The ''Sib Pal Gi Association'' (십팔기협회 ''Dae Han Sibpalki Hyeop Hwe''; also ''The Korea Sibpalki Association'') is a

Korean martial arts Korean martial arts ( or ) are fighting practices and methods which have their place in the history of Korea but have been adapted for use by both military and non-military personnel as a method of personal growth or recreation. The history of ...

association established in 1981 under the leadership of Kim Kwang-Seok (Kim Gwang-suk 김광석; 金光錫, b. 1936, style name ''Haebeom''). ''Sib Pal Ki'' (literally "eighteen skills") is a Korean term for "martial arts", either

Chinese martial arts Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

(as opposed to the

Japanese martial arts Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage ...

introduced during the

Japanese rule in Korea From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon". Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...

). Kim Kwang-Seok had opened a martial arts school in 1969, having studied martial arts during the late 1950s to middle 1960s under Choi sang-chul, Korean

Kungfu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

master. In 1986 Korean folklorist Sim U-seong worked together with Kim Kwang-Seok to compare his style with the historical ''

Muyedobotongji ''Muyedobot'ongji'' (; ''Muye Dobo Tong Ji'') was a Korean martial arts text written by , Pak Chega, and Paek Tongsu and published in four volumes in 1795. It was commissioned in 1790 by King Jeongjo (r. 1740–1810). It expanded on the eigh ...

'' or "Comprehensive Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts" of 1790. In the same year, the first public performance of Sib Pal Gi took place at the Batanggol Small Theater in Seoul. In 2001, students of Kim Kwang Seok founded the ''Sib Pal Gi Preservation Society'' (십팔기 보존회), dedicated to staging public performances and disseminating public awareness of Korean martial arts in the South Korean public. It is not clear to which extent the ''Sib Pal Gi'' system taught by Kim Kwang-Seok corresponds to the historical 18th-century Korean systems and to which extent the system reflects more modern influence of

; but the emphasis of ''Sib Pal Gi'' in Korea is that of being a "native" system in the sense of avoiding the modern

which had become mainstream under the

Japanese occupation of Korea From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon". Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...

during the first half of the 20th century. The term ''Sip Pal Gi'' (십팔기 "Eighteen Skills") in modern

has come to identify four separate activities. * there are practitioners in South Korea who follow the practices of an eclectic Chinese system of armed and unarmed Martial Arts termed ''Sip Pal Gi'' owing to the number of systems, methods and practices in its curriculum. Individual schools will vary in the weapons used and the manner of practice. *A second and more general application of the term is as a label to identify

generically, much like "

kung fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

" has become an umbrella term for them in

the West West is a cardinal direction or compass point. West or The West may also refer to: Geography and locations Global context * The Western world * Western culture and Western civilization in general * The Western Bloc, countries allied with NAT ...

. *Also, there are small groups of practitioners who use the term ''Sip Pal Gi'' historically, for the attempted reconstruction of 18th-century Korean martial arts based on the historical manuals, specifically the

Muyesinbo The ''Muyesinbo'' (; alternatively ''Muyeshinbo'') is a Korean martial arts manual published in 1759.Ehwa University Press 2008, Sippalgi: Traditional Korean Martial Arts, Dr. B.K. Choi The book is a revision of the older ''Muyejebo'', made du ...

, much in the same way as martial arts reconstruction in the West. *Lastly, the style usually spelled Sipalki, of dubious relation with the Chosun period martial arts, taught by Yoo Soo Nam.

References

* Kim Kwang-sŏk and Sim U-sŏng (1987), "Technical analysis of the 'Comprehensive Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts'" ( Muye tobo tʻongji : silgi haeje), Tongmunsŏn (東文選; Dongmunseon Books), Seoul. *Kim Kwang-sŏk (1992), "Essentials of Fist Methods" ( Kwŏnpŏp yogyŏl 권법요결 拳法要訣), Tongmunsŏn, Seoul. *Kim Kwang-sŏk (1995), "The National Sword: teaching Joseon-era swordsmanship" ( Ponʾguk kŏm : Chosŏn kŏmpŏp kyojŏng 本國劍 : 朝鮮劍法敎程), Tongmunsŏn. *Kim Kwang-sŏk (2002), "Joseon-era Spear and Staff Syllabus" (Chosŏn chʻangbong kyojŏng 朝鮮槍捧教程), Tongmunsŏn munye sinsŏ ��文選文藝新書vol. 208, Seoul, .

External links

Sib Pal Gi Association (sibpalki.or.kr)

Sib Pal Gi Preservation Society (sippalki.com)

Kim Gwang-suk (Hwarang Foundation, Amsterdam)

Reseña sobre Sipalki por Andres Esquivel (ARGENTINA)
{{Korean martial arts South Korean martial arts Martial arts organizations

See also

References

External links