Eui-Am

Quick Facts

About the kata

Eui-Am is an ITF tul for 2nd dan with 45 movements; the German ITF-D federation places it in the 2nd-to-3rd dan syllabus. It starts and ends in the closed ready stance Moa Junbi Sogi, and the first movement goes backward: per dotaekwondo.net, the practitioner steps back with the right foot into Gunnun Sogi with a low inward knife-hand block Sonkal Najunde Anuro Makgi. Per sonkal.cz, movements 1–6 mirror as 14–19 and 7–13 as 20–26. Each section holds a pair joined into one fluid motion (5–6, 18–19) and one slow movement: the 13th and 26th, per dotaekwondo.net, are the strike Kaunde Dollyo Jirugi in Narani Sogi. The kicks Bituro Chagi and Bandae Dollyo Chagi repeat; the back-fist strike Dung Joomuk arrives, per the TAGB breakdown, with a jump into Kyocha Sogi. Eui-Am is among the youngest tuls in the series. Per the Chang Hon Origins Project it was missing from the twenty tuls of the 1965 English book, as were Yon-Gae, Moon-Moo and So-San, and was reportedly completed the next year. The project notes that early tuls like Hwa-Rang and Choong-Moo draw mainly on the karate Pinan series, while Eui-Am shares almost no sequences with any kata.

The kata in different styles

Meaning of the name

Eui-Am (의암, 義菴) is, per the tul's interpretation, the pseudonym of Son Byong-hi, leader of Korea's 1 March 1919 independence movement; the English Wikipedia gives the same spelling as his religious name. The 45 movements refer to his age in 1905, when he renamed the movement Dong Hak ("eastern culture") to Chondo Kyo ("religion of the heavenly way"), as ITF sources transliterate today's Cheondogyo. Per the same interpretation, the diagram is said to depict his indomitable spirit, shown in service to the nation's prosperity; we have not found what shape the diagram takes in the textual sources.

Creator and history

According to the English Wikipedia, Son Byong-hi was born on 8 April 1861 in Cheongju. He was the third leader of Donghak, a native religious movement; he took over leadership after his teacher Haewol was executed in 1898, following the failed peasant uprising of 1894. He renamed the movement on 1 December 1905, when Japan turned Korea into a protectorate: the name Cheondogyo emphasized its religious nature and downplayed its earlier political activity, allowing the movement to shelter under Japan's policy of religious freedom. An essay by James Simpson for ITFNZ states he was 45 at the time. The declaration of independence of 1 March 1919 was signed by 33 religious leaders, 15 of them members of Cheondogyo; according to Wikipedia, Son was the most prominent of them and signed first. After the demonstrations were suppressed he was arrested, fell ill in prison, was released and died on 19 May 1922 at home in Sangchunwon.

Technique Sequence — ITF Taekwondo

Breakdown source: dotaekwondo.net

1. #1
   Gunnun SogiSonkal Najunde Anuro Makgi(R)
2. #2
   Gunnun SogiNopunde Bakat Palmok Yop Makgi(L)
3. #3
   Gunnun SogiKaunde Jirugi(R)
4. #4
   Bituro Chagi(L)
5. #5
   Gunnun SogiKyocha Joomok Naerjo Makgi(both)
   Continuous
6. #6
   Gunnun SogiSonkal Bandae Chookyo Makgi(R)
   Continuous
7. #7
   Kyocha SogiDung Joomuk Yop Taerigi(R)
8. #8
   Niunja SogiKaunde Jirugi(L)
9. #9
   Bandae Dollyo Chagi(R)
10. #10
    Annun SogiSonkal Yop Taerigi(R)
11. #11
    Yop Cha Jirugi(L)
12. #12
    Gunnun SogiNopunde Bandal Jirugi(R)
13. #13
    Narani SogiKaunde Dollyo Jirugi(L)
    Slow
14. #14
    Gunnun SogiSonkal Najunde Anuro Makgi(L)
15. #15
    Gunnun SogiNopunde Bakat Palmok Yop Makgi(R)
16. #16
    Gunnun SogiKaunde Jirugi(L)
17. #17
    Bituro Chagi(R)
18. #18
    Kyocha Joomok Naerjo Makgi(both)
    Continuous
19. #19
    Gunnun SogiSonkal Bandae Chookyo Makgi(L)
    Continuous
20. #20
    Kyocha SogiDung Joomuk Yop Taerigi(L)
21. #21
    Niunja SogiKaunde Jirugi(R)
22. #22
    Bandae Dollyo Chagi(L)
23. #23
    Annun SogiSonkal Yop Taerigi(L)
24. #24
    Yop Cha Jirugi(R)
25. #25
    Gunnun SogiNopunde Bandal Jirugi(L)
26. #26
    Narani SogiKaunde Dollyo Jirugi(R)
    Slow
27. #27
    Gunnun SogiSonkal Kaunde Hechyo Makgi
28. #28
    Gunnun SogiSonkal Dung Dollimyo Makgi(L)
29. #29
    Dwitbal SogiSang Sonbadak Naeryo Makgi
30. #30
    Niunja SogiKaunde Jirugi(L)
31. #31
    Niunja SogiSonkal Dung Najunde Anuro Makgi(R)
32. #32
    Gunnun SogiSonkal Kaunde Hechyo Makgi
33. #33
    Gunnun SogiSonkal Dung Dollimyo Makgi(R)
34. #34
    Dwitbal SogiSang Sonbadak Naeryo Makgi
35. #35
    Niunja SogiKaunde Jirugi(R)
36. #36
    Niunja SogiSonkal Dung Najunde Anuro Makgi(L)
37. #37
    Bandae Dollyo Chagi(R)
38. #38
    Dwitbal SogiKaunde Palmok Daebi Makgi
39. #39
    Bandae Dollyo Chagi(L)
40. #40
    Dwitbal SogiKaunde Palmok Daebi Makgi
41. #41
    Niunja SogiSonkal Najunde Bakuro Makgi(L)
42. #42
    Gunnun SogiKaunde Jirugi(R)
43. #43
    Niunja SogiSonkal Najunde Makgi(R)
44. #44
    Gunnun SogiKaunde Jirugi(L)
45. #45
    Gunnun SogiNopunde Ap Joomuk Jirugi(R)