Tacit Knowledge in the 무예도보통지 (Muye Dobo Tongji)
The 무예도보통지 (Muye Dobo Tongji) is a comprehensive illustrated manual of martial arts written in the late Choson period, specifically 1790, by Yi Duk-moo, Park Je-ga, and Pak Dong-soo. King Jungjo ordered this manual to be written [1]. Portions of the manual were originally written after the Japanese invasion from 1592 to 1598 by King Sunjo, detailing martial arts techniques from the Kihyo Shinsu by Chuk Kye-Kwang of the Ming Dynasty [2]. Later, fighting techniques from the Japanese were also incorporated [3]. The Muye Dobo Tongji therefore serves as a culmination of these documents, providing important information on Ming Dynasty martial arts for Korean soldiers, as well as an analysis of Japanese martial arts systems [4]. As a result, this manual serves as a tri-cultural exchange as Korea prepared for both Chinese and Japanese aggressors. This requires a thorough understanding of China’s and Japan’s martial arts systems as well as an understanding of their cultures at the time. Interpreting this document, therefore, requires an understanding of all three countries’ martial arts systems, military strategies, and cultures at the time.
To demonstrate the importance of tacit knowledge in martial arts, I have recreated two different forms of the Muye Dobo Tongji: the Kwon Bup Bo with tacit knowledge and the Jang Chang Hoo Bo without tacit knowledge.
Kwon Bup Bo: The Documentation of the Fist Fighting Method
Figure 1: An example of the Muye Dobo Tongji fist fighting techniques. This is attached to the following excerpt: “6,7,8,9,10. Move forward and make the Hyunkak Huheese (False Prey Posture) kicking the right hand with the right foot and the left hand with the left foot, then the right hand with the right foot. [Next Paragraph] 11,12. Immediately make the Sunranjuse (Docile Bird Wing Posture)...” [5].
The Kwon Bup Bo is a fist fighting method of the Muye Dobo Tongji. Images are provided for these steps, but the images are not correlated with a specific number. Context clues are required to connect the image to the description. In Figure 1, the right figure is kicking with his right hand touching his right foot, which fits the description of steps 8 and 10. Since steps 11 and 12 are attached to this image, it seems that the images should be read right to left, similar to the formal Chinese language used in Korea at the time [6].
To bolster my understanding of this form, I used a secondary source - a YouTube video recreating the form.
Video 1: This video was found on YouTube and recreates the Muye Dobo Tongji’s Kwon Bup Bo [7].
Video 1 is a valid interpretation, as its move sets follow the general descriptions of each step given in the manual. Having a video replicating the content is much more effective than the manual’s image descriptions, as it provides a 3D, essentially continuous, portrayal of each motion. This provides much more context than the two snapshot photos per step of the manual.
I also hold personal experience in martial arts. I learned Taekwondo under an instructor from 4th grade to 10th grade and have continued personal training afterward (currently in my 3rd year of college). I was also an instructor myself from the end of 8th grade until the spring of 10th grade (the start of the COVID-19 pandemic). This training also included supplemental martial arts, including weapon work (khali stick, bo staff, nunchuck, and sword techniques), grappling (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Aikido, and Wing Chun), and self-defense (Krav Maga and Muay Thai). I also have lifted weights since the middle of 9th grade. This strong foundational martial arts base has given me the chance to further analyze and interpret the moves in both the manual and the recreation.
Video 2: This is my recreation of the Muye Dobo Tongji’s Kwon Bup Bo, done in St. Louis MO in WashU Housing on April 20th, 2025.
Video 2 provides my demonstration of the Kwon Bup Bo. While Video 1 is effective at demonstrating the form, it only provides one angle. Additionally, it is difficult to tell whether modern understandings of martial arts have altered the form from what it was previously. Finally, the modern human body is very different from the 1790s body of a Korean soldier, also considering the armor and weaponry they held on their person during a fight. However, for my interpretation, I altered some steps of the form using my background in Taekwondo. If I interpreted a step as a grab, I also included better leverages. I also adopted leg work that generated more power for striking purposes. Finally, it appeared that the foot was not bent to strike with the ball of the foot, but rather using the top of the foot for a front kick. This would break the foot if striking powerfully, so I instead adopted a heel strike for bare-footed kicks, with a ball of the foot technique for the jumping front kick.
Recreating the form, there was a large emphasis on transitioning out of kicks straight into combat. There is little to no time to adopt a typical recovery pose, instead transitioning straight into the next form. It was also difficult to understand whether a move was a throw, kick, punch, grab, block, etc. I tried my best to interpret these moves, but without detailed instructions on what each technique was accounting for, it is difficult to know. In the historical context, details on what moves the Japanese and Chinese used would be very important in this case, yet they are not provided in the manual. Hopefully, officials and instructors were able to convey this information through word of mouth or demonstrations. Or perhaps they relied on the fact that Korean soldiers had already fought against Japanese and Chinese soldiers, yet this method seems unlikely as the King hoped to use this manual to teach future generations [8].
Jang Chang Hoo Bo: The Second Documentation of the Long Spear
Figure 2: An example of the Muye Dobo Tongji long spear techniques. This is attached to the following excerpt: “3. Move one step forward and make the Bokhose (Prone Tiger Posture). 4. Then move one more step forward and make the Bokhose (Prone Tiger Posture)” [9].
The Jang Chang Hoo Bo is a long spear-fighting method of the Muye Dobo Tongji. Images are provided for these steps, but the images are not correlated with a specific number. Context clues are required to connect the image to the description. This is significantly more difficult when one image is tied to multiple movements. For Figure 2, I assumed it was the starting pose of each form.
Without a video for reference or an extensive background in long spear fighting, I resorted to multiple levels of interpretation. The first thing I did was analyze the material and design of the long spear.
Figure 3
The depiction of the Chinese- and Korean-style long spears, called Jang Chang (48).
The Long Spear is five to ten feet in length and made of yew tree, which bends but is still quite hard, and the spear is “thick enough to fill the hand and becomes gradually thinner as it nears the point of the spear head” [10]. According to the picture, it has a double-bladed spear at the front, a guard at the front for deflecting other spears, and a small spike at the back (Figure 3). The taper, alongside the flexibility of the wood and the double-bladed spear, suggests that the front of the staff is often whipped and flexed to create further force caused by the spring motion of the spear returning to position). Additionally, the positioning and circular shape of the guard suggests a swirling motion towards the tip of the spear to deflect another spear or sword (Figure 3). Because the guard is also so high up, it suggests that the effective range of the spear is very long yet extremely weak at closer ranges, hence a smaller spike that may be switched around for further defense. The “Devil’s Ocean Searching Posture” of step 13 emphasizes the effective range of the staff with a push toward an enemy who is too close [11]. Enemies therefore must be kept at the tip of the spear as much as possible, suggesting that spears were used in open spaces where there was plenty of room to retreat or advance.
Directly interpreting each step required some creativity. Each step (except step 10) portrays the figure with the left hand and foot forward, despite any notes of odd-numbered steps. Because the Kwon Bup Bo does show changes in stance, this suggests that the steps in the Jang Chang Hoo Bo are dashes forward and backward, keeping the same foot forward [12]. Because step 10 deviates, this suggests that the move requires some sort of spinning or swirling circular motion, as any progress forward or backward would simply require a dash.
Each step then also provided a posture, as noted in Figure 2. Step 5 is the only step that mentions a direct attack, so other steps must be assumed to have strikes and defenses from the various postures [13]. Factoring the minimal effective range of the staff, I assumed that most steps backward were defensive moves and all steps forward were offensive. Finally, I considered the names of the postures themselves. The “Posture in which a Blue Dragon Shakes his Tail” of step 2, for example, is a step backward but also denotes the strength of a dragon [14]. Because this then launches into multiple steps forward and a thrust, I figured that this posture name suggested a collecting of energy before the attack, the blue dragon shaking its tail before the pounce. This is backed up by the following “Prone Tiger Posture” which suggests a tiger stalking its prey, perhaps swishing its tail [15]. The dragon also suggests more of a winding slash instead of the simple pawing of a tiger, so I attempted to replicate that. Step 10 is “Blue Dragon Holding Up His Claw Posture” [16]. This step has the right foot forward, suggesting a swirling motion. Based on the posture name as well, this seems to suggest a twisting dragon, perhaps slashing forward with its claw.
In the end, I came up with the following video, Video 3:
Video 3: This is my recreation of the Muye Dobo Tongji’s Jang Chang Hoo Bo, done in St. Louis MO in WashU Housing on April 20th, 2025.
Video 3 shows my best attempt at recreating this form. Without a teaching video, it is very difficult to evaluate or critique my form. There is such a limited basis to know if the motions I am performing are the intended attacks and defenses. For example, I limit the swing of step 10 to avoid damaging the room, but this would not be known if I did not mention it. Additionally, this questions the validity of the Kwon Bup Bo Video 1. While it does follow the instructions of the form, there is so much room for interpretation this video is likely not accurate to how it was performed. If this video was made from generational lines of knowledge transfer and by actual practitioners of the form, then it may be the closest thing we get to an accurate martial arts recreation. However, I cannot find additional information about the creators of this video, so this is up to speculation.
Discussion
In short, the lack of contextualization surrounding each move hinders the overall understanding of each technique. What is a strike, a block, a grab? Without the interplay of another person or extensive detailing of what a move is used for, it is hard to know what to expect from such a move. Even if another person is used, they are likely not a Japanese or Chinese soldier of the time. There was very limited detailing in the book about preparing for specific attacks, simply the writing of postures.
This reminds me of the generational information transfer of “Sculpting the Buddha” [17]. We as a class wondered if critiques by the masters originally involved religious teachings, but over time the critiques lost their contextual meaning, eventually becoming artistic notes about sculpture structure, a developed cultural taste. With the Muye Dobo Tongji, a lack of contextualization and rationalization behind moves hinders understanding of technique application.
There are likely two reasons for the vague contextualization of the manual. The first is that these manuals were likely used by Korean military officials at the time who held extensive knowledge of martial arts at the time, including the correct techniques for various postures. They could therefore very easily string together these postures and teach them correctly to their students. Secondly, these manuals were likely intentionally vague to prevent the Japanese and Chinese militaries from understanding Korean preparation. If an offensive unit invaded a training camp and discovered this book, a lack of contextual clues would prevent them from learning Korean military strategies.
Further Research
For further research, I would recommend immersion in the military and philosophical strategies of all three countries at the time. In The King’s Foreword, King Jungjo mentions adopting the strategy of “the dragon and tiger” [18]. These are often used in the names of postures, and a better understanding of these strategies would help guide interpretations of each movement. Additionally, a better understanding of the Chinese and Japanese strategies would provide insight into what these techniques were teaching the Korean soldiers to prepare against. Even looking at modern recreations of Chinese military martial arts systems can provide some insights into the fist fighting techniques [19].
Further research into the creators of Video 1, perhaps by someone with more Korean knowledge than me, would confirm the accuracy of Video 1’s movements. Recreating the techniques using traditional Korean military clothing could also give a better insight into fighting techniques. For example, did the weight of military clothing provide more power for attacks or instead encumber the soldier?
Conclusion
In conclusion, interpreting the Muye Dobo Tongji requires extensive tacit knowledge or in-person teaching from someone with tacit knowledge. From a broader perspective, it emphasizes that martial arts is inherently tacit and requires extensive explanation to justify various moves in the martial arts system. Without them, techniques become meaningless.
Works Cited
[1] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 11
[2] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 11
[3] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 12
[4] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 11
[5] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 318
[6] Kyung-Ho, Sim. “Stylistic Diversification in Korean Classical Chinese and Its Historical Nctions .” JOSPL, 1 Jan. 2024, www.jospl.org/upload/pdf/jospl-1-1-24.pdf. pg. 1
[7] Warrior, Poomsae. “Poomsae Warrior - Kwon Bop from Muye Dobo Tongji.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 June 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X0_Dh2po5M.
[8] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 14
[9] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 65
[10] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 49-50
[11] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 70
[12] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 65 and 319
[13] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 66
[14] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 65
[15] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 65
[16] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 68
[17] Seki, Yujiro, director. Carving The Divine. Carving The Divine, 2025, https://www.carvingthedivine.com/. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
[18] Yi, Duk-Moo, and Je-Ga Park. Muye Dobo Tongji: Complete Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts. Translated by Sang H. Kim, Turtle Press, 2010. pg. 14
[19] Shang, Wuzhai. “Baji Pigua - Form Applications - Master Zhou Jingxuan.” YouTube, YouTube, 8 May 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLN7CB_EcA8.