#9 - Shuhari: The Japanese Art of Mastery
Learning is a trait that is inherently human.
From the moment we are born we start our learning journey.
Yet this is a journey with no map. Most of us were never taught how to learn.
This is the topic of today’s post, a Japanese philosophy describing the stages in one’s learning journey.
It is called Shuhari.
It has its origins in the Japanese martial art of Aikido.
It states that there are 3 distinct stages a learner must go through before attaining mastery.
Shu — in the early stages of learning, a student should faithfully follow traditional wisdom and best practice. They should diligently learn the fundamentals of the craft. In other words, just be a sponge and copy/imitate. Just get your reps in.
Ha — now the student has learned enough to be able to reflect on the craft and start to add his own thinking. The student branches out and begins to break with tradition, in order to define and search for his own style.
Ri — this is the realm of mastery and transcendence. This is where you are no longer constrained by rules or tradition. You are redefining your craft and adding to its development, pushing its boundaries further. You are now no longer a student, but a master. You are free to be creative and this is where the finest original works come from.
Here is how a Japanese Aikido master describes it.
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."
— Endō Seishirō shihan
In summary
Shu — Learn the basics.
Ha — Explore and search for your own style and start to know your strengths and weaknesses. Can begin to depart from tradition.
Ri — Mastery. By now you already know what works for you and what doesn’t. You know yourself (per Sun Tzu). This is where you complete your own style. From here you pay it forward and look to train the next generation.
Additional resources
5 minutes on Shu Ha Ri. Azumi Uchitani explains it very succinctly.
Martin Fowler applying this to Agile Methodology.
Clark Terry’s formulation of this — he calls it Imitate, Assimilate, Innovate and it is in the context of Jazz musicians.
I Dunno Anything #9
