Shuhari (

Kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subse ...

: 守破離

Hiragana is a Japanese language, Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' literally means "flowing" or "simple" kana ("simple" ori ...

: しゅはり) is a

Japanese martial art Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usa ...

concept which describes the stages of learning to mastery. It is sometimes applied to other disciplines, such as Go.

Etymology

''Shuhari'' roughly translates to "to keep, to fall, to break away" or "follow the rules, break the rules, transcend the rules". Shuhari can be decomposed in 3 kanjis, each kanji in components and radicals: * "protect", "obey"—traditional wisdom—learning fundamentals, techniques,

heuristic A heuristic (; ), or heuristic technique, is any approach to problem solving or self-discovery that employs a practical method that is not guaranteed to be optimal, perfect, or rational, but is nevertheless sufficient for reaching an immediat ...

s, proverbs. This first kanji consists of the components ** 宀: the roof ** 寸: the measure, the dimension, small, 1/10th of a shaku (i.e. ~3cm) * "detach", "digress"—breaking with tradition—detachment from the illusions of self, to break with tradition - to find exceptions to traditional wisdom, to find new approaches. In some styles of Japanese music (

gagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that was historically used for imperial court music and dances. was developed as court music of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and its near-current form was established in the Heian period (794-1185) around ...

and noh), it is also the middle of the song. The components of this kanji are ** 石 : the stone ** 皮: skin This kanji can be understood as the shell, the mask, the surface * "leave", "separate"—

transcendence Transcendence, transcendent, or transcendental may refer to: Mathematics * Transcendental number, a number that is not the root of any polynomial with rational coefficients * Algebraic element or transcendental element, an element of a field exten ...

—there are no techniques or proverbs, all moves are natural, becoming one with spirit alone without clinging to forms; transcending the physical - there is no traditional technique or wisdom, all movements are allowed. This kanji consists of the components ** 亠 : the lid of the kettle ** 凵 : the open box ** 禹: this component refers to the Chinese emperor "

Yu the Great Yu the Great (大禹) was a legendary king in ancient China who was famed for his introduction of flood control, his establishment of the Xia dynasty which inaugurated dynastic rule in China, and his upright moral character. He figures promine ...

" deified as the governor of the waters following the invention of irrigation techniques that enabled the control of Chinese rivers and lakes. Yu is associated with perseverance and determination and is said to be the origin of the Chinese proverb "''Failure is the mother of success''" ** 隹 : the bird This kanji can be understood as "The opening of a bird's cage that will yield something great through perseverance". It can be noted that Ri contains the radicals 冂 - "the upturned box" and 厶 - "oneself" . However, we can also note that under the lid, the box contains a small cross, this is the radical 凶 which means "bad luck, disaster"... ‍

Definition

Aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in a ...

master Endō Seishirō ''

shihan is a Japanese term that is used in many Japanese martial arts as an honorific title for expert or senior instructors. It can be translated as "master instructor". The use of the term is specific to a school or organization, as is the process of ...

'' stated:

"It is known that, when we learn or train in something, we pass through the stages of ''shu'', ''ha'', and ''ri''. These stages are explained as follows. In ''shu'', we repeat the forms and discipline ourselves so that our bodies absorb the forms that our forebears created. We remain faithful to these forms with no deviation. Next, in the stage of ''ha'', once we have disciplined ourselves to acquire the forms and movements, we make innovations. In this process the forms may be broken and discarded. Finally, in ''ri'', we completely depart from the forms, open the door to creative technique, and arrive in a place where we act in accordance with what our heart/mind desires, unhindered while not overstepping laws."

History

The ''Shuhari'' concept was first presented by Fuhaku Kawakami as

Jo-ha-kyū is a concept of modulation and movement applied in a wide variety of traditional Japanese arts. Roughly translated to "beginning, break, rapid", it essentially means that all actions or efforts should begin slowly, speed up, and then end swiftl ...

in The Way of Tea, "Sado 茶道". Fuhaku based his process from the works of, Zeami Motokiyo, the master of Noh, which then became a part of the philosophy of

. ''Shuhari'' can be considered as concentric circles, with Shu within Ha, and both Shu and Ha within Ri. The fundamental techniques and knowledge do not change. During the Shu phase the student should loyally follow the instruction of a single teacher; the student is not yet ready to explore and compare different paths.McCarthy, Patrick, "The World within Karate & Kinjo Hiroshi" in Journal of Asian Martial Arts, V. 3 No. 2, 1994.

References

{{Reflist Japanese martial arts terminology Educational psychology Stage theories

Etymology

Definition

History

See also

References