Shared by Yoshikazu Sasaki :Before going into the main topic, kindly allow me to explain the Japanese word “kokorozashi” in English, “aspiration” is probably the closest equivalent.
The “aspiration” here is a single sentence declaring what each of us will do throughout our lives to achieve a better society.
Example: “My aspiration is to become a pharmacologist and devote my life to developing new drugs to help people suffering from incurable diseases.”
Now to the main topic.
In Japanese school education, emphasis has been placed on solving problems for which the correct answer is known in advance, and only fast and accurate solutions have been evaluated in terms of scores.
On the other hand, the fundamental propositions of “what is the purpose of learning?” and “why go to that school?” have been neglected, and many people have spent a long time without finding the meaning of life. Can people really be happy with this kind of schooling?
Yoshikazu Sasaki, President and CEO of Seiki Community Group, a Juku-school with approximately 10,000 students and 150 school buildings, was one of those who questioned this state of education in Japan.
He believed that school education had to be changed in order to help children establish “Kokorozashi,” the most important life purpose for human beings, but first, he started “Kokorozashi Education” at his own Juku-school.
In 1987, at the age of 29, Yoshikazu Sasaki took over the management of Seiki Community Group, a Juku-school, and grew it into a company with about 10,000 students and 150 school buildings to date. He promoted ”Kokorozashi education” within his own Juku-schools and also expanded it to some private schools and other Juku-schools.
But he has a bigger vision. It is to spread Kokorozashi-Education to 1,800 municipalities throughout Japan and to establish “Kokorozashi” in 1 million youth. Our goal is to introduce ” Kokorozashi-Education ” in approximately 34,000 public schools throughout Japan. And we will help many people find their own life purpose and live a happy life. He states the following
“The “Kokorozashi-education” is already being promoted in cram schools and private schools, and we intend to expand it to public education through local governments and boards of education throughout the country. Now that I have reached the age of 60, I will hand over the management of the cram school to my successor and will do my utmost to spread “Kokorozashi-education” in order to fulfill my mission for the rest of my life. First, I will give shape to the aspirations of one million children in 34,000 elementary, junior high, and senior high schools in Japan.”
” Kokorozashi-Education ” also helps children develop self-esteem and self-confidence and goes a long way toward making friends. To promote ” Kokorozashi-Education “, Mr. Sasaki and his colleagues have also established a general incorporated association called the “Kokorozashi Art Project“.
Currently, he is focusing on a project to collect photos of people who have written about their aspirations and turn them into mosaic art of Katsushika Hokusai’s world-famous “Fugaku Sanjurokkei Kanagawa-oki Naniura” (Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, Kanagawa-oki Naniura), which has been presented to the world. In an attempt to achieve a world record, he started with a goal of 35,000 photos, and the project has now collected 40,954 photos, achieving a Guinness World Record: Name of the record Largest online photo album of oaths/pledges:
While it is important to acquire knowledge and skills, Japanese education has not been very enthusiastic about fostering more important skills, such as the ability to think, make judgments, and express oneself.
Sasaki is honestly trying to change this situation.
The following qualities and abilities are listed as those needed by those who will live in the future.
The ability, ambition, and leadership to proactively identify and solve problems
Creativity, spirit of challenge, perseverance, and self-esteem
Sensitivity, compassion, communication skills, and acceptance of diversity
Sasaki is working day and night to help young people acquire these qualities and abilities.
Even though we have entered a historical stage where AI is said to surpass human abilities, Sasaki is committed to enhancing human abilities to do what only human beings can do, which is still required.
“Kokorozashi” is the foundation of all human qualities and abilities, and is indispensable for human beings to live and fulfill their lives.
Sasaki has been and will continue to devote his life to helping all young people to set their aspirations. In closing, we would like to introduce Sasaki’s “Kokorozashi”.
“To save the earth, I will give my all to create Japanese people who are respected, trusted, and loved by people all over the world” !
