Martial Arts Legacy

Most historians trace the origins of the martial arts back to the Shaolin Temple. Bodhidharma traveled from India to China to spread Buddhism. He developed a physical martial arts practice from watching animals in combat. He taught these techniques to the monks there to strengthen their spiritual practice, and this became what is now called Kung Fu.

Matsumura ~ Sokon “Bushi” Matsumura (1798 – 1890) had mastered this Chinese martial art of Kung Fu and when he began his role as the protector of the Shuri Castle in Okinawa. The art was based on soft and flowing motions observed from watching animals in nature. It had many circling and pecking motions striking at pressure points. But Matsumura revised his martial art to reflect what he learned from actual combat defending Shuri Castle. He kept the emphasis on hitting pressure points but created the hard linear fighting art we now know as Karate, based on actual unarmed combat against multiple opponents.

Sokon “Bushi” Matsumura was the commander of the Shuri Castle defenses for many years, from the mid 1820’s until 1879, and could be considered the prime master who developed linear Karate-Do. Against multiple opponents one does not have the time to circle and peck at the opponent as in Kung Fu. One must use a single deadly blow so you can move on to the next opponent.

E = MC Squared – An equation in German-born physicist Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity that showed that the increased relativistic mass (m) of a body comes from the energy of motion of the body—that is, its kinetic energy (E)—divided by the speed of light squared (c2).

Pre-Einstein, Matsumura applied the principle of “E = MC2” (Energy equals Mass times Speed squared) into his fighting art, the premise being that increasing the speed of the technique by 2 times provides 4 times the Energy or Effect. Increase speed by 3 times and have 9 times the effect. Matsumura incorporated fast and hard linear techniques into his fighting art from the necessity of fighting multiple opponents empty handed..

The Island of Okinawa was controlled both by Japan and China, neither of whom allowed the residents of Okinawa to own weapons. Various countries, including the US, attempted to take over and control this strategically located island. The crews of various ships wished to trade with the residents, who mostly just wanted to be left alone. Those who wanted to control the island sought to capture the Emperor of Okinawa. Besides Matsumura, the two main guards of the Emperor, trained by Matsumura, were Itosu and Azato, who were gifted martial artists even before becoming the Emperor’s guards. They often had to fend off multiple attackers at once, so their fighting style also developed from practical unarmed combat over many years. This is also the reason
R Bushman Tae Kwon Do is one of the few martial arts that still teaches multiple opponent sparring at the higher ranks.

Matsumura was the inventor, and Itosu was the teacher. Yasutsune Itosu developed what he learned from Matsumura and gave it structure. Itosu created the five PyungAhn forms.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ank%C5%8D_Asato for more information about Itosu’s fellow martial artist Azato

Funakoshi ~ a student of Azato and Itosu, Gichin Funakoshi organized these martial arts techniques and practice patterns (kata, hyung or forms) into Shotokan Karate-Do, and is known as the father of modern Karate.

Ro One of Gichin Funikoshi’s students was the Korean martial artist  Byung Jik Ro, whom Grand Master Bushman met while he was younger and who is in the picture below. Supreme Grand Master Ro is seated in front on the right side next to Grand Master I K Kim.  Grand Master Bushman is on the left side just right of the young lady in front, second row, at about age 13.

Grand Master Ro founded the Song Moo Kwan style of Tae Kwon Do, one of the five major schools or kwans when Tae Kwon Do was organized after WWII.   Song Moo Kwan takes all the techniques from Shotokan Karate Do and adds the excellent Korean kicking skills of Tae Kwon Do.

Kim ~ One of Supreme Grand Master Ro’s senior students was Grand Master Il-Kwon Kim, who refined the Song Moo Kwan style and founded Ja Be Ryu Tae Kwon Do, started in 1967 in Cincinnati ,Ohio. Grand Master Bushman has Ja Be Ryu Tae Kwon Do tattooed in Korean over his heart. To the left is picture of Grand Master Bushman with Grand Master Kim and Master Phil Weintraub who was Grand Master Bushman’s  initial instructor under Grand Master Kim.

Grand Master Bushman is the only Master or Teacher or Student to have trained and taught for Grand Master Kim for over 42 years.  Those who started before Grand Master Bushman retired many years ago, and those who started after him were far behind him in years and rank.

Non-affiliation with I K Kim Tae Kwon Do Centers, Inc. –   R Bushman Tae Kwon Do, Inc. is not affiliated with or endorsed by the legal entity I K Kim Tae Kwon Do Centers, Inc. With Grand Master Kim’s passing the ownership of this legal entity, to our knowledge, passed to his wife and four daughters, who have limited martial arts training and experience. While Grand Master Bushman is close friends with, in communication with, and respects all of the master instructors and black belts still involved with this legal entity, the continuation of Grand Master Kim’s martial arts teachings through 8th dan black belt level is the focus of Grand Master Bushman’s vision for the future.

Bushman ~ Grand Master Roy Bushman began in 1972 under Grand Master I K Kim and has 2nd dan (1978) and 3rd dan (1981) black belt certificates signed by Grand Master Ro.

Grand Master Bushman promoted to 8th dan black belt in October 2011 under Grand Master Kim (see videos). Grand Master Bushman has 42 years of training and volunteer teaching under Grand Master I K Kim, longer than any other student of Grand Master Kim. With Grand Master Kim’s passing Grand Master Bushman formed R Bushman Tae Kwon Do Inc. in 2015, taking all of the techniques of Ja Be Ryu Tae Kwon Do and adding the chi flow and energy work of Sun Do Taoist Healing Arts. See the Sun Do page on our website.