Bong Soo Han, 73; grand master of hapkido won film fans for martial arts

January 14, 2007|Jocelyn Y. Stewart | Times Staff Writer

In 1971 the American public knew little about the martial art known as hapkido.
Then came the movie "Billy Jack" and an unforgettable performance by a then-unkn
own martial arts instructor, Bong Soo Han.
Standing nearly nose to nose with one of the movie's villains, Han, a stunt doub
le for Tom Laughlin, the movie's star, delivers a quick kick to the man's jaw, f
looring him. "Billy Jack" received mixed reviews from critics, but such scenes c
aptured the imagination of the moviegoing public and sent some out seeking to le
arn the art.
Those early students found Han at his dojang, or studio, in Santa Monica, as did
thousands of others. For the rest of his life, he taught and promoted the marti
al art through his International Hapkido Federation, earning recognition as the
father of hapkido in the Western world.
Han died Monday at his home in Santa Monica from complications of cancer, said J
on Davis, a spokesman for the family. He was 73.
"He was, for me, the quintessential martial artist," said Joe Hyams, an author a
nd longtime friend. "Master Han always handled his role as a grand master with a
really profound sense of who he was and what he represented. He was an inspirat
ion for his students."
Born Aug. 25, 1933, in On Chun, near Seoul in what is now South Korea, Han was t
he youngest of five children. His parents, In Suk Han and Hee Suk Han, made thei
r living farming. During Japan's occupation of Korea, Han studied the Japanese m
artial arts kendo and judo in school. Later he earned a black belt in an art kno
wn as kwon bup. During the Korean War, he put his study of martial arts on hold
and fought with the army.
After his discharge, Han was in Seoul one day and observed Young Sul Choi perfor
ming a demonstration of hapkido, which has been described as the "art of coordin
ated inner strength."
Hapkido incorporates powerful kicking techniques and fluid throwing. It is based
on the water principles of yielding, circular motion and penetration.
"I was most impressed by its flowing, effortless movements," Han said in an inte
rview with Martial Arts & Combat Sports magazine in 2001. "Instead of clashing,
there were redirection and circular motion ... the way of natural movements."
Han became a student of Choi, considered one of Korea's best fighting masters, t
hen entered a Buddhist monastery to further develop his martial arts knowledge.
In his early days as a teacher, Han trained Korean military personnel and police
, as well as Green Berets in the U.S. Army's Special Forces.
Han moved to the United States in 1967, hoping to spread hapkido in the West. "I
n order to spread out all over the world, you have to come to the biggest and mo
st powerful nation," he said in a 1984 interview.
On July 4, 1969, Han gave a demonstration at a park in Pacific Palisades. Laughl
in was in the audience that day and later became one of Han's students. Though L
aughlin performed much of his own stunt work in "Billy Jack," Han performed the
more advanced techniques and choreographed fight scenes.
"I saw that and thought, 'Boy, oh, boy. That's great,' and I went over to Han's
dojang and enrolled," said Hyams, a martial artist who wrote "Zen in the Martial
Arts," which explores the teachings of Han and others.
"Billy Jack" led to other film work, with Han appearing in or coordinating fight
scenes in "Force Five," "Kentucky Fried Movie" and "Cleopatra Jones," among oth
ers.
Han married and later divorced Christen Oh. He is survived by their two children
, daughter Susan Han and son Tad Han, both of Santa Monica. In addition, Han is
survived by a sister, Ok Su Han of Santa Monica, and son-in-law Kevin Riley of S
anta Monica, whom Han considered a son.
Since he opened his first school in the 1960s, Han's teachings have spread throu
gh his International Hapkido Federation, which now consists of nine affiliated s
chools.
Though his students might have gone to him with the goal of fighting, Han taught
them the spiritual and mental dimensions of martial arts.
The most important thing Han was taught was "to know oneself as a human being,"
he once said. The most important thing he could teach a student, he said, was "t
he perfection of character." In decades of teaching thousands of students, Han p
romoted only about 100 to black belt. "He held very high standards. It didn't co
me easy," Davis said.
The teacher could throw a 250-pound man easily, yet he was gentle. A charismatic
figure, he radiated confidence, calm and security and set an example for what s
tudents could obtain through the study of martial arts, Hyams said. Han, a grand
master, held the rank of 9th Dan Black Belt.
"There's a samurai maxim: 'A man who's attained mastery of his art reveals it in
his every action,' " Hyams said. "And he was a master of his art."
A memorial service for Han is scheduled for Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Pierce Bros.
Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary, 1218 Glendon Ave., Los Angeles.