Shuhari Road
A while ago I wrote about Arno Minkkinen's wonderful - and wonderfully titled - Helsinki Bus Station Theory. It speaks directly to the topic of creativity and how we find our way to a style that’s uniquely ours. It’s a short ten minute read that’s well worth anybody’s time.
Recently I came across the Japanese concept of shuhari, which seems complementary to Minkkinen’s insights. Although the term has its roots in the martial art of aikido (but some say it first related to the tea ceremony), it is now also applied to agile software development. I think we could apply it to photography too.
The first element - shu - is about obeying the rules. Understand, appreciate and apply them carefully. The next step on the journey is ha, this is the time when we can break the rules in pursuit of new approaches. And finally we arrive at Ri, the time when we transcend the rules.
Aikodo master instructor Endō Seishirō described shuhari thus:
“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.”
The read across to photography is clear; the lessons too. Arguably we find ourselves jumping in at ha - breaking the rules before we’ve learned and applied them. Sometimes that works but it’s hard to learn from what we’ve done by accident.
As for me and my journey down Shuhari Road, I’m somewhere between Shu and Ha. It would be lovely to get to Ri but in the meantime I plan to enjoy the journey!
Incidentally, today’s pictures were taken in northern Honshu, Japan’s main island, during a dream of a holiday a few years ago. Click on any image and it’ll open full size in a scrollable lightroom view. You’ll also be able to see a bit about where each picture was taken - including the two from public loos!!
