Hamgyeong-Style Sword Dance of the Korean Diaspora: A Comparative Observation on Northern Korean Body Culture Traditions

This study introduces archival black-and-white footage documenting a Hamgyeong-style sword dance preserved among members of the Korean diaspora community after the division of the Korean Peninsula. Unlike later court-oriented Korean sword dances characterized by refined ceremonial aesthetics and female-centered performance traditions, the Hamgyeong-style form demonstrates expansive movement patterns, forceful stepping structures, and masculine bodily dynamics. Although the material does not directly display martial sparring systems, comparative observation suggests possible embodied relationships between traditional Korean martial body culture and regional performance traditions. The study further references Haedongjukji by Choe Yeong-nyeon, which associated Subak hand techniques with sword-use traditions. This paper does not claim direct equivalence between sword dance and martial systems, but proposes that the surviving movement structures may preserve broader characteristics associated with northern Korean body culture traditions.本研究公布了一组档案级黑白影像资料，记录了朝鲜半岛分裂后，海外朝鲜裔社群中传承留存的咸镜流派剑舞（Hamgyeong-style sword dance）。与后世以精致典雅的仪式美学、以女性为核心的表演传统为典型特征的宫廷化朝鲜剑舞不同，咸镜流派剑舞展现出舒展大气的动作范式、刚劲有力的步法架构与充满阳刚气息的肢体动态。尽管该影像资料并未直接呈现武术搏击体系，但比较观察显示，朝鲜传统武术肢体文化与地域表演传统之间或存在具身关联。 本研究还援引了崔永年（Choe Yeong-nyeon）所著《海东竹枝》（Haedongjukji）中的记载，其中将手搏（Subak）技法与剑术传统相联系。本研究并未断言剑舞与武术体系之间存在直接等同关系，而是提出，该留存至今的动作架构或可保留与朝鲜北部肢体文化传统相关的更广泛特征。