Palisades Park, NJ — Twenty students tested in front of visiting masters from Korea to become the first American black belts in the ancient sword martial art “Chosun Sebup.” The examination was held by the Korean Kumdo Association (KKA) and is the first ever held in the United States.
Chosun Sebup is one of the earliest written sword arts. Transcribed by a Chinese military tactician in the year 1621, Chosun Sebup is a section of codex “Mu-Bee Ji,” a compilation of martial arts and tactics from China, Japan, and Korea. It is separated into three chapters, Heaven, Earth, and Man. Each chapter details different sword techniques for use on the battlefield.
Students of the form are expected to perform the techniques flawlessly and must also complete a written examination to attain their black belt, or “Dan” rank. The prospective black belts are students from two northern New Jersey Kendo schools, Hung Moo Kwan and Sung Moo Kwan. Kendo, or “the way of the sword,” is the modern martial art of sword-fighting practiced by over six million people worldwide. Chosun Sebup, though a traditional Korean martial art, shares many similarities with Kendo including the concept of harmonizing the mind, body, and spirit.
# # #
No comments:
Post a Comment