Subak
수박Korean unarmed martial art based on hand strikes, documented in the annals of Goryeo and Joseon as a contest and a military test. Its relation to taekwondo is disputed.
Quick Facts
South KoreaCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
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About Subak
According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, subak is a traditional Korean unarmed martial art that attacks mainly with the hands. Historical sources document it as the subakhui contest: Goryeosa notes for the year 1170 that the king ordered military officials to hold such a contest, and the annals of the Joseon dynasty mention it in the 15th century at festivals and in the selection of soldiers. Green (2001) states that Koreans used the word subak, in Chinese shoubo, for Chinese striking arts and kept the word until the 15th century. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture considers the Goguryeo tomb murals of the 4th century a possible depiction of subak or taekkyeon, while Green calls such an interpretation a conjecture. The relation to present-day arts is disputed. In its article on taekwondo, the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture lists subak among the traditional arts from which taekwondo arose. In one place Green writes of a synthesis of taekkyeon and subak, and elsewhere of taekwondo based mainly on Japanese karate. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture states that subak is described in the manual Muyedobotongji of 1790, and Green writes that its chapter on kwonbop, which some Korean sources regard as an illustration of subak, was taken mainly from the manual of Qi Jiguang.
History
Goryeosa states that in 1170, on the way to Bohyeonwon, King Uijong ordered the military officials to hold an obyeong subakhui contest, and that same evening Yi Go and Yi Uibang started a coup. According to the same chronicle, General Yi Soeung lost the contest and fled, Han Roe struck him in the face and Yi Soeung fell down the stairs. According to Goryeosa, Yi Uimin was promoted by the king for his skill in subak, and Choe Chungheon had strong men compete and appointed the winners to the posts of gyowi or daejeong. According to the chronicle, the king watched subakhui contests also in 1342 and 1343. Green states that before the Goryeosa chronicle of 1451 there are no sufficient reports on Korean martial arts.
How it differs
The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture states that subak is based on hand strikes, whereas taekkyeon is based on footwork, and Green writes that in the Goryeo period both taekkyeon focused on kicks and subak focused on fists were popular. The article on taekkyeon in the same encyclopedia calls the derivation of taekkyeon from subak disputed, because the writing of the two terms does not match and a long span of time separates them. As possible evidence of a connection it cites Jaemulbo, which notes of subak and the bout kakryeok that it is now called takgyeon.
Technique
The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture gives other names, subyeokchigi and subyeokta, and in its view the name may be related to the word for palms, because training begins with clashing palms. According to Muyedobotongji, subak had, according to the encyclopedia, 25 techniques of the body, hands and legs, ten secret techniques and strikes to points after which the opponent faints or becomes dizzy. In the article on taekkyeon, Green mentions subakhi, a contest in hand strikes specialized in hand and fist techniques. The encyclopedia also cites Dongguk yeoji seungnam, according to which attack and defense once alternated naturally in various stances, but later a single pose was held and the contest became mere imitation.
Ranks and progression
The annals of Joseon state that in the selection of guards in 1411, all who defeated three or more opponents in subakhui were accepted. According to Yukjeon, cited in 1443, a foot guard belonged to the upper class when he defeated four opponents and to the middle class when he defeated three. In 1467 the king ordered that people who excel in running, strength or subak be sent, regardless of origin.
Competition
The annals of Joseon note subak contests at festivals in Gyeonghoeru and Mohwaru in 1416 and 1419, where winners received linen, rice and beans. In 1419 over 50 good fighters were chosen in advance and Choe Jungi defeated six opponents. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture states that in Joseon subak was contested at military reviews and, among the people, on the Baekjung holiday in the seventh month in Jakji near Yeonsan, where fighters came from the provinces of Chungcheong and Jeolla. The sources do not state the rules of the contest and only note the number of defeated opponents.
Today
The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture states that subak was considered extinct, that Shin Han-seung, the bearer of the taekkyeon tradition, searched for its lineage, and that since Shin's death in 1987 his pupil Yuk Tae-an has presented it to the public. Green writes that in 1959 the merger of the kongsudo and tangsudo associations created the Subakdo Association, led by Hwang Ki, which stood against the Korea Taekwondo Association. Kim Jong-Kil (2018) states that Hwang Ki, by his own account, discovered Muyedobotongji in 1957. Cho, Moenig and Nam in Acta Koreana (2012) state that the oldest evidence of taekkyeon dates from the early 18th century.
Did you know
The annals of Joseon note that the monk Haeyeon excelled in strength in the contest of 1419 and was therefore ordered to let his hair grow and return to secular life. Goryeosa states that Du Gyeongseung refused to play subak because his father-in-law, General Mun Yubo, said that subak is a lowly art unbecoming of strong men.
Frequently asked questions
Is subak a predecessor of taekwondo?
The sources differ. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture counts it among the predecessors of taekwondo, while Green writes once of a synthesis of taekkyeon and subak and elsewhere of taekwondo based mainly on Japanese karate.
Where is subak documented?
In the chronicle Goryeosa from 1170 and in the annals of the Joseon dynasty in the 15th century, where it appears as a festival contest and a test in selecting soldiers.
What is the difference between subak and taekkyeon?
The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture states that subak is based on hand strikes, whereas taekkyeon is based on footwork. It calls the derivation of taekkyeon from subak disputed.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.