shuhari japanese brand daisuke sugiyama

1 | “Shu-Ha-Ri” 守破離

Daisuke Sugiyama [email protected]

JFTC Essay Competition 2006

http://www.jftc.or.jp/english/home_e.htm

Japan Foreign Trade Council, Inc.

Prize for Excellence (Short Version)

“Shu-Ha-Ri”

守破離

Compared to fifty years ago, Japan has become more closely linked to other countries as

Japanese corporations have entered overseas markets. To live together in a borderless

international community, the people of each country must have a sense of belonging to their

own nation and have a clear sense of national identity. The concept that “culture = brand”

at the national level differentiates one country from the nations in the global community and

strengthens that country’s competitive spirit. A brand’s uniqueness is amorphous. This

means that the value of a brand is created through the image people have of that brand in

their minds.

In the case of Japan, I think that the “image people have of a brand in their minds” is an

aspect of the Japanese Philosophy of “Shu-Ha-Ri” which I came to know from kendo, I

started during my thirteen-year stay in New York. In brief, “Shu-Ha-Ri” stands for the three

stages of skill mastery: the Chinese character Shu（守）, Ha（破）, and Ri（離）. In “Shu”,

you follow the examples given and master them completely. At the “Ha” level, you add your

own creative touch to what you have learned and make the techniques and skills your own.

At the stage of “Ri”, you take what you have learned even further. In Japan, “Shu” is the

heart of knowledge transmission, which is the basis for the creation of culture, in other words,

the origin of education. Through “Shu” that has been passed down over the generations

through intentional effort, the basics have been valued and the traditional mindset and

atmosphere of Japan have been valued. “Brand Japan” which is Japan’s pride and glory is

precisely this “Shu” from “Shu-Ha-Ri”.


“Shu-Ha-Ri”

Foreword – Japanese Spirit

Any Japanese person who has lived abroad will tell you that in a foreign land, there are

many instances where you become acutely aware of your Japanese-ness. Following my

father’s transfer to America, I spent 13 years living there in the melting pot of cultures.

Through my many experiences there, I became very aware that I was indeed Japanese.

Since I was 3 years old, and until graduating from junior high, I attended the neighborhood

public school as the only Japanese person there. Among the many races and ethnicities, I

formed my own identity, as Daisuke Sugiyama, and regarded myself as that, not minding

what others thought. At public school I soaked in American culture and cultivated an

Americanized way of thinking, different from that of a typical Japanese. An American

identity is not dependent upon something; it is about creating your own style.

I returned to Japan directly following the Great Hanshin Earthquake for high school entrance exams, and resumed my life here. In my world history text book, I read a war history different from that I learned in America, and realized that the war was perceived much differently by country. 11 years have passed since then, and I have learned the Japanese style of business, hospitality, and thoughtfulness. The distinct culture specific to Japan, was very refreshing to me. Most of the time, what seems fresh from the outside, goes unnoticed by those living inside. Recently, the strengths of Japanese corporations are being aknowledged. Meticulous monozukuri, product development, production systems, quality of service, etc. the strengths of Japanese corporations are wide ranging. What has supported this is the coherence and solidity of the Japanese people, which is a characteristic of Japan, and the Japanese people. Japan’s unique asset is its people itself. Japan’s value lies in the philosophies that have supported her, and in the Japanese mindset which is unwavering despite the tides of time. This to me is ultimately the “Shu-Ha-Ri” concept.


Chapter 1 Japanese Values - “Shu-Ha-Ri”

1. Beginning Kendo in NY

The first time I laid my eyes on the protective gear and bamboo sword of kendo, was at

a friend’s house when I was in third grade. I was instantly attracted, and put them on

over my T-shirt and shorts. Wanting to take up kendo, I approached my mother, and

she said that I may, if I could withstand an hour in a room with no air conditioning with a

rice cooker on my head. Now that I think about it I understand that she was testing

whether I could bear the protective head gear. This is how I began kendo.

In New York, my kendo class would often use public gymnasiums for our practice.

There was once an incident where Americans who were unaware of the art of kendo,

walked by and saw an adult hitting a child with the bamboo sword and dialed 911. The

police came to check if there was any child abuse going on.

Taking up kendo in New York, I had many opportunities to meet with the Japan national

champions. My teacher was good friends with a man who taught kendo at the

Japanese police department, and insisted that I attend a training camp during the stay in

Japan he knew my family was planning. He told me there would be fishing trips in the

morning and fireworks at night and it would be all very fun. I believed him.

- The kendo camp hosted by the police department

That summer I spent at the camp hosted by the police in Katsuura, Chiba would be one I

would never forget.

The kendo that I learned in New York was a sport. It was where we would work up a good

sweat with friends and interact within the Japanese community. The teachers were also all

family friends, and were like our neighbors. Practice was fun, never hard. However, during

those 5 nights and 6 days at camp, I realized that the kendo I was learning was in fact a

budo, or martial art.

From how to care for our bamboo sword or “shinai”, to how to properly put on the

protective body gear, everything was about repeating the basics, respecting elders, orderly

communal life, greetings in clear strong voices, and scrubbing the teachers back in the bath

houses. It was a life of rules that I had never experienced before, and it appealed to me.


By beginning kendo, I learned Japanese mannerisms and culture while living abroad. At

the camp I attended, I got a feel of the genuine kendo. The words recited at the mediation

we did at the end of each practice were as follows:

‘The sword is the “kokoro”. If the “kokoro” is true, so is the sword. If the “kokoro” is not true,

neither is the sword. Those that learn the art of the sword must first learn the way of the

“kokoro”.’

As a boy living in America, these words were very fresh to me. “Kokoro” literally means

“heart”, however I believe “mind” is a more accurate English translation. The heart is a

feeling, emotional thing that cannot be controlled. However, the mind is a controlled feeling,

spirit, or mentality. I understood that I needed to practice to control my “kokoro” or mind.

In America, I played a variety of sports; however I never encountered one whose teachings

were based on the mind. Since then I came to learn that “kokoro” is important not just in

kendo, but in everything we do. I also learned the profound depth of the Japanese

responses, where yes means no, and no means yes.

Henceforth, I began my interest in budo and Japanese culture.

In New York, there were no Dojos nearby, so going to practice meant going by car, which

eventually lead to my older and younger sisters to start kendo as well. After a while, my

kendo teacher invited my parents to join, and my dad jumped in wearing his sweats. My

mother, disliking the idea of wearing sweats, didn’t join in until her gear arrived from Japan.

My parents were over 40 years old when they began in New York, but have continued kendo

even after their return to Japan, and still today join the police sponsored lessons. My father

is now a grand master, and our beginning kendo together has strengthened our bonds as a

family.

After returning to Japan, my mother was facing her kendo promotion screening, and one of

her exam questions was to explain the concept of “Shu-Ha-Ri”. My mother went to the

library to research. To her dismay there were not many sources available, so I searched

the internet on her behalf.

At the time, I was unaware of the phrase “Shu-Ha-Ri”. In my research, I found that this

concept was common to all Japanese arts ending in “do”, such as “Sado” (tea ceremony).

What I learned then was that “Shu-Ha-Ri” is comprised of three Chinese characters “Shu”,

“Ha” and “Ri”, each with deep meaning, expressing a stage of mastery.


“Shu” is the first stage in learning anything. Here, you follow the teachings of your master

completely. It is the stage in which you absorb the teachings and values of your master.

The next stage, “Ha”, you abide by your master’s teachings but add your own thoughts and

values to it. In other words, you create your own “do” or “path”.

The last stage is “Ri”. This is where you detach yourself from your master and refine the

path you have created, and ultimately gain enlightenment.

It dawned on me, that this “Shu-Ha-Ri” concept was exactly the “Japanese values” that I had

come to know. The Japanese-ness that I inexplicably felt was all nicely embodied in this

concept.

2. What is “Shu-Ha-Ri”?

In his book, The Philosophy of Shu-Ha-Ri, Ryozou Fujiwara describes “Shu-Ha-Ri” as

follows:

All Japanese arts end with the Chinese character “do”(path). Their ultimate goal is to

achieve self completion through training. The philosophy of “Shu-Ha-Ri” is the mental

path describing the behavioral pattern through which an apprentice achieves his

awakening. “Shu” is learning and retaining the teachings of his predecessors. “Ha” is

complete immersion in the drilling and refining of oneself, and “Ri” is the state of the

mind and soul after grasping the art’s spirit with both body and mind.

In brief, “Shu-Ha-Ri” stands for the three stages of skill mastery: the Chinese character

Shu, Ha, and Ri. In “Shu”, you follow the examples given and master them completely. At

the “Ha” level, you add your own creative touch to what you have learned and make the

techniques and skills your own. At the stage of “Ri”, you take what you have learned even

further.

There are many Japanese who are unaware of “Shu-Ha-Ri”. However, “Shu-Ha-Ri” is a

concept that relates to the spiritual foundations of Japan, and underlies all the fields of art

and business.


3. The significance of “Shu-Ha-Ri”

It is said that humans possess a high capacity of learning, and the ability of teaching, traits

that no other animals possess. These abilities are what the foundations of human society

and culture are based upon. Its goings on are language based education, which is as

Russo points out, vital to the existence of man. “Education” is exclusive to mankind, and is

also its greatest contrivance.

The word for learning in Japanese, “manabu”, stems from “manebu” or “imitate”. Human

learn through intellectual curiosity. This is motivated by the desire to test and heighten one’s

ability, and is accompanied by a sense of joy. Learning which does not cultivate a higher

ability is not accompanied by a sense of joy, and learning without the desire for new abilities

is not intrinsic learning, and cannot become a motive for further advancement.

To learn is to gain human culture, and since culture is social by nature, gaining such

connects one to human society, and to the entire history of mankind. To learn is to connect

with others via culture, and to open one’s self to the world.

As above, and as Hajime Tajima states in his book, Introductory Education Principles,

education is the origin of culture, and learning, or “Shu” in the case of Japan, is the

beginning of mankind’s history. I believe that the origin of learning in Japan is this “Shu”,

and thus the origin of Japanese culture is also the “Shu” of “Shu-Ha-Ri”. All the basics are

learned in “Shu”.

Japan is a country where adjectives such as “kokoro” (heart/mind), and “omomuki”

(atmosphere/flavor) nicely fit. Mastering the basics are important in both budo and art.

The basics are first and foremost how you maintain your “kokoro” or mindset. In business

and in anything else, it is important to concentrate your “kokoro”. This fundamental idea is

deeply reflected in Japanese budo, art, and culture. To develop one’s insides or “kokoro” is

one of the points of mentorship, and as an apprentice, the first step is to imitate the

movements of the master, whom has already achieved the before such. This is in other

words, “Shu”.

By polishing and developing your “kokoro”, you can move on to the next step. This is the

process by which apprentices grow as a person, and such arts as kendo and sado (tea


ceremony), or any other art ending with “do” signifies that one will continue to battle within

oneself in order to progress in mastering the art. The enemy is within. The battle is

between yourself. Therefore, I believe that “Shu” is a method of protecting yourself from

yourself.

Even if you self learn kendo from the start, it is insufficient because the limits of any

self-styled (“Ha”) art without the basics shall come at one point.

In Japanese culture, you must first learn the basics, or “kata”(form) first. To make yourself

look similar to that of the world you wish to master, and to adapt to it is what is most

important. This is also the spirit of respecting “Shu”.

4. The Japanese Culture of “Shu”

Japan’s cultural background is fundamentally different from that of other countries.

The core of such background is the “Shu-Ha-Ri” concept, where the sequence is of great

importance, and if any one step is missing, the training loses all meaning. Through

learning or imitating your master or mentor, you gain your basics and conceive your base.

“Ha” is where you develop yourself and create your own style upon these basics, and “Ri” is

where you take it one step further and gain enlightenment. Therefore, without the basics,

you have no base. Hence, there is “Ha” or “Ri” without “Shu”.

If one goes through the “Ha” and “Ri” stages without the “Shu”, it is most likely an

unsophisticated, imperfect, and unstable mastery, since it lacks a base.

Let’s take a look at the world now. The United States of America, is an economic giant

where an emphasis is placed on an “original-style” and “the power of money”. Materialism

is wide spread, what can be seen with the eyes is valued, and thinking is egocentric.

Individuality is respected above all else, and people are taught to speak their minds before

listening to others. In such a manner, Americans and Japanese are fundamentally different,

as Japanese value what cannot be seen with one’s eyes.


Chapter 2. The Japan Brand - The brand value within people’s minds

1. Brand value within people’s minds

The below is a quote from Seminar - Introductory Book to Marketing:

“A simple definition of “brand” is “a collective term placed upon a name or mark that

characterizes a product or service”. Looking back in history, companies have heavily

utilized brands since the beginning of marketing in the early 20th century.”

This definition of brand is easy to understand. In general, “brand” has a “product or

service” at its core. A “brand” has a “mark” by which a product is distinguished from

other products, in the way that most Japanese think of “walkman” when they see the

SONY mark, and UNIQLO when they think of fleece tops, and TIFFANY when they think

of engagement rings. A brand’s function in marketing is it’s “guarantee function”,

“identification function”, and “associative recall function” (brand recall, brand

association), and the prerequisite of these are the existence of a “product or service”.

Today, many companies in many fields stress the establishment and development of

their company’s brand value over that of their technology or product value, meaning that

brand development is not only in regards to “products”.

Let’s look into this idea that brand does not necessarily equal product by reading the

following excerpt from Product/Brand Strategy.

The source of value that brands add to products is directly related to the “knowledge

the customer possesses”, as is signified by the phrase “brand image”. Even people

who cannot tell you the difference between a product and brand, will often use the

word “brand”, not “product” when relating to “value”. A typical example is when

people talk about high class fashion apparel. The word that is frequently used is

“brand”, not “product”. Although people may not be clearly aware, many intuitively

sense that the brand value is created by the knowledge of the customer.

The characteristics of brands can be described in four categories, “amorphous”,

“indirect”, “multilayered”, and “relativity”. I would like to focus on the “amorphous”

quality.


“Amorphous” means that the brand’s value cannot be seen with your eyes, because it is

composed of the knowledge that people have in their minds.

A brand is perceptional, and exists within the knowledge or emotions of our minds. It is

layered, and relative. 10

Now, let’s look more deeply into the possibilities of the “Japan Brand” on the pretense

that the source of brand value lies within our knowledge.

2. Conclusion The Possibilities of the Japan Brand – The “Shu” of “Shu-Ha-Ri” –

Within “Shu-Ha-Ri”, I believe that “Shu” is the most significant of Japanese values.

“Knowledge” is the consolidation of past teachings and is a legacy. By imitating or

learning from your mentor, and obediently attaining his skills, regardless of if you

understand it or not, you will be gaining the legacy that your mentor has gained from his

mentor.

If for example, you are training to become a cook of Japanese cuisine, at first you will

not be allowed to hold a knife. First you would clean the kitchen and sinks and do all

the chores obediently as ordered by your elders. By doing so, you will learn from what

your mentors say, or how they move about. Through this training, you can feel the

atmosphere of the art you hope to master, and at the same time copy the technique of

your mentors. These early years are where you learn the basics.

In the Japanese arts ending with “do”, there are many instances where one is not

directly taught by his mentor, but gradually learns the art from living limited within a

group of apprenticeship, sharing the same atmosphere. Through “Shu-Ha-Ri”, a master

will learn from his master “Shu”, make it his own “Ha”, and then continue on “Ri”. Then,

his apprentice will learn from him “Shu”, and so on. If you go back in time you will see

the master learning from his master, and his master learning from his master, and so on.

“Shu-Ha-Ri” is continued on in sequence, and through this the legacy lives, and the

basics are further developed.

This is not only true for master and apprentice, but also between parent and child. A

parent will pass on knowledge and customs, technique, skill and atmosphere, to his

child. His child will obey and protect this knowledge, and pass in on to the following

generations.


I believe that because there is this “Shu” stage, there exists a “Ha” and a “Ri” for each

individual. Japanese have from ancient times valued the passing on of knowledge.

“Shu”, of “Shu-Ha-Ri”, is what best describes the source of this thinking.

Today, the strengths of Japanese companies such as “meticulous monozukuri”, “product

development skills”, “production systems”, and “high quality of service”, are becoming

renown in the world. A strength of Japanese companies that makes them even more

competitive is the “Shu” of “Shu-Ha-Ri”, or the “consolidated value” of the Japanese

throughout history. This is Japan’s distinct trait, its “Japanese-ness”. I also believe that

it is the most important possibility of the “Japan Brand”.

(Footnotes)

1 Fujiwara, Philosophy of Shu-Ha-Ri (1993), Baseball Magazine Publishing

2 Yanagida, Historical Kokogo Education (1937), Iwanami Publishing

3Tajima, Introductory Education Principles (1997), Yuhikaku Alma

4Ishii, Kuriki, Shimaguchi, Yoda, Seminar Introductory book to Marketing (2004), Nihon Keizai Shimbunsha 5

Aoki, Onzo, Product/Brand Strategy (2004), Yuhikaku, Chapter 9

6 Aoki, Onzo, Product/Brand Strategy (2004), Yuhikaku, Chapter 4

References

“Branding” is Organizational Strength (2005), DIAMOND Harvard Business Review

Cabinet Office “Consumer Confidence Survey” March, 2005

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “Communications Usage Trend Survey (Households)”

December, 2004

“Honkawa Data Tribune” Yutaka Honkawa http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/~honkawa/

Ishii, Kuriki, Shimaguchi, Yoda, Seminar Introductory book to Marketing (2004), Nihon Keizai Shimbunsha

Aoki, Onzo, Product/Brand Strategy (2004), Yuhikaku

Ogi, Marketing Strategy (2000), Chuo Keizaisha

Tajima, Introductory Education Principles (1997), Yuhikaku Alma

Fujiwara, Philosophy of Shu-Ha-Ri (1993), Baseball Magazine Publishing

Yanagida, Historical Kokogo Education (1937), Iwanami Publishing

shuhari japanese brand daisuke sugiyama

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