Haragei

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Haragei

Haragei (literally: "belly art/performance") is a Japanese word referring to the art of exuding one's personal energy, ki
Qi

In traditional Chinese culture, qi is an active principle forming part of any living thing.It is frequently translated as "energy flow," and is often compared to Western notions of energeia or ?lan vital as well as the Yoga Pranayama of prana....
(Chinese qi

In traditional Chinese culture, qi is an active principle forming part of any living thing.It is frequently translated as "energy flow," and is often compared to Western notions of energeia or ?lan vital as well as the Yoga Pranayama of prana....
) primarily from the hara
Dantian

Dantian, Dan Tien or Tan t'ien literally means "cinnabar or red field" and is loosely translated as "elixir field". It is described as an important focal point for internal meditative techniques and refers specifically to the physical center of gravity located in the abdomen three finger widths below and two finger widths behind...
, at base of the abdomen

Abdomen

In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity....
, three finger widths below and two finger widths behind the navel.

Haragei is sometimes called "emotional communication."

Matsumoto gives the following dictionary definition: 1) The verbal or physical action one employs to influence others by the potency of rich experience and boldness; 2) The act of dealing with people or situations through ritual formalities and accumulated experience.

Hara & Ki
The bushi
Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial society Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character ? was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau....
of Feudal Japan were trained and conditioned to wield their weapons with deadly accuracy and precision.

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Encyclopedia

Abdomen

Hara & Ki

The bushi
Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial society Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character ? was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau....
of Feudal Japan were trained and conditioned to wield their weapons with deadly accuracy and precision. They dedicated their lives to honing their skills with the sword. But the skills that manifest themselves on the exterior of a warrior, his techniques, were not the only skills that he sought to perfect. The greatest sensei
Sensei

is a Japanese language Japanese titles used to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers and Physicians, politicians, clergyman, and other figures of authority....
would have taught that "no method, whatever its apparent merit, had any real value unless it helped develop a man's character which would make him master of his weapon and thus truly powerful in its use." (Ratti & Westbrook, 376)

Many teachers adopted ancient theories of enlightenment

Enlightenment (concept)

Enlightenment broadly means wisdom or understanding enabling clarity of perception. However, the English language word covers two concepts which can be quite distinct: religion or spiritual enlightenment and secular or intellectual enlightenment....
. Concepts that were developed by those theories were accepted by and adapted to fit the particular requirements of the bujin. Two of these concepts became cornerstones of all teaching, from the most basic to the most advanced training in every form of bujutsu: the concept of the "Centre", Hara (often referred to as dantian
Dantian

Dantian, Dan Tien or Tan t'ien literally means "cinnabar or red field" and is loosely translated as "elixir field". It is described as an important focal point for internal meditative techniques and refers specifically to the physical center of gravity located in the abdomen three finger widths below and two finger widths behind...
) and the concept of an internal flowing energy, ki (from the Chinese, qi
Qi

In traditional Chinese culture, qi is an active principle forming part of any living thing.It is frequently translated as "energy flow," and is often compared to Western notions of energeia or ?lan vital as well as the Yoga Pranayama of prana....
).

Hara

See Dantian

Dantian

Dantian, Dan Tien or Tan t'ien literally means "cinnabar or red field" and is loosely translated as "elixir field". It is described as an important focal point for internal meditative techniques and refers specifically to the physical center of gravity located in the abdomen three finger widths below and two finger widths behind...
:

"Hara literally means simply "belly". In Chinese and Japanese tradition, the hara is considered the seat of one's spiritual energy (qi

East Asian calligraphy

The art of calligraphy is widely practiced and revered in the East Asian civilizations that use or used Chinese characters. These include China, Japan, Korea, and to a lesser extent, Vietnam....
, swordsmanship

Kenjutsu

, meaning "the art of the sword", is a term for classical Japanese sword arts , in particular those which predate the Meiji Restoration. It is sometimes used more generally to describe any martial art which makes use of the Japanese sword....
, tea ceremony

Japanese tea ceremony

What is commonly known in English as the Japanese tea ceremony is called chanoyu or also chado or sado in Japanese....
, martial arts

Martial arts

Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat....
or the like is said to be "acting from the hara". Zen

Zen

Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Ch?n. Ch?n is itself derived from the Sanskrit Dhyana, which means "meditation" ....
teachers often instruct their students to center their mind in their hara to anchor themselves, aiding the control of thoughts and emotions. Acting from the hara is related to the state of samadhi

Samadhi

Samadhi is a Hinduism and Buddhism technical term that usually denotes higher levels of concentrated meditation, or dhyana, in Yogic schools. Nirvana of Buddhism is a step towards Samadhi ....
."

It is in the hara that the soul

Soul

In many religions and parts of philosophy, the soul is the immaterial part of a person. It is usually thought to consist of one's thoughts and Personality psychology, and can be synonymous with the spirit, mind or self....
of a man resides, according to many eastern cultures.

Ki

Ki has been referred to by many as "intrinsic energy". It is an invisible energy force present inside the body. According to many Eastern cultures, ki is the life-energy, or "breath of life" that is found in all living organisms. Many martial arts focus on channelling one's ki to attack an opponent, or capturing an opponent's ki to redirect his attack, or to counter-attack.

Applications in Martial Arts

Haragei and the idea of centralization are viewed as extremely important in almost all martial arts. In Aikido

Aikido

is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying Qi" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker fro...
, jujutsu

Jujutsu

, literally meaning the "jutsu of :wikt:?", or "way of yielding" is a collective name for Japanese Japanese martial art styles including unarmed and armed techniques....
, and Judo

Judo

, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either Throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling manoeuvre, or force an opponent...
, for example, large amounts of time are devoted to breathing techniques and physical exercises designed to strengthen the Hara, and allow an individual to be centralized. In fact, most techniques in these forms of budo require centralization to perform and especially to master.

Applications in Daily Life

Haragei is also practiced in everyday situations, especially in business, by the people of Japan. Haragei, in this sense, is cooperating with a group without doubting the plan or asking why--for the sake of harmony. It is to suppress/punish the dissent of individuals for the goal of group harmony. This sense of the word 'haragei' might be translated as "groupthink

Groupthink

Groupthink is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without Critical thinking ideas. Individual creativity, uniqueness, and independent thinking are lost in the pursuit of group cohesiveness, as are the advantages of reasonable balance in choice and thought that might normally be obtaine...
" or "harmony of opinions".

External links

article from the Hawaii Reporter
another article regarding the social communication aspect of haragei