Korean Job Discussion Forums

[True Samurai]

Good day. On another thread in which I ask about age being a factor in getting hired in Korea, Smee, noticing my nome de forum remarked:

[Smee]

Well, others are way more expert at this . . . but somebody told me that "samurai" comes from 싸움, (ssa-um), a noun meaning "fight." That's all I know about it.

[the_beaver]

Don't think so. The whole bushido thing started up well past the time that Koreans started focusing on poetry.

As for steeling metalworkers (couldn't resist that pun) . . . It's possible, although the history I know deals with stealing potters during the Hideoyoshi invasions.

[kimchi story]

Whew! Well, I'm glad I'm preaching to the converted. My original post was satirical, to set the record straight. But then again, as was proven by Big Bird, my instincts are well educated but still not always to be trusted.

And OMG brother, the truth about Milli Vanilli was hard to take Girl, you know it's true...

[kimchi_pizza]

Samurai actually comes fromt the Japanese word meaning "to serve". Can't think of the exact words...

Also, Korean swords take more after the Chinese style as well as their bows. Japanese swords and bows are distinctly Japanese.

If you're interested Bushido I recommend reading Nitobe Inazo's book. Very interesting.

[superacidjax]

[Troll_Bait]

Ancient Korea used to have something vaguely similar to the samurai (young aristocrats trained in the arts, including martial arts):

Hwarang

They had disappeared by the time of the Chosun dynasty.

[SuperFly]

And when I was told the kidnapping story, we were all quite high on soju and boilermakers. But it was a good story, and I had a good time listening to it...and my hosts were quite generous with the girls at the room salon. I even had first picks!

[Dan The Chainsawman]

bullshito the art of Japanese trade negotiation. Damn effective.

[jazblanc77]

As someone who practices kumdo, I have to tell you that this is an issue of hot contention. I''l give you a condensed history.

Korea did traditionally use swords in combat, but the traditional martial art was practiced with a double edged sword. Eventually the Japanese develeoped the katana sword which is reputed to be the strongest and most durable sword ever made. Both Korea and China adopted this sword and developed their own styles. While Koreans are believed to have emulated many forms from the Japanese, they also developed Hwa Rang which influenced the development of the warrior class in Japan, the Samurai. However, with the advent of confucianism in the Goryo and Joseon Dynasties, many martial arts, including fencing, archery, and hand-to-hand combat styles began to die out. At that time, it was deemed that those who practiced marital arts were of lower status and only professional military practitioners carried on some of the traditions (many styles and techniques died with their practitioners without being passed on). The demise of Korean martial arts was further aided when the Japanese occupational forces banned their practice by ordinary citizens. The only Korean styles to have survived are the Bonguk Geombeop and the Chosun Se Bup, but all of the other 10 bon/kata (sword forms), are still virtually identical to those used in Japan.

During the most recent Japanese occupation of Korea, fencing was repopularised and Koreans started practicing again as part of the national physical education program. The style that used was Japanese. In the 1920's, korean fencing was given the name kumdo, a modification of the Japanese word, kendo. People who play kumdo are called Kumdoin while those who play kendo are called Kendoka. The modern sport of kumdo is based on those Japanese forms that were brought back to Korea (which you will remember evolved from Haw Rang), but it's practitioners were NEVER Samurai warriors.

*I have tried to locate the names of those Korean warriors who used a double-edged short sword and later the shinai (katana), but I'm afraid I wasn't able to find them.

[Hollywoodaction]

According to some historians, hwarang was not what it is often made to be...nor were the samurai, for that matter.

[JJK1]

From what I know, the Koreans didn't give the Japanese the sword but the technology to make them (blacksmithing, steel, other metals etc.)

[jazblanc77]

[JJK1]

[the_beaver]