 | Yun Pon Gun, who had previously studied the Korean martial arts, learned from students of Kenwa Mabuni. The Korean martial arts probably first appeared during the Koguryo Dynasty (founded in 37 BC). During the Han Dynasty, the Chinese invaded Northern Korea, and colonized it. As a result, the Koreans were exposed to the northern styles ofChuan Fa (noted for their strong kicks). The Korean martial arts developed greatly during the Silla Dynasty (668 to 935 AD), when the nobility actively studied and developedHwarang-Do as a fighting art. With their martial skill, the warriors of Silla were able to unify Korea through conquest. After the decline of the Silla Dynasty, the Korean martial arts were still actively studied but the name was changed to Subak. The name Tae Kwon Dowas not adopted until 1955 (soon afterward the name Tang Soo Do also appeared). |
Yun Pon Gun’s business brought him to a village in Southern Wakayama called Kushimoto. Singe Gun was coming all the way from Osaka (where he lived), he came about once a month, leaving the work to his assistants the rest of the time. Soon Gun and the other Koreans began teaching martial arts to the locals (probably to establish a network there). The name which came to be associated with this system was Shinpuren (which means, "Continuous Divine Wind" in Japanese). However, the original meaning if the name may have been different since it was from Korean.Shinpuren was a word often overheard by the students when the Koreans were talking and did not become an official name for the system until later on. In Kushimoto, Shinpuren was not any sort of political organization, however, there was a counter-revolutionary movement in the southern Japanese city of Kumamoto which used the name Shinpuren in 1877. This group was involved in assassinations and a minor military coup in order to expel all western influences and to restore the power of the emperor (Sonno Joi). Training in Kushimoto was done outdoors, often at night in the nearby mountains, or at the beach, and involved a lot of stretching, high kicking drills, throws, basic weapons training (using home-made Nunchaku, Bo, wooden Sai, and wooden Kama) and Kata. During this period, there were about 20 Kata, however, training was sporadic since only Gun taught it and he only came once a month. In 1944, Yoichi Nakachi (then aged 12) began studying with Yon Pon Gun. In 1945, the American Occupational Government (SCAP) outlawed the practice of the martial arts to dispel the militaristic attitude of the Japanese people. However, the practice of Shinpuren continued in secret until the ban was lifted in 1948. In 1950, the Koreans left Kushimoto and closed down their operation. Since Master Nakachi had run some of the workouts for Yon Pon Gun, he became the head instructor. It is unclear what happened to Yun Pon Gun.
