The 24 Patterns of Ch'ang-Hon Taekwon-Do

Named after Lake Chon, the Heavenly Lake, on Mount Baekdu.

Chon-Ji represents 'creation' or the beginning of human history & so this is chosen as the initial pattern taught to beginners.  

Korean folk lore has it that Baekdu-San was where Dan-Gun came down to earth & made his first home.  

Mountains hold a special significance to the Korean people & are said to be inhabited by the San-Shin, or mountain spirits.

Named after the legendary founder of Korea in 2333BCE.

Legend has it that Dan Gun's father, Hwang-Ung, challenged a bear & a tiger to live in a cave & eat only garlic & mugworts for 21 days to become human, as that was their wish.

Due to the tiger's fierce nature he couldn't comply but the bear was able to. He changed into a beautiful woman & gave birth to Dan-Gun who then founded the Korean nation. 

Pseudonym of Ahn Chang-Ho.

Political activist who devoted his life striving for Korean Independence & freedom from the Japanese occupation of Korea.

He also championed the education of the common people & tried to bring about reforms to better their lives.

He was imprisoned by the Japanese in 1937 & tortured. He died shortly after following his release. 

Buddhist monk in the 7th Century who spread Buddhism to the common people.

It has been stated that he was once a Hwa-Rang warrior & saw much bloodshed & this was possibly what drove him to the priesthood.

Once legend tells of a journey to China where he mistakenly drunk out of a rotting skull thinking it was a rain-filled drinking vessel, in a darkened cave.

Upon realising this he had an inner enlightenment & decided he no longer needed to seek out a Master. 

This was the pseudonym of Yi I who was nick-named "The Confucius of Korea".

He became a prominent figure in Korean politics & championed the people's views as opposed to authoritive Government rule. He also suggested fairer tax rules & financial reforms.

Yi I advised that a standing army reserve of 100,000 men be equipped & retained, but this was ignored & shortly after in 1592 Korea was invaded by the Japanese.

Named after the Korean patriot who shot the Japanese Governor-General Hiro-Bumi Ito at Harbin railway station in 1909.

Joong-Gun was a resistance fighter who fought the oppressive Japanese colonial rule.

While he was imprisoned following his capture he drew a number of examples of calligraphy, which he signed with a hand print. The most well known stated "The best rivers & mountains".

He was executed at the Lui-Shung prison in 1910. 

An authority on Neo-Confucianism, Toi-Gye was the pseudonym of Yi Hwang.

He held multiple positions in Government & was viewed with high regard by the king.

Yi Hwang was a poet & a scholar & held a position in public service for 40 years.

He founded a private school which provided free tuition to his students. Some of his teachings are still taught today in various institutes around the world including Japan.
 

The Hwa-Rang were initially sons of the Korean nobility during the Silla Dynasty (6th century). They were an elite warrior group & proved pivotal in the unification of the 3 kingdoms of Korea, which ushered in a period of peace after years of war.

Many stories & legends were written about the heroic deeds of the Hwa-Rang.

The second part of this pattern meaning refers to the ROK 29th Infantry Division where Taekwon-Do was developed. After its formation in 1953 this unit became renowned throughout the Korean Army due to the prowess of the soldiers who were all trained in martial arts. It was here that the famed Oh Do Kwan was founded.
 

Yi Soon-Sin is revered as Korea's greatest hero & his skills as a naval commander are taught in military academies the world over.

The title of Choong-Moo was posthumously awarded following his death in battle in 1598 against Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Japanese invasion fleet. It loosely translates as 'loyal warrior'.

He is credited with devising the Kobukson, or 'Turtle Ship'. This was a heavily armed & iron-clad warship with a dragon's head on the prow which could blow out a smoke screen. The roof of the ship was spiked to repel boarders, which was the preferred method of attack by the Japanese. It could sail into battle or be rowed for greater manoeuvrability.
 

Kwang-Gae Toh Wang was the 19th King of the Goguryo Dynasty.

He was responsible for recapturing the  lands that had been lost to the Baekje kingdom, who had been slowly consolidating its power on the Korean peninsular. By 396 AD Baekje had been subjugated & Kwang-Gae turned his attention on expanding  his sphere of influence by invading & capturing parts of Manchuria which then became part of the northern territories of Goguryo.

In 1875 a stele was discovered which was inscribed with the exploits of Kwang-Gae. He is one of only two Korean kings who have been given the suffix "The Great". The other was king Se-Jong The Great.
 

Po-Eun was the pseudonym of Jeong Mong-Ju who lived during the Goryeo Dynasty.

He was a poet & a diplomat. He was also said to be a pioneer in the field of physics.

He carried out many diplomatic missions including a number to both China & Japan.

In 1392 a puppet king was placed on the throne by an ambitious statesman, Yi Seong-Gye.  Jeong Mong-Ju was fiercely loyal to the Goryeo Dynasty & fellout of favour when Yi Seong-Gye deposed of the king & crowned himself the 1st king of the Joseon (Yi) Dynasty.

He was murdered under the orders of the king at the Sonjukkyo bridge.
 

The great Baekje general Ge-Baek was promoted to the commander of the Baekje army  when, in 660 AD, an army of 50,000 troops invaded from the neighbouring Silla kingdom led by the famous Kim Yoo-Sin. They were supported by 130,000 soldiers in an alliance with Tang China.

A number of factors contributed to the fact that Ge-Baek had only 5,000 soldiers at his command & was vastly outnumbered.

After a heroic last stand, the Baekje army was annihilated & the kingdom was absorbed under the umbrella of the Silla dynasty. 

It was said that Ge-Baek had his wife & children put to death before the battle. The harsh realisation that it was to be the end of the Baekje dynasty may have prompted this heart-breaking decision. 
 

Ko-Dang was the pseudonym of the political activist Cho Man-Sik.

He was a prominent member of the Korean Independence Movement & promoted non-violent resistance to Japanese rule. Because of this he was sometimes known as 'The Ghandi of Korea'. He strived to build a sense of nationalism in the Korean people & was an advocate for self-sufficiency for the Korean nation.

Cho Man-Sik was executed in a Pyong-Yang prison in 1950. Some feel that this was because he vied for political power in opposition to the communist USSR backed Kim Il-Sung, who went on to become the leader of the North Korean communist state. 

The leader of the Korean Independence Movement was Son Byong-Hi, who was also known as Eui-Am, which means 'righteousness'.

Son Byong-Hi joined the Donghak religious movement. They fought for the common peoples rights & attacked wealthy foreign traders, landlords & Government offices & redistributed their wealth to the poor.

In 1905 he reformed the Donghak movement into a more moderate, peaceful modern religion that still exists today. This was called Chondo Kyo, or 'Heavenly Way'. 

In 1919 Son Byong-Hi was fundamental in forming the Korean Independence Movement & the was one of the 33 patriots who read the Declaration of Independence.  

Choong-Jang was a posthumous title bestowed on the 16th century general, Kim Duk-Ryang. Its literal translation is 'Great Loyal one'.

He fought in the Imjin War against the Japanese. He was renowned for his bravery & outstanding agility in battle & these abilities were quickly recognised by both his enemies & by his peers.

In 1596 he was tasked with quelling the Mong-Hak rebellion, but he was falsely accused of joining the rebellion & fighting against the king by jealous rivals. He was tortured & put to death. He was later exonerated from any involvement & received a royal pardon.
 

This literally means 'three-one' which refers to March 1st when the Declaration of Independence was read out in Pagoda Park (now called Tapgol Park), Seoul in 1919. 

The catalyst for this was the suspicious death of King Gojong a few weeks earlier.

The Sam-Il Movement was formed by 33 patriots who were to read out the Declaration to the Korean people & the Japanese authorities. 

In the weeks following the reading of the Declaration, protests took place throughout the country. These were brutally put down by the Japanese & over 7,500 Koreans were killed & over 47,000 were arrested.

Although independence was not realised until 1945, a large number of reforms were made following the uprising.
 

Named after a 14th century general who lived in the Goryeo Dynasty. He was skilled in military strategy & the martial arts.

He was widely respected for his loyalty, patriotism & humility. Later in life he became mayor of Pyong-Yang & was pivotal in increasing crop production & ending a famine there.

Some of his military victories included repelling the Japanese pirates that were raiding the coastline, defeating a rebellion by the Red Turbans & reclaiming the lost northern territories which were taken by the Mongols.

He was later to be responsible for leading an army to repel a further Mongol invasion, but a political rival (Yi Seong-Gye) was to be his undoing & Choi-Yong was defeated protecting the king by Yi's superior forces.

He was executed under Yi's orders in 1388. 

Kim Yoo-Sin was a Silla general & Hwa-Rang warrior who led his forces to defeat Goguryo & Baekje to usher in a period of lasting peace, known as the Unified Silla period.  

The Three Kingdoms were unified in 668 AD under the rule of Korea's first Queen, Sun-Duk.

Many stories have been recorded about Kim Yoo-Sin's bravery & the many battles that he won.

He was a master swordsman & he progressed through the military ranks quickly due to his prowess & by his skill on the battlefield. By the age of 34 Yoo-Sin had been promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. 

He died at the age of 79 & was buried in a tomb that rivalled the Silla kings. 

 Ul-Ji Moon Dok was an educated man whose political skills saw him rise to become the prime-minister of Goguryo.

He was also skilled in military tactics & in 612 AD he was promoted to Field Marshal to defend the nation against an invading army of the Chinese Sui Dynasty. This army was reported to be over a million men.

Using clever tactics the Sui army were slowly ground down & their supply lines were over-extended & were forced to base themselves far from their military objectives. In one occurrence 305,000 men marched onto Pyong-Yang. Following a feigned retreat & an ambush at 'the battle of Salsu' nearly all the Sui forces were killed or captured with only 2,700 returning alive.

The Sui Dynasty was to fall shortly after in 618 AD, paving the way for the Tang Dynasty. 

Yon-Gae Somoon was a famous Goguryo general & governor of the Eastern & Western Provinces.

Prompted by a Tang Chinese military excursion into the Goguryo territory in 631 AD, Yon-Gae began an ambitious project called the 'Cheolli Jangseong', or the Thousand Li Wall. This was a fortified wall, similar in construction to the Great Wall of China. It took 16 years to complete & was built along the border to China.

Yon-Gae was viewed as becoming too powerful by the king & his court officials & planned to have him killed. News of this plan found Yon-Gae & he retaliated by attacking & killing the king & his courtiers at a banquet. He placed his nephew on the throne & was able to consolidate his power.

He won a decisive victory in 649 AD when he defeated an invading Tang force of nearly 200,000 men at the battle of Ansi Sung, close to the Chinese-Goguryo border. 

He passed away in 666 AD, two years before Goguryo was defeated by combined Silla-Tang forces. 

Born as Prince Kim Beom-Min, Moon-Moo became king in 661 AD. He was the first king of the Unified Silla Dynasty, when the three kingdoms were unified in 668 AD. 

Having formed an alliance with the Tang Chinese Dynasty, King Moon-Moo found that the Tang had more ambitious plans & had set their sights on controlling the whole Korean peninsular.

In 676 AD the Tang general, Xue Li led a naval invasion fleet across the Yellow Sea & was defeated by the Silla navy. By 679 AD the Tang had given up on any ideas of conquest.

King Moon-Moo was buried at sea in an underwater tomb at Dragon Head Rock also known as Dae Wang Am. Legend has it that he would rise up as a dragon & protect Korea from foreign invaders. 

Se-Jong The Great was born as Yi-Do in 1397 AD. He is known as Korea's greatest king. He was crowned King of Jeoson at the age of 21.

He was revolutionary in that he appointed government officials from all social classes rather than from the nobility, as was the norm. Selection was based on merit not social standing.

He implemented policies that ensured that military technology was improved & developed, such as; cannon & other gunpowder weapons. He also built defensive structures in the north to resist invasions from the Jurchen tribesmen.

He also tasked his officials with making improvements in agriculture, rain gauges, iron printing presses with movable type & developing astronomical tools. One of the worlds first water clocks was developed during his reign.

However, his greatest achievement was to develop Hangul, the Korean alphabet in 1444 AD. It was one of the world's first phonetic alphabets & it allowed the common person to learn to read & write. Prior to this, the only literate people were the upper classes & the scholars who wrote in Chinese Hanja. Hangul originally consisted of 28 letters but was later revised to 24. 

So-San was the pseudonym of the Buddhist monk Choi Hyong-Ung, who lived during the 16th Century.

He spent his life travelling the land teaching his philosophies. This was a period in time where Taoism was the favoured religion & Buddhism was banned. However, this ban was lifted & was even supported when Queen Mun-Jong came to the throne.

So-San taught 'Seon' (or Zen) Buddhism & authored many religious texts.

During many years of peace the Korean army had been reduced in size dramatically & this was to have dire consequences. In 1592 the Japanese invaded Korea & the depleted Korean forces were quickly swept aside. 

A desperate plea was made to So-San to form his monks into guerrilla bands to assist in repulsing the invaders. At the age of 72 he could not fight himself; he divided up his 'Righteous Army' of 5000 monks into divisions, one which was led by one of his most able disciples, Yu Jeong.

The warrior monks had many notable successes against the Japanese invaders, who were forced to abandon their invasion plans in 1593.

Following the conclusion of the Imjin Wars many years later, Yu Jeong made a number of diplomatic missions to Japan & secured the release of thousands of prisoners.

So-San died at the age of 84.   

The Korean War (1950 to '53) devastated the Korea. Millions of people died, were injured or displaced.

The legacy of the war continues today with the Korean nation being divided across the 38th parallel, known as the De-Militarised Zone (DMZ). This is the most heavily fortified & guarded border in the world.

Officially hostilities are on-going & North & South Korea are still in a state of war, as the Korean War ended in an armistice not a peace treaty.

Many families are still separated even today.

Tong-Il is the concept of Korea, once again, unifying & becoming one nation. It interprets as 'one race' or 'a homogenous race'.