Dojang
Dojang is a term used in Korean martial arts, such as taekwondo, Kuk Sool Won, and hapkido, that refers to a formal training hall. It is typically considered the formal gathering place for students of a martial art to conduct training, examinations and other related encounters.
Meaning
Do (道) means 'the way' or 'art' and Jang (場) means 'a place'. Which makes dojang the place where one practices the way. In the case of martial arts it is the place where one practices the path of that martial art, much like dojo in Japanese. More specific terms such as "hapkidojang" or "taekwondojang" can be used for particular subtypes of dojang. The word dojang (道場) originates from Buddhism. The dojang is a place where meditation and practice takes place in the temple.
Decoration
The dojang walls can be decorated with a variety of items ranging from the national and federation flag to pictures and calligraphy and boards with the names of techniques practiced in the dojang on it. In general, Korean dojangs are usually heavily decorated.
Dojang (temple)
A Dojang ("Dao center") is a place of worship of the religion of Jeungism. Jeungics gather in these temples to meditate, study and worship.
Each dojang has a main room called the sung-jun "sacred shrine", which contains altars for celestial and terrestrial spirits. Typically there are at least four altars: one with Sahng-jeh-nim's portrait, another with Tae-mo-nim's portrait, one representing a local terrestrial spirit, and one enshrining the spirit tablets of the practitioner's ancestors.
Some dojangs have additional altars to honor other regional spirits, tribal spirits, the spirits of those who played a significant role in Jeungic history, or the spirits of those who greatly benefited humanity.
Most of the meditation, study, and instruction at a dojang takes place in the sung-jun in the presence of the spirits. It is a place for heaven, earth, and humans to unite as one.
Seal (East Asia)
A seal, in an East Asian context, is a general name for printing stamps and impressions thereof which are used in lieu of signatures in personal documents, office paperwork, contracts, art, or any item requiring acknowledgement or authorship. China, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea currently use a mixture of seals and hand signatures, and increasingly, electronic signatures. It is used to a lesser extent in Vietnam by authorised organisations and businesses, and also traditional Vietnamese artists. It was more common in Vietnam prior to French rule, when thereafter the practice of signature became a commonality, although western-like signatures are usually seen as having less authority in a company situation.
Chinese seals are typically made of stone, sometimes of metals, wood, bamboo, plastic, or ivory, and are typically used with red ink or cinnabar paste (Chinese: 朱砂; pinyin: zhūshā). The word 印 ("yìn" in Mandarin, "in" in Japanese and Korean, pronounced the same) specifically refers to the imprint created by the seal, as well as appearing in combination with other ideographs in words related to any printing, as in the word "印刷", "printing", pronounced "yìnshuā" in Mandarin, "insatsu" in Japanese. The colloquial name chop, when referring to these kinds of seals, was adapted from the Hindi word chapa and from the Malay word cap meaning stamp or rubber stamps.
Podcasts:
