'Gukgung' - art of disciplining mind and body

By Ko Dong-hwan

Early in the morning at the traditional Korean archery range Sukhojung on Mount Nam in Seoul, Oh Won-seop, 73, the venue's patron with 44 years of experience, teaches a man how to hold a bow.

The practitioner positions himself on a stone plinth, concentrating hard at a target 145 meters away, and pulls on his bowstring.

Oh says "stop" and helps fix the man's index finger on the bow's release point. "You should give it a twist at your arrow's tail as you grab it and pull it with the bowstring," Oh says.

While the platform was being used by a small group of experienced archers of both men and women ― four, all 60 or older ― on open ground a few steps below are some 10 beginners.

There is a smaller range a few more steps down from the main "gukgung" (traditional Korean archery) range.

Beginners registered for a two-month lesson offered by Sukhojung in early April ― Sukhojung literarily means a rock-piercing arrow that, according to folklore, was shot by an emperor's general hunting for a tiger.

The majority of the participants are much younger than the seasoned archers.

The pupils, including some foreigners, each holding their own "gakgung," or the Korean bow, follow their instructor, bowyer Kwon Oh-jang, as he demonstrates how to flex their bodies using their bows.

"Never let your bowstring recoil back after you pull it. You must hold onto it as you gently loosen it," Kwon, 40, said during the lesson.

The students must complete the lesson and earn Kwon's approval to stand on the stone platform and face the target, embarking on another challenge that may take from months to a year to hit the mark.

An archer aims at a target 145 meters away at Sukhojung, a traditional Korean archery range, on Mount Nam in Seoul. At the bottom left is a stone carved with Chinese characters that read: "Don't speak and mind your manners when shooting arrows." / Courtesy of Sukhojung

Target inside

Patrons of Sukhojung pursue the traditional martial art because its unique posture improves their health and prevents obesity.

Archers' muscles repeatedly experience a contraction-relaxation cycle as they hold their breath, stiffen their legs and back, pull the bowstring against 50 pounds of force by stretching their chest and endure the force with their stretched-out arms holding their bows.

They hold the contraction, effective for body joints, until they release their arrows.

Archers can also improve mental concentration and lower their stress levels. It's an art that trains the mind and body.

Not only should they keep breathing hypogastrically to focus on maintaining the right posture, the sport traditionally demands archers clear their minds and maintain strict discipline.

Next to the stone platform is a stone carved with four Chinese characters that read "Don't speak and mind your manners when shooting arrows," one of the recorded principles of Korean archery.

"I retired just months ago and began to learn archery as my first post-retirement agenda," said Cho Kyung-won, 69, one of the beginners. "It's not easy because I have to harness muscles that I seldom used before. But it's fun."

"The lesson first teaches about posture and it is very intense," said Nina Krahnert, a 40-year-old woman from Germany who lives here with her family. "It's good for your back so I like that very much. We started to shoot the short distance."

"My pharmacist husband had registered me in Sukhojung's archery class because of my health," said Choi Joo-hae, 61, who was on the stone platform.

Her knee joint worsened when she used to coordinate street festivals during national holidays. "I came here for eight years, in rain or snow. You bet I feel much healthier now. I also taught several foreign students."

Kwon Oh-jang, left, instructs his student on how to handle a bow. / Courtesy of Sukhojung

Estimated to be built around 1630 during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), Sukhojung is the oldest among some 380 traditional archery ranges nationwide and the first kind of public archery range here.

It was originally located near Jangchungdan Park, a few hundred meters from the current location. The dynasty's records show some 10,000 people once received archery tests there.

After it was damaged during the Korean War (1950-1953), Sukhojung moved to the current location in 1970 when former President Park Chung-hee's administration renovated Jangchungdan Park in preparation for constructing Namsan Tunnel 2.

In January 2011, Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon attempted to demolish Sukhojung in his bid to recover Namsan's ecological environment ― his so-called Namsan Renaissance Project ― but the public's concern with the site's historical significance thwarted the move.

"Archery is static and dynamic at the same time," said Kwon, the 12th generation in his family genealogy that has been handcrafting gakgungs since the Joseon era.

His father was recognized by the government as an intangible cultural treasure for the family tradition.

"It may appear no more than the stretching of arms. But archers actually feel repeated cycles of muscle contraction over the entire body, from toes to right below chin. Archers also consciously immerse themselves deep into shooting each arrow," he said.

"The level of focus is so great that after releasing an arrow from a bow, they often forget what they just did. It is such a pleasure to see people who learned from me hit the target with good posture."

Students at Sukhojung learn traditional Korean archery "gukgung." / Courtesy of Sukhojung

Kwon worries that the handcraft bow-making business has taken a downturn as fewer and fewer people look for it, mostly because of its high price.

While students here use bows that are made out of buffalo horns and cost 500,000 won ($430), the artifacts are being replaced by mass-produced, cheaper bows made with carbon fiber.

"There are over 30,000 people registered at archery ranges nationwide, mostly in their 40s or older," Kwon said. "With the weather getting warmer now, more people will hopefully visit the range to learn archery."

The man who was learning from Oh at the stone platform came up smiling. "I have been shooting arrows on this platform for a year now. Today I finally hit the mark. And I just turned 70."