The strange story of Kumdo

From its origins in Japanese Kendo, the Korean martial arts style known as Kumdo has a long and strange history. This is a style of martial arts that stands out for its modern approach to the concept of martial arts as a whole, but that is far from the only thing that defines this particular discipline.

Although Kumdo can be romanized in various ways, such as Komdo or Geomdo, the translation remains largely the same. It is intended to refer to “the way of the sword”. From that translation alone, you should be able to develop a pretty good idea of ​​what one can gain from a serious study of Kumdo.

Although Japanese in its origin story, Kumdo is considered and accepted in Korean culture as a Korean approach to martial arts. This is another unique component of Kumdo, but it is by no means the only thing that allows Kumdo to remain so highly regarded.

History and background

Kumdo has become a widespread way of describing Korean martial arts styles that emphasize swordsmanship. For this reason, it is important to note the difference between approaches that focus on the martial, compared to a practice that focuses on athletic/competitive achievement.

The development of Kumdo dates back to the early 20th century. It was in 1895 that the All Japan Martial Virtue Society was established. This group wished to promote a variety of Japanese arts. From this point, Kumdo began a development process that continues to this day. It was also during 1895 that a number of Japanese advisers came to Korea.

The training, the ranking levels available to ambitious students, and the clothing are elements of Kumdo worth looking into. For example, you will find that the clothes worn by Kendo students are quite similar to what Kendo students wear. With levels and ranks, students are expected to first go through a series of geup levels. After reaching the highest geup level, the student will have the opportunity to move up a series of dan levels. To achieve a certain level of geup or dan, a student will be required to complete things like exams and competitions.

It is also important to note that different schools train their students in different ways. However, the team remains pretty much the same.

The bottom line

Kumdo has a wealth of martial arts material to impart to students.

Standing united we pack a punch.