HISTORY
The earliest existing written source mentioning Taekgyeon is the book Jaemulbo (also Manmulbo), written by Lee Sung-Ji during the reign of Jeongjo (1776–1800). Around the 1900s, Taekgyeon was practiced frequently around Hanyang (Seoul), the capital of the Joseon dynasty. Song Duk-ki (1893-1987) was critically responsible for conveying the art. In his only book, he writes: "It cannot be said for sure when and how Taekgyeon came into existence, but until the end of the Korean kingdom, certain people did Taekgyeon together."
In the book "Haedong Jukji" by Choe Yeong-nyeon from 1921, there is a poem and a non-fictional text about Taekgyeon, calling it lyrically "flying leg technique" (bi-gak-sul, 비각술, 飛脚術). Taekgyeon is also depicted in the image to the right: "Dae Kwae Do", painted around 1850 by Hyesan Yu Suk. It shows Ssireum above and Taekgyeon below. Both were often done together at festivals, so Hyesan painted a lively scene with people from all social levels. Soldiers are watching the games as well as ordinary people which can be identified by their clothes (white hanbok) and behaviour. For instance, one of the lower classmen at the left turned up his trouser legs, which was not considered good manners by the upper classes.
Taekgyeon took a severe blow when Neo-Confucianism grew in popularity, and also when the Japanese occupation nearly made the art extinct. Taekgyeon has enjoyed a resurgence at the end of the Japanese colonial period in 1945. The last Taekgyeon Master from the Joseon-dynasty, Song Duk-Ki, maintained his practice of the Art throughout the Japanese occupation and subsequently laid the seeds for the arts' regeneration.
On June 1, 1983, Taekgyeon was given the classification as Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 76 by the Korean government (중요무형문화재제76호). It is the only Korean martial art which possesses such a classification. Grandmaster Song Duk-ki was given living national treasure status by the South Korean government in 1983. Song Duk-ki died on 23 July 1987, at the age of 94. Finally, in November 2011, Taekgyeon was recognized by UNESCO and placed on its Intangible Cultural Heritage List, being honored as the first martial art on UNESCO's list.
