TMA History

    Bodhidharma began his life as a royal prince in Southern India in the Sardilli family in 440 A.D. In the midst of his education and training to continue in his father's footsteps as king, Bodhidharma encountered the Buddha's teachings. He immediately saw the truth in Lord Buddha's words and decided to give up his esteemed position and inheritance to study with the famous Buddhist teacher Prajnatara. Bodhidharma rapidly progressed in his Buddhist studies, and in time, Prajnatara sent Bodhidharma to China, where Buddhism had begun to die out, to introduce the Sarvastivada sect Buddhist teachings to the Chinese. Bodhidharma arrived in China after a brutal trek over Tibet's Himalayan Mountains surviving both the extreme elements and treacherous bandits.

    Bodhidharma traveled to the recently constructed Shaolin temple in the south of China in , where the monks refused him admission. Bodhidharma sat meditating facing a wall for the next 9 years, supposedly burning holes into the wall by staring at it. Only then did the monks of the Shaolin Temple respect Bodhidharma and allow him inside. There, he found the monks so out of shape from a life of study spent copying scrolls that he introduced a regimen of martial exercises, which many believe became the foundation of many later schools of kung fu.

Wong Chung-yoh -Hsing-I - China (Late 1600's)

    Very little is known about Wong Chung-yoh.  He taught a style of martial arts known as Hsing-I (XingYi), in China in the late 1600's.  His school was located in the Foochaw harbor, in the Fukein province of China.  His most notable student, the produced the lineage for most modern martial arts, was Chatan Yara.

Chatan Yara - Okinawa-te - Okinawa (1668-1756)

    Born in Chatan, Okinanwa. In 1680, at the age of 12, he began to study Hsing-I under Wong Chung-yoh in China. In 1700, after 20 years of study, her returned to Okinawa. r He was a master of Okinawan weapons and introduced the concept of chi to Okinawa-Te.

Peichin Takahara - Okinawa-te - Okinawa (1683-1760

    Peichin Takahara was born in the village of Akata Cho in Southern Shuri, Okinawa.  Peichin means "senior", it is an honorary title of the feudalist cults of Japan.  He was a Buddhist monk of the Shaolin Temple, and an expert in martial arts. Peichin Takahara was revered as a great warrior and was first to explain the concept of the word "do", meaning "way".  The attributes of the "way" include ijo - the way: compassion, humility and love; katsu - the laws: a complete understanding of all the techinques and forms of karate; and fo: dedication seriousness of karate that must be understood not only in practice, but in actual combat.  He was the first teacher of Sakugawa.

Tode Sakugawa - Shuri-te - Okinawa (1733-1815)

    Okinawa-te spread through Okinawa and developed into three branch styles.  The three distinct styles became known for the cities they were praticed in, Shiri, Naha, and Tomara, with the thre styles being known as Shuri-te, Naha-te, and Tomari-te.

    Tode Sakugawa was born in Shuri, Okinawa.  He studied Okinawa-te under Peichin Takahara and Kenpo under Kusanku.  Tode Sakugawa combined Chinese Kenpo techniques with Okinawa-te.

Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura - Shuri-te - Okinawa (1796-1893)

    Sokon Matsumara was born in Yamagawa Village, Shuri, Okinawa to an upper-class (shizoku) family.

    In 1812, at age 18 Matsumara began training under Sakugwa.  In approximately 1830, at the age of 34, he went to China and studied the Shaolin style of Chinese Kenpo.  He was nick-named "Bushi" which means Warrior.

Yasutsune Itosu "Anko" - Shuri-te - Okinawa (1830-1915)

    Born in Yamagawa Village, Shuri, Okinawa. He began his To-te (karate) study under Nagahama Chikudon. At the age of 16 he started to train Karate with Master Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura.

Gichin Funakoshi - SungTaeKwan - Japan (1868-1957)

    Born in Shuri, Okinawa. In 1879 at age 11 he began his study of Naha-te under Yasutsune Azato. Later he trianed in Shuri-te under Yasutsune Itosu and in Naha-te under Yasutsune Azato. In 1922 he was invited to come to Japan and demonstrate his style of Martial arts.  He was persuaded to stay and teach in Japan and whitle there, he founded SungTaeKwon (Shotokan) Karate.

Won Kuk Lee - ChungDoKwan - Korea (04/13/1907 - 02/02/2003)

    Won Kuk Lee was born in Korea.  In 1926, Korea was occupied by Japan.  At the age of 19, Won Kuk Lee moved to Japan and began to study SungTaeKwan under Gichin Funakoshi.  In 1944, he returned to Korea and founded ChungDoKwan

    When the Japanese occupation of Korea was over, Won Kuk Lee went on trial as being a Japanese sympathizer.  In 1955, while Lee was in Exile, the Korean government ordered that various other styles be merged into ChungDoKwan and that it be restructured and named TaeKwonDo.  Today, WonKuk Lee is recognized by the Republic of Korea as the founding father of TaeKwonDo.

Duk Sung Son - ChungDoKwon - United States (06/17/1922-)

    Duk Sung Son was born in Korea.  In 1944, at the age of 22, he began studying ChungDoKwan under Won Kuk Lee.  Duk Sung Son was appointed by Lee to be his successor in 1950.  In 1963, he migrated to the United States and founded the World TaeKwonDo Association and served as it's president.

    Although he named the association he formed as the World TaeKwonDo Association, he referred to his style as ChungDoKwan, and practiced the TaeKwonDo forms passed down from Gichin Funokoshi.

Duk Sung Son currently teaches in New York City at Te Han Karate and holds the rank of 9th Dan.

Nak Yong Chung - TaeKwonDo - United States (? - 2000)

    In the fall of 1968, Master Nak Yong Chung began teaching at Wabash Valley College in Mt. Carmel, Illinois.  One of his early students was Director Mahlon Hallam.  Eventually, Director Hallam rose to be senior student and took over the class when Master Nak Yong Chung moved to Chicago.  In the 1970's, he served as the Midwest director for the WTA.

Mahlon Hallam - TaeKwonDo - United States (07/31/1949-)

    Mahlon Hallam was born in Streator, Illinois on July 31st, 1949.  In August of 1968, at the age of 19, he began studying TaeKwonDo under Nak Yong Chong at Wabash Valley College.  Eventually he became a Certified Martial Arts director of the Traditional Martial Arts Association and the International Martial Arts Association.  He also studies Shotokan, Yang Style Tai Chi, and Kyusho Jitsu.

Lynn Stangle - TaeKwonDo - United States (06/25/1951-)

    In 1973, Master Lynn Stangle enrolled in Director Mahlon Hallam's class.

    In 1979, Master Stangle began teaching his own school at Lincoln Trail College, in Robinson Illinois.

    In the fall of 1992, Master Stangle, along with several members of the TMA Executive Board, founded Traditional Martial Arts Association.  Later, in 2002, the International Martial Arts Association was Founded.  Master Stangle is the acting president of both organizations.