Dan Gun

Number of moves  21

Dan gun was the father of Korea, and founded the kingdom of Korea in 2333 B.C.

 The legend is as follows: 

Hwan Ung came down from heaven to rule the universe. At that time a tiger and a bear, who lived in a cave begged Hwan Ung to change them into humans. 

The tiger couldn't comply with the commandments of Hwan Ung, so he lost his chance to become human. However, the bear could, became a woman, and prayed under an alter to become pregnant. 

Hwan Ung was moved by her plea, changed himself into a man, and married her. The had a son, Dan Gun, the father of Korea. 

The birth of Dan Gun, and the story of the founding of Korea, belong to the myths, but after the Sylla unification, especially in the era of the Lee Dynasty, the myth became respected by all. 

The Koryo dynasty viewed Dan Gun as the sole founder of the Korean kingdom and used this legend to show Korean superiority tot he Mongolian tribes. There was considerable antagonism toward the Mongolian tribes because in the past they had invaded and conquered Korea several times. 

This myth of Dan Gun played a very important role in protecting the Korean kingdom from invasion by maintaining the Korean culture for several thousand years, through the succession of the Sylla, Koryo, and Lee Dynasties.

Nowadays, October 3rd is celebrated as a national holiday, commemorating the founding father , Dan Gun

What this form teaches:

Dan Gun is the next basic form for the beginner after Chon-Ji. The stances and movements are teh sames as in Con-Ji. The only difference is that Dan Gun includes an additional motion to defend  yourself from both sides of an opponent's attack.