In East Asia there are different interpretations of the word "Bagwa." (Bagwa is the Hwa Gyo pronunciation.) Some say it is a person's name. Some say it is a style of martial art. Some say it is a figure of a pattern of movement. Throughout history, there are different movements and different legends associated with the word (name) "Bagwa."
Some people say that the BAGWA style originated about 200 to 400 years ago. Others say that it dates back several thousand years. The Oom Yung martial arts follows the legend that BAGWA was a person's name and that he was the founder of the Oom Yung line of martial arts about 1500 to 2000 years ago.
The Oom Yung Doe style of martial arts taught by Grand Master "Iron" Kim today encompasses the form and movement of the Oom Yung line taught over the centuries. Some of the forms taught include Bagwa Chung, Goong Bu, Pal Gye Chung, Yin Yang Doe, and Ship Pal Gye. The 7th generation Grand Master, Wang Po, taught the Oom Yung line of martial arts under the given style name YIN YANG DOE. About the time of the 6th and 7th generation, other styles of East Asian Moo Doe (martial arts) were incorporated into the original Oom Yung line. Today, about 20% of the Oom Yung martial arts is derived from other styles of East Asian martial arts.
Throughout the history of almost all martial arts the names of different styles have changed, but the main forms and movement have remained the same. However, over the years, it was common for an individual Grand Master to refine form and movement in some of the styles. It was also common for each founder of a new line to select a unique name to distinguish that generation of form and movement from the original style. Over the centuries, a few main styles may have developed under many different names, to reflect the history and traditions of the people that taught and practiced that style. For example, during the Korean Silla Dynasty (57 BC - 935 AD), Hwarang Do first became popular. Movements similar to Hwarang Do can be found in Dom Do and Hapkido, and many other individually named styles. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) the form and movement taught was named "Tang Su Doe" to represent the Tang Dynasty heritage. Similar movements are taught today in Tang Su Doe, Tae Su Doe, Dong Su Doe, Karate, Chung Doe Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan, and many other individually named styles.
