Dan-Gun

Quick Facts

About the kata

Dan-Gun is the second tul of the Chang-Hon series and the first in which the practitioner moves from complete basics to new techniques. It has 21 movements – per tkddigitallibrary.co.nz, 11 attacks and 10 blocks, all with the hands. Every straight punch is aimed at eye level; both tkddigitallibrary.co.nz and itkdc.com read this as an image of Dangun climbing a mountain. Per tkdcoaching.com, the tul brings three new elements: a knife-hand block in niunja sogi stance (sonkal daebi makgi), a double forearm block (sang palmok makgi), and the first fluid motion. Per dotaekwondo.net, these are movements 13 and 14, where a low block flows without stopping into an upward block (chookyo makgi). Three more upward blocks follow in a row, and the tul ends with two outer knife-hand strikes, each followed by a punch in gunnun sogi stance. Per brendandoogantkd.com, the tul's diagram is shaped like a capital I. Tkdcoaching.com places it at the 8th kup level, while the chk-taekwondo.com syllabus requires it for the 7th kup grading.

The kata in different styles

Meaning of the name

The tul bears the name of Dangun (단군, 檀君 per kidokwan.org), the legendary founder of Korea, whose reign tradition places in 2333 BC. Per the legend as summarised by itkdc.com, Dangun Wanggeom was the son of the heavenly being Hwanung and Ungnyeo, a bear turned into a woman. He founded the first Korean kingdom, Gojoseon, with the fortified city of Pyongyang and later Asadal. The oldest written version comes from the Samguk Yusa chronicle, 13th century.

Creator and history

We have not been able to establish exactly when Dan-Gun was created. Per a YMAA article, the Chang-Hon series was developed by Choi Hong-hi between 1955 and 1988 with assistants including Nam Tae-hi, Han Cha-kyo and Choi Chang-keun. Per the Chang Hon Origins project, the first taekwon-do book, from October 1959, held five tuls, and Dan-Gun was not among them. Choi's 1965 English book already had twenty tuls, and the project does not list Dan-Gun among the four later ones completed after that. We therefore believe the tul was created between 1959 and 1965.

Differences between styles

Kidokwan.org states that the ITF group led by Choi Jung-hwa reintroduced the ki-hap shout into the tuls and placed it in Dan-Gun at movements 8 and 17. The other sources we reviewed (dotaekwondo.net, tkddigitallibrary.co.nz) do not mention a shout in this tul.

Technique Sequence — ITF Taekwondo

Breakdown source: kildaretaekwondo.com

1. #1
   Niunja SogiSonkal Daebi Makgi
2. #2
   Gunnun SogiNopunde Ap Joomuk Jirugi(R)
3. #3
   Niunja SogiSonkal Daebi Makgi
4. #4
   Gunnun SogiNopunde Ap Joomuk Jirugi(L)
5. #5
   Gunnun SogiNajunde Bakat Palmok Makgi(L)
6. #6
   Gunnun SogiNopunde Ap Joomuk Jirugi(R)
7. #7
   Gunnun SogiNopunde Ap Joomuk Jirugi(L)
8. #8
   Gunnun SogiNopunde Ap Joomuk Jirugi(R)
9. #9
   Niunja SogiSang Palmok Makgi
10. #10
    Gunnun SogiNopunde Ap Joomuk Jirugi(R)
11. #11
    Niunja SogiSang Palmok Makgi
12. #12
    Gunnun SogiNopunde Ap Joomuk Jirugi(L)
13. #13
    Gunnun SogiNajunde Bakat Palmok Makgi(L)
    Continuous
14. #14
    Palmok Chookyo Makgi(L)
    Continuous
15. #15
    Gunnun SogiPalmok Chookyo Makgi(R)
16. #16
    Gunnun SogiPalmok Chookyo Makgi(L)
17. #17
    Gunnun SogiPalmok Chookyo Makgi(R)
18. #18
    Niunja SogiSonkal Bakuro Taerigi(L)
19. #19
    Gunnun SogiNopunde Ap Joomuk Jirugi(R)
20. #20
    Niunja SogiSonkal Bakuro Taerigi(R)
21. #21
    Gunnun SogiNopunde Ap Joomuk Jirugi(L)