The Japanese formula shu ha ri comes from classical Japanese arts where preservation, rupture, and departure were recognized as essential phases of learning. Shu means to protect or obey. It carries the sense of guarding something fragile and important, like tending a fire that someone else lit. Ha means to break or detach. The characterContinue reading “SHU HA RI”
Author Archives: protectivearts
JO v BOKKEN
Cautionary Reminder This is aiki-weapons theory. It is designed to teach harmonious action, ki-musubi, not the full spectrum of combat efficacity. The emphasis on sequential action and clean initiative exchange presumes an encounter between near-equals, where both partners participate in the developmental logic of the drill. Actual combat is rarely so orderly. Real engagements fractureContinue reading “JO v BOKKEN”
The Discipline of Fear
All Hallows’ Eve was my friend Chris Adams’ favorite holiday. He loved its costume and horror that was the foundational décor of Halloween. He made annual pilgrimages to Salem, Massachusetts, drawn to its haunted history. He understood Halloween as America’s truest folk rite: a night when the nation remembers that it was founded on superstitionContinue reading “The Discipline of Fear”
Protective Arts 