About Seishinjuku New York
Overview
Seishinjuku New York was organized under a new name from Seiwajuku New York, a nonprofit organization that was dissolved at the end of 2019.
Its roots go back to 1983, when young business owners in Kyoto gathered for a self-organized study group to learn from Kazuo Inamori, then chairman of Kyocera, how to live as a person (philosophy of life) and how to think as a business leader (management philosophy). That group, Seiwajuku, was a training ground for life where members who were eager to learn and Chairman Inamori, who answered them with equal commitment, sparked off each other. Many young business owners also gathered enthusiastically at chapters around the world to push each other to grow.
Seiwajuku was dissolved at the end of 2019. Feeling it would be a great loss if there were no longer a place to learn Kazuo Inamori's management philosophy, many former members in Japan and overseas have created places to continue that study. Seishinjuku New York grew out of one of them, the former New York chapter of Seiwajuku.
- Founded
- November 2003 (as Seiwajuku New York)
- Current name
- Seishinjuku New York, since 2020
- Office
- info@seishinjukuny.org
Activities
At our monthly study meetings we study Kazuo Inamori's management philosophy, as Seiwajuku did, using the books and DVDs published over the years. After each meeting we hold a gathering called "konpa", where members share their impressions of the meeting and exchange information about their own businesses over drinks, which deepens the learning further. Besides the monthly meetings, volunteer members run study sessions open to members only.
- Monthly study meeting (Japanese)
- Monthly study meeting (English edition)
- Journal Marathon: each week, members read the Seiwajuku journal and submit their reflections, in five groups
- Ritax: each week, members present their business results to one another and run the PDCA cycle together, in two groups
- Special study meetings
- North America and Brazil joint study meetings, joined by members from across the U.S. and from Japan
About Kazuo Inamori
Born in Kagoshima, Japan, in January 1932. After graduating from the Faculty of Engineering of Kagoshima University in 1955, he started work in Kyoto. In April 1959, with funding from acquaintances, he founded Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd. (now Kyocera Corporation) with capital of 3 million yen. Building on its technology in fine ceramics, he grew the company rapidly as a maker of IC packages, electronic components and industrial parts, and turned it into one of the world's leading companies, with products including communications and information equipment, cameras and jewelry.
In 1984, responding to the liberalization of telecommunications in Japan, he founded DDI, which brought down the cost of long-distance calls in Japan; from 1987 he established eight cellular telephone companies one after another and built a nationwide network. In October 2000, KDDI was formed through the merger of KDD, DDI and IDO, and he became its chairman emeritus; in June 2001 he became supreme advisor.
In 1984 he also founded the Inamori Foundation with his own funds and created the international Kyoto Prize, which each November honors people who have contributed to the progress of humanity in Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts and Philosophy. As a volunteer, he devoted himself to developing business leaders as head of the management school Seiwajuku.
In February 2010 he became chairman of Japan Airlines after its bankruptcy and led its turnaround. He dissolved Seiwajuku at the end of 2019, and passed away on August 24, 2022, at the age of 90.
Links: Kyocera, "Founder Kazuo Inamori" (English)
Major books (Japanese editions)
- 心を高める、経営を伸ばす（1989年 PHP研究所）
- 新しい日本、新しい経営（1994年 TBSブリタニカ）
- A PASSION FOR SUCCESS（1995年 米国マグロウヒル社）
- 哲学への回帰（梅原猛氏との共著）（1995年 PHP研究所）
- 成功への情熱（1996年 PHP研究所）
- For People and For Profit（1996年 講談社インターナショナル）
- 日米対話（堺屋太一氏との責任編集）（1997年 PHP研究所）
- 敬天愛人（1997年 PHP研究所）
- 二十一世紀に伝えたい日本の心（佐伯彰一氏、土居健郎氏、長谷川三千子氏との共著）（1997年PHP研究所）
- 日本への直言（1998年 PHP研究所）
- 実践 経営問答（1998年 PHP研究所）
- 人生と経営（1998年 致知出版社）
- 21世紀 日米共生の時代（稲盛和夫責任編集）（1998年 PHP研究所）
- 稲盛 和夫の実学（1998年 日本経済新聞社）
- 代表的日本人（監訳）（1999年 講談社インターナショナル）
- 日本復活（1999年 中央公論新社）
- 稲盛和夫の哲学（2001年 PHP研究所）
- ガキの自叙伝（2002年 日本経済新聞社）
- 徳と正義（2002年 PHP研究所）