About Hwang Kee
With an estimated net worth of $500 000, Hwang Kee () (November 9, 1914 – July 14, 2002) was one of the most significant and influential figures in Korean martial arts. Kee was one of the five original Founders to create exclusively Korean Martial Arts Kwans after the Japanese Occupation. One of the most important figures in Korean martial arts history is Hwang Kee.
- Date of Birth and Lifespan: Hwang Kee (AKA Hwang Gi) was born on November 9, 1914, in Gyeonggi, Korea. He died on July 14, 2002, at the age of 87.
Hwang Kee was clearly a smart and thoughtful man when you examine his capacity to integrate the martial arts he frequently acquired without an instructor. Although his parents didn’t realize it at the time they chose the name “Starboy” it actually fits him nicely.
This is Kee’s tale.
The Starboy Hwang Kee
Before his son was born, Hwang Kee’s father, Hwang Yong Hwan, had a dream about a brilliant star. Then he made the decision to give his son the name Sam Tae Song, which means Starboy. He afterwards adopted the name Kee.
The last King of the Yi Dynasty had shown favor and special respect to Kee’s father, a scholar.
Beginnings of martial arts
When Kee was approximately seven years old, he went to a customary holiday event. After seeing someone with martial arts knowledge defend against a gang of seven or eight men, this is where he first fell in love with them. Kee was astounded by the man’s ability to defend himself using only his hands and feet while heavily relying on the Tae Kyun or Tae Kyon old Korean form of defense, which was heavy on kicking.
Afterward, Kee requested to train with the man but was denied. This didn’t deter him, though; he started to observe him from a distance and put what he saw into practice.
Influences of Chinese Martial Arts
Kee later received his high school diploma, but throughout his life he never lost sight of the skill he picked up from watching the man perform at the fair all those years ago. Kee started working for a railway firm in Manchuria after graduating from high school. He encountered Yang Kuk Jin, a highly skilled Chinese martial artist, when he was there. Kee politely declined his request to be his student. After that, Kee and his pal Park Hyo Pil made the decision to keep going back to see Yang until he agreed to teach them. They had already been admitted as students by their third visit.
Mr. Yang instructed Kee until he had to leave for Seoul in 1937. He briefly returned in 1941 and was never able to see him again after that since by 1946, China had been communist. Beyond the martial arts Mr. Yang taught Kee, one thing about the guy resonated with Kee: his desire to develop people’s character.
Karate influences from Okinawa
Since Japan had long since occupied Korea, the local martial arts were weak, making it challenging for Kee to train them. He was compelled to practice in secret as a result, and from 1939 to 1945, while employed by Cho Sun Rail Way Bureau in Seoul, he also read books on Okinawan karate and incorporated those ideas into his understanding of martial arts.
Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan
Kee had gained a lot of knowledge through studying Tae Kyun, Chinese martial arts, and Okinawan karate. He blended these to create a form of art that he termed Hwa Soo Do. The Hwa Rang warriors of ancient Korea, about whom much discussion exists, were associated with his Hwa Soo Do discipline. Since the Hwarang were essentially referred to as “the way of the Flowering Hand” the direct translation of Hwa Soo Do is “the Flower boys”
When World War II and the Japanese occupation came to an end on November 9, 1945, Kee opened his first Hwa Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Dojang (studio/training hall). Later, realizing that the public was considerably more familiar with the latter moniker than Hwa Soo, he changed the name from Hwa Soo to Tang Soo Do. Won Kuk Lee, the first individual to establish a martial arts school following the Japanese occupation, coined the term Tang Soo Do. As a result, Kee’s method/school was known as Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan.
Uprising in Tae Kwon Do and Soo Bahk Do:
75% of all martial artists in Korea practiced the Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan, which has gained popularity. In fact, black belts used their diplomas to assist them get jobs in the nation. From the Muye Dobo Tongji, Kee learned the traditional Korean martial art of Soo Bahk in 1957. King Jeongjo of Korea commissioned the Muye Dobo Tongji, a book that included illustrations of the national martial arts of Korea. As a result of the Soo Bahk Ki (hand striking method) and Soo Bahk Hee (hand striking dance) he heard about, Kee merged these teachings into his Tang Soo Do discipline and gave the art he created the name Soo Bahk Do. The Korean Soo Bahk Do Association was established in 1960 and registered as a martial art by the Korean government. As Korea tried to combine all the martial arts under the Tae Kwon Do banner, Kee won two court battles in 1965 and 1966 that allowed him to maintain Tang Soo Do as a legitimate martial art in the nation.
Hwang Kee formally changed the name of the martial art from Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan to Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan during the 50th anniversary celebration of the Moo Duk Kwan’s founding.
Hwang Kee had a net worth of $500k at the time of his passing in 2002.
