's son's, Master Curt Mason [1] and Master Scott Mason [2]
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The History of Hapkido
Hapkido (also spelled hap ki do or hapki-do) is a dynamic and eclectic [3]Korean martial art [4]. It is a form of self-defense [5] that employs joint locks [6], techniques of other martial arts, as well as common unskilled attacks. There is also the of use traditional weapons, including the short stick, cane, rope, nunchucku, sword, and staff which vary in emphasis depending on the particular tradition examined.
Hapkido contains both long and close range fighting techniques, utilizing dynamic kicking and percussive hand strikes at longer ranges and pressure point strikes, joint locks, or throws at closer fighting distances. Hapkido emphasizes circular motion, non-resisting movements, and control of the opponent. Practitioners seek to gain advantage through footwork and body positioning to employ leverage, avoiding the use of strength against strength.
The art evolved from Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu [7] or a closely related jujutsu [8] system taught by Choi Yong Sul [9] who returned to Korea after WWII, having lived in Japan for 30 years. This system was later combined with kicking and striking techniques of indigenous and contemporary arts such as Taekkyeon [10] and Tang Soo Do [11]. Its history is obscured by the historical animosity between the Korean[12] and Japanese people[13] peoples following the Second World War [14].
The Name
Hapkido
The character hap means "harmony", "coordinated", or "joining"; Ki[15] describes internal energy, spirit, strength, or power; and do means "way" or "art", yielding a literal translation of "joining-energy-way." It is most often translated as "the way of coordinating energy," "the way of coordinated power" or "the way of harmony."
Although the arts are believed by many to share a common history they remain separate and distinct from one another. They differ significantly in philosophy, range of responses and manner of executing techniques. The fact that they share the same original Chinese characters, despite being pronounced "ai" in Japanese (Aikido) and "hap" in Korean, has proved problematic in promoting the art internationally as a discipline with its own set of unique characteristics differing from those of the Japanese art.
There should not be any confusion make between the Japanese art of Aikido [16] and the Korean art of Hapkido. They do have the same root art of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu, but are very different in many respects.
A more detailed history of the origins of Hapkido [17] can be found on the Wikipedia site. The first parts of this article specifically site Wikipedia for it's Hapkido article. It is beyond the scope of this article to cover this history.
Beginnings of Hon Sang Mu Sa Hapkido
As mentioned above the art was founded in 2002 by Master Art Mason [18] after years of training in Kuk Sul Hapkido[19]. There is no specific information on it's origins other than the creation of the art Kuk Sool Won [20]The Grand Master of the system that Hon San Mu Sa was created from is Chung Oh. Grand Master Oh teaches out of Kitchener Ontario. He is still teaching Hapkido and Tae Kwon Do, in a very eclectic manner.
The reason for the creation of Hon Sang Mu Sa Hapkido was to create a self defense art and system that was not a dependent on age. An art like Aikido, in which the older the practitioner, the more affective he or she could be.
Searching for Meaning
The quest began with a search for the true meaning or the Hyung or Kata in the system. The Hyung were based on the ITF Hyung, however changed to fit the style of movement in the art practiced. The International Tae Kwon Do [21] Hyung were not taught in respect to the meaning of the movements, only the history of the patterns themselves. There was no Bunkai [22] to speak of.
Master Mason's first encounter with Bunkai was Grandmaster Raymond Hayes[23], a Kempo [24] practitioner. Grand Master Hayes proved a lot of great information and helped with the early evolution of Hon Sang Mu Sa Hapkido. Unfortunately contact has been lost over the years.
Shortly after this time Master Mason trained in Kosho Ryu [25]. He learned the 'natural laws' that governed this art. This included the use of the Octagon, an ancient symbol in both the martial arts and Buddhism. He obtained a rank of 3rd Dan Black Belt before moving on. These learning changed the art considerable at the time.
The Pressure Point Art
One of the major turning points in Hon Sang Mu Sa Hapkido was the introduction of the pressure point system of Kyusho Jitsu [26]. Much of the learning in the art of Kyusho Jitsu was integrated into Hon Sang Mu Sa Hapkido event though Master Mason does teach Kyusho Jitsu as a separate entity. All Bunkai is done from a Kyusho Jitsu Respective. The combination of Natural Laws and Pressure Points has truly revolutionized the Art of The Peaceful Warriors [27].
The Cane
The final entity that was incorporated was the Cane. The cane is the traditional weapon of Hapkido. Master Mason's son, Curt Mason [28] was the person fully responsible for the integration of cane into the system. The cane program was modeled after the Cane Masters System [29].
The Philosophy Behind the Art
The founding father of Tae Kwon Do in North America Grand Master Jhoon Rhee[30] once said that a Martial Art without philosophy was only brutality. I also believe this as well. With that in mind, when Hon Sang Mu Sa Hapkido was created, it was heavily based on a philosophy of movement as well as right being.
The evolution of the art has made it a softer style over the years. The art does start out at the beginning levels being hard in nature, but as the student matures in the art, the movement become softer, using angles and body mechanics rather then strength and power.
Much of the philosophical thoughts of Master Mason on this have have been posted in his Blog, Grand Master Art Mason's - Martial Musings[31]. For the sake of space, these thoughts will not be repeated, but all can be read on the Blog.
One of the major theories of this art is the detachment from the attacker. The student is taught not to take this attack personally, because it is only personal if you make it so. The practitioner develops this from constant practice of the techniques and applications of the art, while focusing only on movement. Martial Arts and self defense are really about yielding to the opponents energy, and moving accordingly. Harmonizing with the opponents energy.
One of the cornerstones of the art is the movement and philosophy of the movement in the Octagon. We use the angles and movement within the octagon for both the purpose of attack and escape. Attacking at a 45 degree angle, and escaping at a 90 degree angle. The idea of an Octagon come from the Nobel 8 Fold Path or Dharma Wheel of Buddhism. This is a philosophy of correct living, which makes life not only happy, but safe as well.
The Octagon & The Noble 8 Fold Path
The martial arts is rich with the teaching of the Buddha, the teaching of the movement of the octagon is no exception. What is the origin of the Octagon in martial arts training? It’s movement is based on the teaching of the 8 Fold Path. If you follow this path you will live a happy life, likewise if you understand movement in the Octagon you will be safe from your attacker. The 8 paths are grouped into 3 headings.
Wisdom
Right View – The 1st part of the path concerns “Right View”. Does a person go though his or her life with the right view of life in mind? Are they a positive person or a negative person. From the martial arts standpoint does the practitioner have the correct view of the conflict? Things are not always as they appear to be.
Right Intention – Is a person living their life with the right intention? The Buddhist view is to live a life in the intention of compassion. From the martial arts standpoint the warrior must have the correct intentions in battle or death is assured.
Ethical Conduct
Right Speech – In Buddhist life correct or right speech is very important. A person should always be careful of his speech as to not hurt the other person with words. From the martial arts standpoint a person can end a conflict with his verbal skills. This is always better than resorting to violence.
Right Action – The Buddhist is always careful to control his or her actions. This is a basic law of Karma, cause and effect. The warrior also knows that his action fall into Karma as well. He must always be just in his actions.
Right Livelihood – The correct job or career is important for anyone. There is nothing worse than doing something you hate. The wrong livelihood will effect loved ones and friends as well. For the martial artist or warriors this path is clear. Your must train diligently and love the path you have chosen, otherwise you could endanger yourself.
Mental Discipline
Right Effort – The Buddhist will always give the right effort in everything they do. Without right effort, there is no point in continuing the task. Wrong effort is much like lying. For the martial artist this is also true. Right effort in practice is imperative to being safe in the outside world and in the Dojo.
Right Mindfulness - Where is your mind? Are you in the moment, living in the now, or are you in the past, maybe the future. The only time that matters is this moment. This is also true for the warrior.
Right Concentration – Are you concentrating solely on the task at hand? This goes hand in hand with right mindfulness. The warrior will die in battle if he is not concentrating on the task at hand.
From a physical aspect the Octagon has angles to move in, which will either allow escape or attack. The theories of movement are too complex for this essay. However the philosophy of the Nobel 8 Fold Path, or the Octagon are not. Living with these “Natural Laws” in mind will not only lead to a happy and prosperous life, but for those on the martial path it will lead to a safe and long life as well.
What is Chi?
chi, ch'i, ki (the circulating life energy that in Chinese philosophy is thought to be inherent in all things; in traditional Chinese medicine the balance of negative and positive forms in the body is believed to be essential for good health)
Much controversy of the existence of chi exists in our time. May will say that it fact, others that it is fiction. The scope of this article is not to debate the existence of chi, but simply to explain it and help the martial artist to develop it.
Our bodies are electrical devices. There is current flowing in them, that drives the systems and maintains our life. This current flows back and forth through the Central Nervous System relaying all kinds of information. Is this energy Chi? Yes, but only part of the equation.
The nerves in our bodies are like wires, they are insulated conductors. Multiple Sclerosis is an example of a disease in which this insulation breaks down and signals stop reaching the intended targets. Now whenever we have electricity traveling through a wire we have two other phenomenon happening. These are induction and capacitance. These fields that exist around the wiring also have a current flow, this is the other half of the chi equation. This is why the body has a AURA around it.
From a health standpoint changes to either field affects the other. When these fields are balanced good health prevails, when they are not sickness follows. In Kyusho our objective is to disrupt this energy causing a predictable response or unconsciousness. The stronger the martial artists field, the better the result when using Kyusho. Here is an explanation. Intention:
Many article on intention have been written over the years. Without intention life has no results. Intention in self defense first begins with the eyes. Where the eyes focus, energy follows. Your AURA projects the furthest where you are looking. Try doing a finger lock on your partner in class, don't look at them while doing this and notice the result, now look at them and see the difference. You will also notice that some days your techniques work better than other days. This depends on how you are feeling, your chi levels. (note intention and focus are directly related)
By building your chi, not only do you increase your health but you also increase your martial abilities. How do you build Chi? First you must become sensitive to it! If you don't feel your chi, you won't build more.
