These seven aesthetic qualities can guide the design of nearly everything, no matter if it is an action or an object. I call upon them to shape my life, to guide me in selecting the techniques I choose to teach, and to provide a framework for how I wish to build my business. Although I can describe them all individually, in truth they cannot be separated from each other. They are all intertwined and connected. I call them ‘the shibumi seven’.

Kanso : Simplicity

Koko: Austerity and subtraction of the non-essential

Seijaku: Quietude and Stillness

Fukinsei: Asymmetry and seductive imperfection

Datsuzoku: Break from Convention

Shizen : Naturalness without pretense or artifice

Yugen : Subtely and suggestion

– Matthew E. May from The Shibumi Strategy