Calligraphy
This was written by Grandmaster Kim in his tribute to General Choi.
“I found the space for my school in May of 1974, here on Brookline Avenue. We are still in the same building today. When I reported to General Choi that I had signed a lease for my school, he told me to come up to Toronto and see him. I visited him in June of 1974. He brought down two pieces of black stone from his room and told me to make some ink for him. I knew that Byo-Ru was the base plate made out of black stone, but I wasn’t sure what Mugk was made from. They both felt like stones. I would put a few drops of water on the Byo-Ru base plate and rub the base plate with Mugk. After about 10 minutes of this, I would add another few drops of water and repeat the process. As I did this for a while, the water on the base plate would get darker and darker. General Choi told me to do this for a long time so that the ink color would not change later, even after many years. I did it all night, until dawn. General Choi told me to think about how I could teach my students well and develop them into outstanding Tae Kwon Do practitioners as I rubbed the two stones together. So, that’s what I thought about all night, as I kept rubbing the stones together, as the ink got darker and darker.
General Choi came down to the room in the morning and said the ink was good. He then spread two scrolls of calligraphy paper on the floor and stood above them with a big brush. General Choi was a renowned calligrapher.
He used to be a board member of the national fine arts foundation in Korea until his move to Canada. He adjusted his stance for a minute, and then he started to write. He wrote on the first sheet, “To Jae Hun Kim, the young dragon of Tae Kwon Do world” (the first line), “One Defeats A Thousand” (the second line, which comes from a tale in classic Chinese literature where they describe a well-trained and talented General who holds back a thousand enemy soldiers single-handedly) and “June 1974 by General Choi” (the third line). He wrote on the second sheet, “To Tae Kwon Do Instructor Jae Hun Kim” (the first line), “TAE KWON DO” (the second line) and “June 1974 by General Choi” (the third line). These writings have been displayed behind the front desk at our school for over 35 years now, and the ink has not changed color just as my devotion to the school has remained the same.”