shugy

Shugy, often romanized shugyō, is a Japanese term derived from the characters 修行, meaning cultivation, practice, or training. It denotes ascetic or disciplined training undertaken to purify the mind, strengthen character, or achieve a high level of skill. In English, shugy or shugyō is used to describe a disciplined regimen that combines study, meditation, physical exertion, and withdrawal from ordinary life. While rooted in Buddhist practice, the concept has broadened to secular contexts as a general notion of intense, sustained practice.

Historically, shugyō referred to monastic or lay practitioners who undertook prolonged, dedicated training, sometimes involving pilgrimages, fasting, or solitary study in forests or mountain temples. In Japan, the idea spread to Zen, as well as to various martial arts, where practitioners pursue mastery through long-lasting, often austere training, alongside dojo etiquette, ritual, and humility.

In modern usage, shugyō is applied more broadly to describe rigorous, goal-focused training aimed at personal development, spiritual insight, or technical proficiency. It appears in martial arts, tea ceremony, calligraphy, endurance disciplines, and even in popular culture as a label for committed, serious practice. The specific practices associated with shugyō vary by tradition, but the core is steady, long-term cultivation rather than quick or superficial improvement. The term is sometimes written without the macron as shugy, though shugyō remains the standard transliteration.