Shuhari — The Stages of Learning 守破離

Shuhari 守破離 [pronounced “shoo-hah-ree”] is a concept in karatedō that refers to the stages of learning. This concept applies to any kind of learning, not just learning karatedō, and has general application to every part of your life.

In short, the concept describes the three stages of learning:

1. Mimic as best as you can
2. Step back, and see the learning as a whole
3. Big step back, gain global perspective, and understand its context

We'll examine each of these steps later, but first it is important to understand where the concept of Shuhari 守破離 came from, and its historical development.

Historical Context

The concept Shuhari 守破離 is very old, and while most often identified with karatedō and all martial arts in general, it actually has its roots in early Japanese theater and poetry. There are early prototypical references to Shuhari 守破離 as early as the late 14th century; in those instances, typically the reference was to Nōh plays and also potentially the Japanese tea ceremony.

This historical context is important because part of the literal meaning of Shuhari 守破離 has also evolved.

In feudal Japan (including during the entire shogunate/pre-Meiji Restoration era), the "Ri" of Shuhari 守破離 was expressed with the kanji Ri 離.

Ri 離 was about four kilometers – specifically, 3,927.6 meters as standardized in the 17th century (36 cho 町, with each cho 町 measured at 109.9 meters). The Ri 離 was a standard unit of far-distance measure just like a kilometer or mile is today.

However, as time evolved and a modern Japan emerged, Ri 離 came to mean a subset of its former meaning: a village or even place of birth (especially in the sense of a small town of birth). This is because fiefdoms, which centered around villages, were measured in Ri 離. As the concept of fiefdoms receded and then disappeared, the meaning of Ri 離 changed from the distance that included the village to the village itself.

At that point, the "Ri" of Shuhari 守破離 became Ri 離, still maintaining the idea of large distance, but now meaning "to leave or separate away."

To Mimic

When we start learning anything new, we must start with a basic understanding of the matter at hand. The Shu 守 of Shuhari 守破離 is that basic understanding. Literally meaning "to obey or to preserve" it refers to the importance of taking traditional wisdom and learning and becoming first conversant with it, and then eventually, skilled in the application of it.

Traditional wisdom has lasted as long as it has because it is worthwhile. Certainly, it can evolve and can even become something different from what first came into being, but there's no arguing with knowledge that has withstood the test of the passage of time.

In fact, it is that continued longevity that defines the difference between mere knowledge and actual wisdom.

So at the start, we learn kata at the dojo, and we learn the basic steps and techniques. We don't really understand much about the bunkai (the application of the the techniques) nor do we understand the reason the kata exists or how it was developed, and we don't understand the bigger concepts of tactics, strategy, and yes, even philosophy, that are inherent in the kata.

Therefore, we mimic the steps, follow the count of steps, and do our best to learn enough to be able to do the kata on our own, without assistance. And then we refine some of the techniques, the transitions between counts, memorize where the ki-ah are, etc.

At some point, we complete the Shu 守 part – we can mimic the knowledge of the kata, and we're ready to move on to the next stage.

To Step Back, and See

The second stage of learning really begins when we have completed enough mimicking that we are able to repeat the learning we seek to acquire. Now that we can mimic, it becomes time to step back and see what we are learning as a whole.

We can start to see how the parts fit together, and we can see the overall shape of the knowledge at hand. This is Ha 破 – to detach and step back and see from a perspective that shows us the whole of what we are learning. It is the second stage of Shuhari 守破離.

Using our kata example, now we can step back and see the kata as one whole. We can understand that the kata is a pre-choreographed fight between you and multiple opponents. We can see how the bunkai might work, especially when it crosses through more than one count of the kata. And we can start to get a feel for the rhythm and movement of the overall kata.

In learning, Ha 破 lets us see the body of knowledge as an integrated unit. We can, for the first time, see "the big picture" – although in the final stage of learning, we'll come to understand that there is an even bigger context for the learning we are working with.

Global Perspective

The final stage of learning is when we truly see the bigger picture. This is the Ri 離 of Shuhari 守破離 and it denotes taking a very large step back. Literally, we separate ourselves from the details of the knowledge, move past seeing the knowledge as a whole, and then transcend both to see the learning in the context of everything else around it.

It is in this final stage that we now also start to become able to combine this learning with other things we've learned. And in some cases, and depending on our expertise, skills, and experience, in this final stage, we can also begin to make informed decisions about changes or enhancements to what we've learned.

Ri 離 is the closest we can get to "mastering" a subject. However, the concept of mastery isn't really inherent in Shuhari 守破離 – rather the idea is that Shuhari 守破離 leads us to an organic, ever-evolving knowledge that is not set in stone.

Moving Through the Stages of Learning

Shuhari 守破離 describes and connects the three fundamental stages of learning. All three stages are important, and each leads to the next.

Moving between the three stages isn't necessarily entirely sequential. For instance, as the first stage of "mimicking" the knowledge and learning comes to a close, a student can have already gained some perspective and partially have some measure of Ha 破-- the ability to step back and see traditional rote learning with some measure of perspective.

In fact, it might be possible to have much of the first stage, a good part of the second stage, and then even a part of the third stage of global perspective – Ri 離 – all in hand, and still not have completed the first stage of Shu 守.

Beyond Learning

Shuhari 守破離 is quite the powerful concept and is a great way to organize the learning process.

However, it also helps us understand how to create habits – it takes time and repetition for habits to form, and if we follow the parts of Shuhari 守破離 we can see this process as being one of early basic repetition, followed by making the habit a part of our daily or weekly schedule, and then finally, integrating the habit into our life as a whole. Once a habit has made its way through the stages of Shuhari 守破離, it has a real chance of becoming a life-time habit, as opposed to a flash-in-the-pan that disappears.

See Shuhari 守破離 in all the aspects of your life. Use it to increase knowledge, skills, habits, and much more. It has the potential to make a significant impact.

Editor's Note: This lecture was first delivered by Sensei at the Goju Karate NYC dojo on 10 July 2024.