Shuhari is a Japanese martial art concept, and describes the stages of learning to mastery. It is sometimes applied to other Japanese disciplines, such as Go

Go (board game)

Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...

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Etymology

Shuhari roughly translates to "first learn, then detach, and finally transcend."
"protect", "obey" — traditional wisdom — learning fundamentals, techniques, heuristic

Heuristic

Heuristic refers to experience-based techniques for problem solving, learning, and discovery. Heuristic methods are used to speed up the process of finding a satisfactory solution, where an exhaustive search is impractical...

s, proverbs "detach", "digress" — breaking with tradition — detachment from the illusions of self "leave", "separate" — transcendence

Transcendence (philosophy)

In philosophy, the adjective transcendental and the noun transcendence convey the basic ground concept from the word's literal meaning , of climbing or going beyond, albeit with varying connotations in its different historical and cultural stages...

 — there are no techniques or proverbs, all moves are natural, becoming one with spirit alone without clinging to forms; transcending the physical

Definition

Aikido

Aikido

is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...

 master Endō Seishirō

Seishiro Endo

, born 1942, is an 8th dan ranked Aikikai aikido master teacher. Endō is among the few living people who studied directly under aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba....

 shihan

Shihan

- Title of "Master" is a Japanese Honorific Title, Expert License Certification used in Japanese martial arts for Master Level Instructors. The award of the Expert License Certification is if designated by the qualification by virtue of endorsement by the [A] Association of Chief Instructors or [B]...

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 forebearers created. We remain faithful to the 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

Jo-ha-kyu

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 swiftly...

 in Tao of Tea. Then, Zeami Motokiyo

Zeami Motokiyo

Zeami Motokiyo , also called Kanze Motokiyo , was a Japanese aesthetician, actor and playwright.-Acting:...

, the master of Noh

Noh

, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...

, extended this concept to his dance as Shuhari, which then became a part of the philosophy of Aikido

Aikido

is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...

. Shuhari is part of the philosophy of Shorinji Kempo

Shorinji Kempo

was established by as a system for self-improvement and training in Japan in 1947 based on Shaolin kungfu ....

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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.

Related concept

Some Chinese martial arts, popularly known as Wushu, have a similar 3 stage concept to Mastery:

• 地 di (Earth) Basics. To experience movements at the fundamental levels.
• 人 ren (Human) Ready to learn. (Some Chinese martial grandmasters equates the entry to this level as the Japanese belt system level of black belt
  Black belt (martial arts)
  In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
  
   1st Dan (rank)
  Dan (rank)
  The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
  
  
• 天 tian (Sky/Heaven) No conscious thought, flows/moves like the elements. This stage takes years of training and coaching from other Grandmasters
  Grandmaster (martial arts)
  Grandmaster and Master are titles used to describe or address some senior or experienced martial artists. Such titles may be, to some extent, aligned to the elderly martial arts master stock character in fiction...
  
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External links

• Sensei's Library: ShuHaRi 「守」「破」「離」　とは