Kwonbup
Encyclopedia
Gwonbeop means fist fighting method. The earliest surviving written reference to gwonbeop is found in the Muyedobotongji
Muyedobotongji
In 1790, King Jeongjo of Korea commissioned a book called the Muyedobotongji which was an illustrated manual of Korean martial arts. This book, written by Yi Deokmu and Pak Jega , described in detail Korea's martial arts of which an unarmed combat style of kicking and punching is extensively...

, which has extensive documentation on the techniques and history of gwonbeop. According to this text, gwonbeop was impractical for large scale combat on the battlefield, but was taught as an introduction to the martial arts. Soldiers learned gwonbeop prior to learning more complex weapons arts to master footwork and body control. It was also taught as a method of personal self-defense for Joseon
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...

 warriors.

Quan fa is a generic term used for open handed Chinese martial arts. Gwonbeop was developed based on the methods of the Shaolin Temple and the techniques of Jang Song Gye (장송계 hanja: 張松溪). The hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...

 for quan fa and gwonbeop are the same. The chapter in the muyedobotongji dealing with gwonbeop was inspired by Chinese writings describing quan fa-techniques. It was the Chinese general Qi Jiguang
Qi Jiguang
Qi Jiguang was a Chinese military general and national hero during the Ming Dynasty. He was best remembered for his courage and leadership in the fight against Japanese pirates along the east coast of China, as well as his reinforcement work on the Great Wall of China.-Early life:Qi Jiguang was...

who said that empty-handed fighting methods were impractical on the battlefield.

These days the term gwonbeop is used in many Korean martial arts as a reference to their empty-handed curriculum.

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