Author: Jun-ho Song (President, World Subak Federation / Korea Subak Association)
Academic Endorsement: The Academic Society for Northern Peninsula Warrior Body Culture
Abstract
This paper investigates the technical and historical origins of the striking mechanics utilized by Rikidozan (Kim Sin-rak, 1924–1963), the pioneer of Japanese professional wrestling. While popular twentieth-century narratives attribute his signature “Karate Chop” to orthodox Japanese Karate-dō, newly analyzed archival evidence from a 1978 Japanese combat sports publication (The Ring) provides primary testimonial data indicating that these physical habits were acquired during his childhood in Hongwon County, Hamgyong Province. This study contextualizes his movement patterns within the frameworks of Subak (ancient Korean striking) and Mindung-Ssireum (the traditional, beltless folk wrestling style inherent within the broader UNESCO-inscribed Korean wrestling heritage).
1. Introduction &Historical Context
In 2018, Traditional Korean Wrestling (Ssirum/Ssireum) was inscribed onto the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a joint nomination by North and South Korea. However, modern standardization has heavily favored Ssatba Ssireum, which mandates the use of a thigh-and-waist fabric sash.
Historically, northern regions of the Korean Peninsula practiced Mindung-Ssireum, a sashless, raw grappling variant characterized by rapid distance-entry, raw body-locks, and hand-striking transitions. This regional variant was intrinsically linked with Subak, a centuries-old striking art utilized on the battlefield.
2. Archival Evidence and Testimony (1978 &1955 Data)
Primary archival data published in 1978 (Showa 53) records Rikidozan’s own testimony stating that he practiced hand-striking and folk wrestling during his childhood (under the age of 10) in Hamgyong Province alongside his biological brother.
Furthermore, film analysis from 1955 capturing Rikidozan’s training sessions demonstrates a distinct kinetic behavior. When striking a heavy sandbag with the hand-blade, Rikidozan does not employ the linear, hip-twisting mechanics typical of shotokan or goju-ryu karate. Instead, he stamps the ground dynamically and drives force by tilting his upper torso forward and backward. In Korean martial arts theory, this is classified as the “Mortar-Pestle Mechanic” (절구질, Jeolgujil), a foundational method of generating kinetic energy unique to northern Korean Subak and Mindung-Ssireum, utilizing gravity and sagittal-plane core leverage rather than simple rotational torque.
[Biomechanical Energy Generation Flow]
Ground Stamping (Footwork) ──> Sagittal Torso Tilting (Mortar-Pestle Leverage) ──> Heavy Hand-Blade Discharge (Subak Striking)
3. The Transmission Lineage and Preservation
Following the geopolitical division of the Korean Peninsula and the post-war professionalization of combat sports, the holistic combination of Subak strikes and Mindung-Ssireum takedowns faced near-extinction. The transmission lineage was preserved through northern diaspora communities and practitioners such as Song Chang-ryeol (1932–2017), Oh Jin-hwan, and Min Wan-sik. Today, this combined curriculum is institutionalized by the World Subak Federation under the leadership of Master Jun-ho Song.
4. Conclusion and Implications for Global Heritage
Rikidozan’s technical execution proves that his martial foundations were cultural products of his upbringing in Hamgyong Province. The terminology of the “Karate Chop” was an entrepreneurial adaptation for the post-war Japanese market. By identifying Mindung-Ssireum as the foundational grappling framework within the ancient striking system of Subak, this paper argues for the expansion of international research regarding the diverse sub-genres of UNESCO-listed Korean Ssireum. Master Jun-ho Song’s preservation initiatives serve as the definitive institutional bridge connecting modern combat sport history with authentic, ancient East Asian intangible cultural heritage.
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