Definition of Moo Duk Kwan The institute of martial virtue

Was commissioned by King Jeongjo (r. 1776-1800) and published in four volumes in 1790, the 14th year of Jeongjo's reign. It was compiled by Yi Deok-mu (1741-1793) and Bak Je-ga (1750-1805) based on the actual state of military affairs at the time. There is an additional volume in which the original Chinese characters are presented in the Korean script, Hangeul.

The motivation for this major publication related to the foreign invasions of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty, in particular the Japanese invasions led by the warlord Hideyoshi and the Byeongja Horan, an offensive by Qing China. These invasions shattered the peace of the first 200 years of the Joseon Dynasty, thus arousing in the king and commoners alike the need to revive Korea's martial arts.

As previously mentioned, Mu ye do bo tong ji explains how elements of Chinese and Japanese martial arts were incorporated into Korean martial arts. In particular, the recording of Japanese swordsmanship, or waegeom, demonstrates the importance that Koreans placed on knowing their enemies well in order to devise defensive countermeasures.

The book is divided into 24 chapters, dealing with a variety of martial art forms. The first volume is devoted to spear fighting with six chapters on different spear-fighting techniques. The second volume covers sword fighting with two chapters on traditional Korean techniques and one chapter on Japanese swordsmanship. The third volume contains eight chapters describing various types of sword fighting, while the fourth volume is dedicated to six different types of martial arts including the "fist method," gwonbeop, and various horse-mounted martial arts.

At the end of the book is an appendix that provides detailed illustrations of the kind of clothing worn in four different types of martial arts and is thus a valuable reference for the study of ancient clothing. The following is a brief introduction to five martial arts included in Mu ye do bo tong ji, including four indigenous martial arts and Japanese swordsmanship.

The 24 military arts practiced in Gyung Dang
originated around the time of the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592.
Korea had led a peaceful life for 200 years prior to this foreign invasion. Korea experienced a disastrous defeat from the highly trained Japanese troops.
During the course of the war, during the Li Dynasty, Korean martial arts began to develop with the assistance of elite martial artists from China and Japan.

After the war between 1569 and 1790, two kings successively refined the above mentioned military arts.

Two famous scholars, Je-Ga Park and Duck-Mu Li, deeply versed in practical science, published a military arts book containing 24 military arts

Jang Chang (long spear)
Juk Jang Chang (long bamboo spear)
Ghi Chang (flag spear)
Dan Pa Nang Sun (fox bamboo spear)
Ssang Su Do Ye Do Wae Ghum Gyo Jun Je Do Ghum Bon Kuk Ghum Ssang Ghum (a pair of swords)
Ma Sang Ssang Ghum(a pair of swords, horseback)
Wahr Do (moon-sword)
Ma Sang Wahr Do (moon-sword on a horse)
Hyup Do Deung Pae (a sword wisteria-shield)
Ghwun Bup (boxing)
Ghon Bang (a long club with a small edge)
Pyun Ghon (a club with a joint and a long club)
Ma Sang Pyun Ghon (a Pyun Ghon on horse)
Ghi Chang (spear on horseback)
Gyuk Gu (eastern polo)
Ma Sang Jae (sword on horseback/polo)