Choi Yong Sul - - - - - - Bok Sub Suh

Won, Kwang-Wha

He Young Kimm - - - - - - Park Lee Hyun

Grand Master J.R. West

Our style of hapkido, Moo Sool Kwan was founded by Won, Kwang-Wha and he taught Kim, Hyung Suk, (who later changed his name to Kimm, He Young ) and Master Park Lee Hyun the man we know as Dr. Kimm is the instuctor of Grand Master J.r.West, and thats where Mr. Stinson and I come into the picture.

Moo Sool Kwan was founded around 1963 in the sam sun kyo district in seoul korea

One Version of the History of Hapkido

Hap Ki Do was introduced by Choi Yong-Sul. The term Hap Ki Do translates to way of coordinated energy. We use other peoples energy and motion to work against them. Hap Ki Do came from Aiki-Jitsu, an art passed from Takeda Sensei down to Choi-Yong Sul as well as Aikido's Ueshiba and Judo's Kano

In 1904 Grandmaster Choi, Yong Sul was born in the Korean province Chung Buk. There he lived in a village named Yong Dong. During this time the Japanese occupied Korea. At the age of eight Grandmaster Choi met a Japanese candy merchant named Morimoto. Mr. Morimoto had no son and when he returned to Japan he kidnapped GM Choi, taking him away as his adoptive son.
But GM Choi resisted vehemently against this adoption and turned out to be so difficult that Morimoto left him to his fate only a short time after their arrival in the village of Moji, Japan. GM Choi went alone to Osaka and earned his living by begging. After being picked up by the police, he came to into a buddhistic temple to a monk named Kintaro Wadanabi. There he lived for 2 years. Life in Japan was not easy for GM Choi. He spoke poor Japanese and therefore he had big problems at school. Furthermore he was a foreigner and therefore was often flogged by other children.
So Kintaro Wadanabi decided to send GM Choi to his friend Sokaku Takeda (1859-1943). Sokaku Takeda was the head of Daito-Ryu Aikijujutsu. Daito-Ryu Aikijujutsu (Dai = big, to = sword, Ryu = school, Aiki = combined senses, Jujutsu = soft material art) is one style of the old Japanese Ju-jutsu, which first of all uses hand, elbow and shoulder joint locks to defend against various armed and unarmed attacks. Many movements can be compared to motions of the Japanese art of fencing with the long sword. Daito Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu was founded in the 11th century by Minamoto, Yoshimitsu. Tradition of the time dictated that in the beginning only the highest-ranking samurai of the Takeda family were taught in this art.
Over centuries Aikijujutsu was passed on only within certain samurai clans. After the end of the feudalism in the Meiji era Saigo, Tanomo (1829-1905) passed this system of fighting on to Sokaku Takeda. Takeda broke the rules and, for the first time, coached outsiders. For about 30 years GM Choi lived in Sokaku Takedas household. However, there are different variations of which social status he had. In an interview GM Choi himself declared that he had been adopted by Sokaku Takeda. According to other sources, he began as a “house boy” and later became Sokaku Takeka’s personal servant. Last but not least, some say that he just attended some seminars at Sokaku Takeda.
During his stay in the house of Sokaku Takedas GM Choi called himself Yoshida Asao (GM Choi, statement in an interview) or Yoshida Tatujutu (statement of Master Suh, Bok-Sup in an interview). According to his own statements GM Choi was the only one to learn all 3808 Daito-Ryu Aikijujutsu techniques. Another famous student of Sokaku Takeda was Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), the founder of Aikido. As it seems to be clear that Japan was going to loose World War II, Sokaku Takeka committed suicide by starving himself to death. Before he died he ordered GM Choi to return to Korea. On his way back to Korea GM Choi´s whole luggage was stolen at the Station of Younson: including all his money and the certificates he had obtained from Sokaku Takeda. GM Choi settled in Korea in the village of Taegu, situated in the Kyung Buk province, and changed his name back to Choi, Yong Sul. Here, he and his family survived by selling rice cookies for several years.

However, February 21st 1948 changed the tide of history. After a few years GM Choi had saved a small amount of money and had bought some pigs. To fatten them he needed grain, which he earned in a Korean brewery producing Korean wine. In this brewery the employees were paid with grain for helping to pump water from a subterranean source.
That day, February 21st some people tried to take up Choi’s position in the queue in front of the grain counter. GM Choi not only defended himself successfully against the attackers, but he did it with the greatest of ease. Suh, Bok Sup, manager and son of the brewery’s owner watched the fight from his office. He was impressed by the techniques with which GM Choi could defend himself. Suh, Bok-Sup owned the first Dan in judo, and, therefore, recognized that GM Choi was a master in a very effective material art. He called GM Choi in his office and asked him to teach him.
GM Choi agreed, and Suh, Bok-Sup paid for his training lessons with money and grain. The fact, that GM Choi’s first student held the first Dan in judo had an effect on the development of Hapkido. All Defense techniques against holds at the wrist, sleeve, collar and against judo throws go back to these roots. Of course, in the beginning Suh, Bok-Sup was mainly interested in how to defend himself against judo attacks. GM Choi named the material art, he had learned, Yawara. GM Choi changed the name of his material art several times. Among others he called it: Yu Sul (Soft Art), Yu Kwon Sul (Soft Hand Art), Hapki Yu Kwon Sul (In Unit with Ki Soft Hand Art) A few years later GM Choi became a bodyguard and head of the security department of Suh, father to Bok-Sup, and also a congressman.
On February, 12th 1951 GM Choi and Suh, Bok-Sup together opened up a Dojang named Korean Yu Kwan Sool Hap Ki Dojang. In 1958 GM Choi, Suh and Bok-Sup decided to change the name of the material art taught by them into HapKiDo. (Statement of Master Suh, Bok-Sup in an interview) There are different statements on who used the name HapKiDo first. Another variation is, that Ji, Han-Jae created the name and then passed it to GM Choi, in order to honor him. Sometime 1958 after GM Choi opened up his own Dojang. In Suh, Bok-Sups Dojang also taught Kim, Moo-Hyun, who, according to Suh, Bok-Sup, created the HapKiDo kicks.
Kim, Moo-Hyun had learned these kicks in various Korean temples. Kim, Moo-Hyun had a very close contact to GM Ji, Han-Jae and stayed some time in GM Ji, Han-Jae‘s Dojang in Seoul. It is very likely, that during this time a number of HapKiDo kicks were developed. Sometimes Suh, Bok-Sup went to Seoul and taught there at the university. In 1963 GM Choi became chairman of the newly founded Korean Kido Association, an umbrella organization of all Korean material arts, acknowledged by the Korean government.
In 1982 GM Choi traveled into the USA, trying to combine HapKiDo. He appointed Chang, Chin-Il his successor and hoped, that he would be able to unite the HapKiDo masters living in the USA. But GM Chois wish was not fulfilled. GM Choi died 1986 at the age of 82 and was buried in Taegu.

In 1936 Grandmaster Ji, Han-Jae was born in Andong, Korea. In 1949, at the age of 13, GM Ji began his training in the Korean Yu Kwan Sool Hap Ki Dojang under GM Choi. GM Ji was one of GM Choi’s best students. GM Ji studied at GM Choi until 1956. Afterwards he continued his studies with a master named “Taoist Lee”, and here learned the Tae Kyon kicks, Jang-Bong (long stick), Dan-Bong (short stick) and techniques of meditation. With a nun, (that he knew only as “Grandmother”), he learned spiritua tech-l niques. In 1958 GM Ji left Taegu and returned to Andong, where he opened up his own Dojang, named Sung Moo Kwan. At that time he held the 3. Dan in Yu Kwan Sool. Only nine moths later he moved to Seoul. Here, two very famous Grand Masters, who later emigrated into the USA, began their HapKiDo carrier. GM Han, Bong-Soo (founder of the International Hapkido Federation) and GM Myung, Kwang-Sik (founder of the Wold Hapkido Federation). Later he awarded them both the 9. Dan. Han, Bong-Soo 1984 and Myung, Kwang-Sik 1986. In Seoul GM Ji began to develop his own style by combining the techniques learned at GM Choi with the Tae Kyon kicks, the weapon techniques, and the spiritual techniques. He called this new material art HapKiDo. (As already mentioned above, he passes this name to GM Choi as a sign of reference.) At that time there was a boxing school close to his Dojang. Until then only defense techniques against punches were used, based on the assumption that the arms remains stretched after the punch. In those days this was the technique taught by some material arts. Boxing means the arm retracts immediately after the punch. Therefore, GM Ji developed some defense techniques against these ”snapping” punches. Many HapKiDo techniques were product of the Korean circumstances, no matter if they were developed by GM Choi, GM Ji or other HapKiDo masters. Defense techniques against knives were of elementary importance as the underworld criminals were almost exclusively equipped with knives.