Author: Bret Gordon
I just read the most ridiculous assertion on Hapkido (and therefore Daito Ryu) history... That is that Takeda Sokaku told Choi Yong Sul that it was time to take Daito Ryu back to where it started and where the Minamoto Clan originally came from - Korea. Yeah, I'm just as shocked as you are. I don't know what's worse. The fact that we're just making up history now, or the comment below saying he knows this is true because his grandmaster told him so.
The oral history of Daito Ryu traces the art to Minamoto Yoshimitsu (1045-1127) who allegedly developed an advanced fighting system by dissecting corpses and then passed on this art in secret through his family line. His grandson adopted the surname Takeda, and then the art would continue being transmitted through the Takeda family until Takeda Sokaku began teaching publicly in 1898 and giving it the name "Daito Ryu" after Yoshimitsu's birth place.
But the Minamoto family certainly does not come from Korea! Minamoto was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted to the ranks of the nobility. The Minamoto Clan is also called the Genji Clan depending on how you read the kanji. The hereditary line of Japanese Emperors can be firmly traced back to Emperor Kinmei (509-571), and possibly to the legendary Emperor Jimmu (660BC). Regardless, to say that the Minamoto clan came from Korea is just flat-out lying.
The oral history of Daito Ryu traces the art to Minamoto Yoshimitsu (1045-1127) who allegedly developed an advanced fighting system by dissecting corpses and then passed on this art in secret through his family line. His grandson adopted the surname Takeda, and then the art would continue being transmitted through the Takeda family until Takeda Sokaku began teaching publicly in 1898 and giving it the name "Daito Ryu" after Yoshimitsu's birth place.
But the Minamoto family certainly does not come from Korea! Minamoto was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted to the ranks of the nobility. The Minamoto Clan is also called the Genji Clan depending on how you read the kanji. The hereditary line of Japanese Emperors can be firmly traced back to Emperor Kinmei (509-571), and possibly to the legendary Emperor Jimmu (660BC). Regardless, to say that the Minamoto clan came from Korea is just flat-out lying.
Todd's aiki age, without the age This is just the latest in the slew of misinformation being spread by Chief Master Todd Miller, so much so that I will use this article to attempt to clear some of it up. Depending when you've talk to Todd, he is either Jin Mu Kwan, Jung Ki Kwan or Hapki Yukwonsul. I don't know, he seems to bounce around between organizations and teachers a lot when he feels he's squeezed as much out of them as possible. Ironically every organization he has been part of, he claims is the sole inheritor of Choi's advanced training with the most authentic and high level instruction. I don't know why he feels the need to belong to such an elite group as to be the only ones with such a skill, and then tell everyone about it, but that's for him to figure out.
While I will give him credit for at least being so publicly adamant that Choi Yong Sul is the founder of Hapkido, and not Ji Han Jae as so many people incorrectly proclaim, that is about where his credibility ends. But for the love of God, can we please stop making up titles for Choi? His official title is Dojunim. That is the title he used. That is the tile he passed on. That is the title his successor used. Stop coming up with random Korean words that don't actually mean anything like Deok-Am and Yeong Gam Nim, that no one in any Korean martial art has ever heard of. Historically, Yeong Gam was an honorific title for 2nd and 3rd class civil servants and I can't seem to find Deok-Am anywhere.
While I will give him credit for at least being so publicly adamant that Choi Yong Sul is the founder of Hapkido, and not Ji Han Jae as so many people incorrectly proclaim, that is about where his credibility ends. But for the love of God, can we please stop making up titles for Choi? His official title is Dojunim. That is the title he used. That is the tile he passed on. That is the title his successor used. Stop coming up with random Korean words that don't actually mean anything like Deok-Am and Yeong Gam Nim, that no one in any Korean martial art has ever heard of. Historically, Yeong Gam was an honorific title for 2nd and 3rd class civil servants and I can't seem to find Deok-Am anywhere.
N.H. Seminar Attendees with Park Todd's current idol is "Successor Park Sang Jun." What he is the successor of I am not sure, considering Choi Yong Sul designated Chang Chinil as his inheritor and the only other person who can make such a claim is Kim Yun Sang, who received the Doju title directly from Choi's family.
Park seems to have studied with Rim Jong Bae, from whom he claims to be the successor to Choi's great legacy and holder of the advanced secrets to his art. According to the certificates posted by Todd (see below), it appears Rim was only a 6th Dan under Choi, a rank he held for over 10 years. With so many higher ranked students above him, I am unsure how Rim assumed he was the inheritor of anything. The certificates below, from what Todd tells people, are authorizing Rim to pass on Choi's original teachings... As opposed to all of the other instructor certificates Choi awarded for something other than what he taught??
Park seems to have studied with Rim Jong Bae, from whom he claims to be the successor to Choi's great legacy and holder of the advanced secrets to his art. According to the certificates posted by Todd (see below), it appears Rim was only a 6th Dan under Choi, a rank he held for over 10 years. With so many higher ranked students above him, I am unsure how Rim assumed he was the inheritor of anything. The certificates below, from what Todd tells people, are authorizing Rim to pass on Choi's original teachings... As opposed to all of the other instructor certificates Choi awarded for something other than what he taught??
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Todd is pretty vocal in trying to drum up business for Park by publicly declaring he possesses a unique ability no one can comprehend on video and must be felt in person. Now, as an Aikijujutsuka, I can tell you that is complete bullshit. If Horikawa and Okamoto felt confident enough that people would be able to judge their ability on video, surely Park could share some. Better yet, Todd should post something since it's always him rushing to the keyboard and degrade others based upon his superior level of experience.
I don't know about you, but I'm not sure the best way to get people to your events to experience Park's "penetrating power" (a term I've never heard in any Daito Ryu circle) is to continually bash others on the internet and discredit their understanding of aiki. I guess by being the only attendee at these seminars, he can get off cheap for what should really be a private lesson. I know what I charge for private lessons, about $60 for a weekend is a whole lot better.
I don't know what level of internal skill Park possesses. His pictures certainly look like he is somewhat familiar with Daito Ryu but I would be highly surprised if he had the same understanding and level of expression as the other high level aiki practitioners I've had the honor to work and/or touch hands with, such as Steven Hatfield, Howard Popkin, Salahuddin Muhammad, Ismael Franco, Ikeda Hiroshi... One day I do look forward to sharing the mat with him and seeing what Todd's hype is all about.
You know what, to be absolutely honest I have no issues with Park. I'm sure he is a skilled martial artist. While I am skeptical about his level of aiki, this has nothing to do with him and I truly do wish him success. I fear that success will always be fleeting, however, if Todd continues to be the face of his organization. He probably doesn't have anything to worry about though, as Todd will either get bored or fed up with his lack of progress that he'll jump ship to the next organization and proclaim them as the most authentic and original hapkido lineage.
I don't know what level of internal skill Park possesses. His pictures certainly look like he is somewhat familiar with Daito Ryu but I would be highly surprised if he had the same understanding and level of expression as the other high level aiki practitioners I've had the honor to work and/or touch hands with, such as Steven Hatfield, Howard Popkin, Salahuddin Muhammad, Ismael Franco, Ikeda Hiroshi... One day I do look forward to sharing the mat with him and seeing what Todd's hype is all about.
You know what, to be absolutely honest I have no issues with Park. I'm sure he is a skilled martial artist. While I am skeptical about his level of aiki, this has nothing to do with him and I truly do wish him success. I fear that success will always be fleeting, however, if Todd continues to be the face of his organization. He probably doesn't have anything to worry about though, as Todd will either get bored or fed up with his lack of progress that he'll jump ship to the next organization and proclaim them as the most authentic and original hapkido lineage.
P.S. - Now, this article comes after Todd and I have had some rather interesting exchanges over the last few days... The last of which he has asserted I am a "fraudulent little boy." Like everyone else, I offered to book him a flight down where we can discuss these differences in person. And like everyone else, he refuses to step out from behind the keyboard. A slideshow with the screenshots is here below. After this exchange, I called Todd to discuss why he has such an issue with me and then repeated my invitation to come down... And then the phone went silent.
I actually did find some footage of Chief Master Todd Miller. There were about 6 technique videos, only 5-10 seconds long so I uploaded them as one compilation. This is probably why he advocates against posting videos online and won't accept my offer to come down. But who knows? These are 2 years old. Maybe Park has completely revolutionized Todd's skills by now. He should spend more time training and less time criticizing others...
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