Course Info: OPRA-0115

To be an archer in historical samurai society was considered as being among the elite of a domain. Archers were beholden to defending their lord's stronghold from distant threats. After an era of great civil war ended in Japan by 1600 A.D., samurai warriors lost their primary means of occupation and were compelled repurpose their paradigms of fighting and destructive techniques. Generations later, archer samurai adopted Zen buddhism as a core axiom of their position in society and shifted towards scholastic pursuits in religion, war history, and philosophy. Students in this course will learn introductory standing form of Zen meditation or Ritsuzen, as it is practiced in traditions of Kyudo. This is not a casual recreational activity to down-shift at the end of the day, this a physically disciplined academic art of meditation that demands patience, concentration, and sharpness of the mind. NO PREVIOUS MARTIAL ARTS OR ARCHERY EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED. Students first learning Kyudo will concentrate on the step-by-step form called Shichido (The Seven Coordinations). This precise form is our most basic method of firing a single arrow in one mindful instance. The target stands six feet away, which removes mental anxieties of "needing to hit the target" accurately and compels the student to reflect and adjust their own inner workings that creates the shot. In this way, the "target" then functions as a mirror reflecting the spiritual condition of the person. Class will meet in the South Lounge, 2nd floor of the Robert Crown Center. 5-College students will be graded pass/fail.