Bonguk Geom
본국검 · Bongukgeom
Literally: „Sword of our country“
Also known as: Bonguk Geombeop, Bon Kuk Geom Beop
A Korean sword form of 33 stances in three parts, recorded in the 1790 military manual Muyedobotongji. In kumdo it is part of the rank examinations.
Quick Facts
About the kata
Bonguk geom, literally "the sword of our country," is one of the 24 disciplines of the military manual Muyedobotongji, published in 1790 under King Jeongjo. It was already recorded as a separate form in the 1759 manual Muyesinbo. 18th-century manuals base it on a single-edged sword; the Korean Wikipedia adds that in the Silla period a double-edged sword was used. According to the Korea Kumdo Association, the form has 33 stances divided into three parts: the opening part has 13 stances, the middle 11, and the closing 9. There are 21 attacking techniques, 12 cuts and 9 thrusts. The English Wikipedia gives only 7 thrusts; which number matches the manual, we have not been able to verify. In today's kumdo the form is practiced under the name Bonguk Geombeop. According to the English Wikipedia, the Korea Kumdo Association and its foreign branches require it in rank examinations, and it is not found in Japanese kendo. The same Wikipedia notes that modern schools of Korean swordsmanship often use the name bonguk geom mainly to stress national character, without their form directly continuing the 18th-century system.
The kata in different styles
| Style | Name in the style | Movements | Kiai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kumdo | Bonguk Geombeop | 33 | — |
Meaning of the name
The Hangul 본국검 corresponds to 本國劍, translated by the English Wikipedia as "sword of our country." An educational site on Korean manuals gives other characters, 邦國劍, meaning "national sword"; which stands in the manual's original we could not verify. The Korean Wikipedia also lists older names 新劒 and 新羅劒, the second linking the form to the kingdom of Silla. The Korea Kumdo Association sees its spiritual basis in the hwarang ideal, the Silla warrior youth.
Creator and history
According to the English Wikipedia, the name first appears in 1678 in the royal secretariat's diary Seungjeongwon ilgi. Yet already at the royal martial arts demonstration in 1673, the officer Yu Hyuk Eon stated that the techniques came from the Chinese military treatise Wubei zhi of 1621. The 1759 manual Muyesinbo, which Crown Prince Sado expanded with new combat methods, contrasts the form with Jedok geom, a Chinese system brought to Korea by General Li Rusong during the Imjin War. The manual attests to the age of Korean swordsmanship with the story of the Silla youth Hwangchang, who killed the king of Baekje while performing a sword dance at court. The Korea Kumdo Association refers in this connection to an earlier mention of Hwangchang's sword dance in the geographical work Dongguk yeoji seungnam.