Cultural Study Choice
"We do not rise to the level of our expectations. We fall to the level of our training."
Black belts candidates will pick a cultural study topic to analyze and write a full report to accompany their testing.
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Bushido - The traditional military code observed by the samurai warriors.
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Chado - Chinese tea ceremony, Links, Stash Tea, Japanese tea ceremony Chaji, more about the Tea Ceremony.
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Kodo - Incense ceremony, Nippon kodo Incense.
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Bonsai - More links, miniature trees, the bonsai web.
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Bonkei - Miniature landscapes created trays.
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Shodo - Calligraphy, more links.
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Art of Sushi.
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Ceramics/Pottery - Japanese pottery making.
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Kabuki - Japanese drama and theater.
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Mahjong - History and how to play.
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Feng Shui - The art of perfect placement and harmony.
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Haiku - Subtle 17-syllable poems.
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The History of Ikebana - The oldest anthology of Japanese poetry through flower arranging. From the fifth to the eighty century.
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Kado - The art of flower arrangement.
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Kagura - Shinto dance and music.
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Sensu Logo - Fan folding. The Kyoto Fans project
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Sumi-e - Black and white painting drawn using India ink.
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The Art of War - By Sun Tzu.
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Seppuku - INFO 1, How and why it was done, and the differences in styles.
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What is Zen?
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Uses of Herbs in health and medicine - Index of links, info.
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What is Chi, Ki, or Qi.
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Mythology, Folklore, and Legend.
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Meditation - Other than Zen... info.
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Zen and the Gateless Gate - A dozen stories. There are myriad of fascinating Zen stories which recount actual experiences of Zen teachers over a period of five centuries.
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The Art of Breathing - The different styles, methods and techniques, info.
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Go Rin Nosho - 'The Book of Five Rings' by Miyamoto Musashi.
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Yin-Yang - The original meaning of yin-yang was the sunny side-shady side of a slope. Yang is the sunny side of a slope and Yin is the shady side of a slope. Classical Chinese thought describes and explains everything in the world with Yin-Yang. The way it is related to life, how it is used in health and medicine.