Haidong Gumdo

Haidong Gumdo, also spelled Haedong kumdo, is a name coined around 1982 and used for several Korean martial arts organizations that use swords. Spelling varies between certain organizations. Most notable are Haidong Gumdo by the original organization (Daehan Haidong Gumdo Federation) under Kim Jeong-Ho, and Haedong Kumdo by the largest offshoot (Hanguk Haedong Gumdo Federation) under Na Han-Il. While generally based on the standard Japanese arts of Kenjutsu, Iaido, and Battodo, and ecompassing all of them, it bears some difference in training, dynamics and it includes also some stances and guards that may derive from indigenous Korean tradition or from Chinese sabre and sword tradition. It does, however, employ standard Japanese-style katana swords (but no wakizashi), standard Iaido sword sheathing and unsheathing, most Kenjutsu techniques and similar training attire: a keikogi and a hakama, with belt colour-ranks as in most other Japanese/Korean martial arts.

Haidong Gumdo is a significantly different style from kumdo, emphasizing a native Korean "battlefield" style of combat over the one-on-one dueling style found in standard or Daehan Kumdo. As such, it is unrelated to modern, standard kumdo. By contrast, the KKA promotes Daehan Kumdo (大韓劍道), with noted changes to reflect Korean cultural influences and methodology.

Haedong Gumdo derives its name from Haedong Seongguk Balhae (海東盛國渤海), a name for Balhae, a medieval kingdom in the region of northeastern Korea, and southern Manchuria.