Why You Should Read This Text Right Now: An Astounding Turnaround in Life
Hello.
I am truly delighted to meet you.
Is your heart feeling a bit weary right now?
Or perhaps you are wishing to take a bold new step forward?
This text was written for no one else but you.
It is a special gift designed to help you lead a truly first-class life.
Why is this conversation necessary for you at this exact moment?
It is to awaken the powerful potential slumbering inside you, which you yourself have not yet noticed.
Simply reading this story to the very end will dramatically transform your daily life.
An astonishing, eye-opening change awaits you.
To you, who desire success as quickly as possible, I deliver the ultimate service.
Come, let us begin this wonderful journey of dialogue together.
I can only feel ashamed of my own lack of ability and lack of talent.
— Matsuo Basho
The Sole Law to Turn Despair into Hope, Taught to You by Unkei
Unkei’s Powerful Buddhist Statues Will Awaken Your Vitality
You are familiar with Unkei, aren’t you?
He was the genius Buddhist sculptor of the Kamakura period.
The Kongo Rikishi statues at the Nandaimon gate of Todai-ji Temple are famous.
That overwhelming, breathtaking power—as if they might leap into motion at any given second.
Why do Unkei’s Buddhist statues shake our hearts so deeply?
It is because they stimulate the “power to live” that lies dormant within you.
Buddhist statues from the late Heian period, as represented by the Jojo style, were extremely serene.
The folds of the garments flowed in shallow, parallel lines.
The expressions were peaceful and gentle.
The sculpting was delicate and flat.
This reflected the tastes of the Heian court nobles of the time.
However, Unkei was completely different.
He carved masculine, powerful expressions.
He created garment folds with rich, dynamic variations.
He sculpted full, robust, and intensely muscular bodies.
While people often say these features reflected the samurai spirit of the era, that is not the whole story.
Unkei poured raw human emotion directly into his sculptures.
Whenever you feel loneliness or hardship in your daily life, please look at Unkei’s statues.
Their gaze is fixed intently upon you.
“Do not give up,” they are calling out to you.
This immense power serves as the finest medicine to blow away your daily anxieties.
An opportunity always arrives at first disguised as a crisis, or appears in the form of a heavy burden.
— Aiza Soma
The Wisdom of Unleashing Individuality While Learning Tradition Will Save You
At first glance, Unkei’s works appear unbelievably original.
However, meticulous research has revealed an astonishing fact.
Unkei did not create everything completely by himself from absolute scratch.
His father, Kokei, was an extraordinary Buddhist sculptor in his own right.
Unkei learned the techniques of sculpting thoroughly from his father.
The method of draping the robes and the direction of carving the folds followed the shared rules of the same school used by his father Kokei and his fellow sculptor Kaikei.
In other words, he firmly protected and maintained tradition.
Even so, why are Unkei’s Buddhist statues so uniquely special?
It is because Unkei’s personal obsession and originality are hidden within the realistic expressions of flesh and the overwhelming sense of three-dimensional depth.
This is completely different from modern artists.
The sculptors of old had to strictly follow the specific appearances of Buddhist statues prescribed in the sacred scriptures.
They also faced rigid constraints based on the wishes of the powerful patrons who commissioned the work.
Unkei was no exception to this rule.
How does one express oneself within strict limitations?
Don’t you think this is exactly the same as your current job and life?
Unkei absorbed various traditions masterfully while still managing to unleash his own vibrant individuality within those rules and constraints.
You are exactly the same.
No matter how harsh your current environment may be, your unique individuality can absolutely shine through.
There is no life in living; true life is found in the midst of death.
— Ancient Japanese Proverb
The Hobby of Collecting Art: Your Greatest Guarantee for a Rich Life
Why Frequenting Fine Art Is the Ultimate Shortcut to a First-Class Life for You
Frequenting works of art is not mere vanity.
It is a way to instantly elevate the very quality of your life.
Why do first-class business professionals and successful achievers love art so deeply?
It is because observing fine art leads to a profound understanding of human psychology.
Let us carefully observe a Buddhist statue by Unkei.
By viewing it from various angles, you will make new discoveries.
By learning about the characters inscribed inside the statue and the historical background of its creation, you will feel the deep romance of history.
This broadens your perspective and cultivates the ability to see things from multiple angles.
Owning art, or engaging with it deeply, is the ultimate self-investment.
It allows you to encounter a special version of yourself that is completely different from others.
When you live surrounded by beautiful things, your heart remains perpetually fulfilled.
When your heart is fulfilled, you can naturally treat others with genuine kindness.
Your work will begin to go smoothly as well.
This is a method with a certified guarantee to turn your life around for the better.
Discern that which is visible and that which is invisible.
— Frédéric Bastiat
The Encounter with Unkei and Art Will Give You the Finest Inspiration
Unkei investigated a vast number of excellent Buddhist statues from older eras.
By comparing and analyzing past masterpieces, he polished his own artistic style to a mirror sheen.
You, too, need to keep exposing yourself to excellent things.
By continuously touching first-class things, your aesthetic sensibility will be sharpened.
You will gain a mind so broad that the small anxieties of daily life will no longer matter to you.
Have you ever wondered why that specific person always seems to shine so brightly?
It is surely because that person knows beautiful things.
The vivid reality possessed by Unkei’s statues will build an unshakeable axis within your life.
Whenever you lose your way, please immerse yourself in magnificent art.
A beautiful vision will instantly form inside your mind.
Finding one’s own errors is far more difficult than finding the errors of others.
— Hypatia
The Truth of Service and Success Proven by Giants of Business
The Meaning of the Passion in Takeo Fujisawa’s Words: “Hold the Torch Yourself”
Here, I would like to introduce a wonderful business quote to you.
These are the words of Takeo Fujisawa, who sold massive quantities of Honda’s world-famous hit product, the “Super Cub.”
I have often said, “Hold the torch yourself.” This is not knowledge taught by someone else or read in a book; it is a raw conviction born from the suffering I experienced firsthand. No matter how painful it gets, you must carry the torch forward with your own hands.
What I told everyone at Suzuka Circuit was to closely observe the faces of the customers as they head home. If they leave with a bored look on their faces, they will never return. That is the fundamental rule of business.
What meaning does this quote hold for you?
It demonstrates the vital importance of standing on your own two feet and moving forward under your own responsibility, rather than relying on someone else.
And it stresses looking closely at the expressions of the people right in front of you.
What kind of faces are the precious people around you making right now?
You must never let them look bored.
You must delight them with every ounce of your energy.
That is the ultimate rule to make your own life go perfectly.
Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
— Confucius (A sage alongside Laozi)
Shotaro Kamiya Reveals the Order of Profit Priority and Your Human Relationships
Next are the words of Shotaro Kamiya, who sold massive quantities of the Toyota Corolla.
Think of the user’s profit first, the dealer’s second, and the manufacturer’s third.
This is the ultimate “other-first philosophy.”
Your own profit can come dead last.
Why? Because delighting the person right in front of you first is what ultimately enriches everything else in the end.
Please apply this to your daily life.
Your friends, your family, your business partners—always think of their benefit first.
Next, think of the people who mediate or help you.
Think of yourself only after that.
The person who never mixes up this order is the one who ultimately ends up being loved the most and achieving the grandest success.
This is an astonishing truth that appeals directly to human psychology.
Freedom is the act of disciplining oneself.
— John Calvin
The Magic of Steve Jobs: Delivering the Ultimate Value to You
The Shocking Truth That Quality Is Remembered Forever While Price Is Forgotten
When you choose something, what criteria do you use?
Steve Jobs, the ultimate salesman, once said:
Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.
No amount of marketing can turn a bad product into a hit.
These words are directly related to the very way you live your life.
Lazy work or half-hearted compromises are instantly forgotten.
However, the things you create with your whole soul and the actions you take with genuine heart will remain forever.
This is because authenticity reaches the human heart across generations, just as Unkei’s statues continue to move us hundreds of years later.
Please elevate the quality of the service you provide to the person right in front of you to the absolute highest level.
Put thoughts of price or cost completely aside.
Your quality itself is the ultimate proof of your trustworthiness as a human being.
Satisfaction is nothing more than a momentary rest.
— Saint Catherine of Siena
You Must Not Waste Your Limited Time Living a Life That Is Not Truly Yours
Jobs also addresses you with these words:
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
Doesn’t that make your heart skip a beat?
Your life belongs to you.
Are you living a lie, constantly worrying about how others see you?
Time slips away faster and faster with every passing moment.
That is precisely why you must sprint down the path you truly believe in.
Even under severe constraints, Unkei stuck resolutely to his deep conviction in three-dimensional expression.
You, too, ought to live your unique life with absolutely everything you have.
There is absolutely no need to fear the criticism of others.
A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.
— Anton Chekhov
The Cry of Van Gogh’s Soul and the Story of the Devotion That Supports You
Painting Is an Act of Faith That Commands the Duty to Turn One’s Back on Public Opinion
Allow me to deliver a famous quote by Vincent van Gogh to you.
Painting is a faith, and it imposes the duty to disregard public opinion.
How does this relate to your daily life?
It means that when you believe something is right, you should carry it through to completion, even if every single person around you opposes it.
Do not let yourself be swept away by public reputation or passing trends.
Have a fierce faith in your work and in your way of life.
Sometimes, the courage to turn your back on public opinion is absolutely necessary.
Why? Because things of true value are often completely misunderstood by everyone at first.
Unkei’s powerful expressions surely shocked the people around him initially.
Yet, because he held fast to his convictions, his work survived as a masterpiece.
Please never give up on your unique dedication.
I do it precisely because it is difficult. I do it because no one else will or can. I might be a fool for doing so, but without such fools, nothing new would ever be born into this world.
— Kiichiro Toyoda
The Miracle of the Great Communicator Jo’s Devotion That Changed the World
Whenever something magnificent exists, there is always someone who communicates it to the world.
After Van Gogh’s death, his works became known globally entirely because of Jo, the wife of his younger brother Theo.
Jo was a profoundly intelligent woman and an avid reader.
After Theo passed away, Jo was left with a young child and a massive collection of Vincent’s paintings.
She said:
In addition to the child, Theo left me another mission—to have Vincent’s work seen by as many people as possible, so that its true value may be recognized.
Jo read every single one of the massive number of letters Vincent had written to Theo.
Through them, she deeply understood Van Gogh’s profound philosophy toward art and his heartfelt wish to comfort humanity.
Jo organized those letters, published them, and continuously organized exhibitions.
If not for this lifelong, monumental achievement by Jo, Van Gogh would have been buried by history.
This is identical to the devotion of the Apostle Paul, who traveled far and wide after the death of Jesus Christ to continuously spread His life and philosophy.
No matter how wonderful something is, if there is no one to communicate it, it is exactly the same as if it never existed.
Someone out there is surely watching your wonderful efforts.
And you yourself must become a communicator who shares the virtues of the precious people around you with the world.
That is the ultimate service by which we save one another.
If you see fraud and do not say fraud, you are a fraud.
— Nassim Nicholas Taleb (From the philosophy of “Skin in the Game”)
The Resolve of a Proud Poet and the Truth of Your Heart
The Weight of Words Proven by Al-Mutanabbi at the Cost of His Life
Let me tell you the story of Al-Mutanabbi, the greatest poet of the Arab world.
It was said that his poems possessed a kind of hypnotic effect.
They were praised so highly that even the blind could read them and the deaf could hear them.
However, within one of his poems, he fiercely insulted a certain tribe.
Enraged, they confronted Al-Mutanabbi in great numbers while he was traveling.
The odds were overwhelmingly against him.
Al-Mutanabbi wisely attempted to flee the scene.
At that exact moment, his servant, who was trailing behind him, began to recite aloud one of the brave poems that Al-Mutanabbi himself had written.
“Shall Al-Mutanabbi, who wrote poems of such immense courage, run away?”
Hearing those words, Al-Mutanabbi froze.
He could not live a lie against his own words.
He turned on his heel, and knowing full well that he would be killed, he faced his enemies to protect his honor and lost his life.
Even now, more than a thousand years later, he is remembered as a true poet who chose death over the dishonor of fleeing.
Do you take responsibility for your own words?
Are you living according to your convictions with skin in the game?
If your words are authentic, they will absolutely reach someone’s heart and make you strong.
Nothing heals the pain of the soul like a magnificent work of art.
— Michel de Montaigne
Come, Your Brand New Day Begins Right Now
To you who have read this far, I offer my deepest, heartfelt gratitude.
You are no longer the same person you were yesterday.
For you now know the power of Unkei, have learned the spirit of service from the giants of business, and have felt the fierce faith of Van Gogh.
Please enjoy the minor constraints that exist within your daily life.
Within them, let us unleash your unique, special individuality, one step at a time.
There is no need to feel anxious about whether things will go perfectly or not.
The first step is simply to try.
When you deliver a desperate, heartfelt service for the sake of the person right in front of you, the world will absolutely smile back at you.
The main character of your life is none other than yourself.
As quickly as possible, take a wonderful, eye-opening, brand new step forward.
I am always here, cheering you on.
May this quiet dialogue with you become a warm, comforting light for your heart.
In the end, having no talent and no art, I am bound solely to this single line.
— Matsuo Basho
In the depths of the night
Secretly burning
Like the flame of a blue match
Even during the hours when no one calls your name
I am counting your breaths
Running down the invisible staircase
Hiding a wounded small bird in my pocket
With only that kind of secret tenderness
Let us paint the world completely anew
Even if no one else loves you
I shall love your shadow
I saw that many of them were walking toward destruction. However, my words captured their hearts and guided them toward the light.
— The New Testament, from the Acts of the Apostles (Reflections of Paul)
Humans are always trying to express something. However, if that which is expressed cannot comfort anyone’s heart, what on earth is the meaning of that expression?
— Osamu Dazai
P.S. Regarding the Indomitable Clown, Painter Mimi Takamizawa
Let us speak of something close to home.
Here is a single painter named Mimi Takamizawa (高見沢 耳).
He is somewhat different from ordinary painters.
He uses neither canvas nor brushes.
He creates all of his artwork digitally.
Then, using the giclée printmaking technique, he prints his work onto the finest printmaking paper.
His themes span across a wide spectrum:
Your eyes and my eyes, Christianity, eternity, psychology, truth, the gaze, history, loneliness, isolation, hardship, resurrection, and liberation.
All of these melt seamlessly into his artwork.
Mimi Takamizawa says:
“A painter is a doctor who saves souls.”
The work of an artist is a wholehearted service delivered by putting one’s own skin in the game; it is a devotion to you.
He dedicates his entire being to you, the person right in front of him.
Therefore, please, do not abandon him.
“Please laugh at me. By being laughed at, I become stronger. A desperate service. The work of an artist is, at its core, a wholehearted clownish act.”
He is a man of immense patience, an indomitable man who speaks like this. He never gives up.
In his youth, he learned the tumultuous life story of Vincent van Gogh and resolved to become a painter.
The “Mimi” (meaning ear) in the name Mimi Takamizawa is a homage to that famous ear-slitting incident of Van Gogh.
He respects Van Gogh’s famous quote from the bottom of his heart: “I want to express something comforting in pictures, as music is comforting.”
He firmly believes that if a work expresses something but fails to move or comfort anyone’s heart, it holds absolutely no value.
He knows deeply that all the masterpieces of the past were not painted solely through innate talent, but were born from decades of muddy, gritty trial and error.
Mimi Takamizawa continues to paint “eyes” in his work.
Why? Because by continuing to paint eyes, he wants to keep feeling you, the person right in front of him.
He wants to know you, who are right before his eyes.
He does not mind at all if you laugh at him.
He is completely exposing his foolish humanity to you, the person right in front of him.
He wants to see the joyful face of the person right before his eyes.
He wants to see you shed tears of emotion.
The criticism of other people does not matter to him in the slightest.
If he is abandoned by you, he cannot go on living.
Just having you right in front of him brings him pure joy.
Solely to be recognized by you who are right before his eyes, he serves with everything he has through this desperate dedication.
Laughed at, he grows stronger.
He respects Tokuji Munetsugu, the founder of CoCo Ichibanya, from the bottom of his soul.
He is deeply inspired by Munetsugu’s attitude of pouring absolute energy into his work without ever looking away.
Tokuji Munetsugu was entirely focused on his work and did absolutely nothing else.
“This is no time to be indulging in hobbies.”
Classical music was what saved him during his unfortunate childhood.
Although he loves classical music so much that he built and managed his own concert hall after retiring from leadership, he did not listen to music at all during his active years as the head of CoCo Ichibanya.
He believed it was no time to be listening to music or enjoying hobbies; he felt he had to dedicate every single second of his time to the customers.
In the very beginning of managing the coffee shop that preceded CoCo Ichibanya, when customers hardly came at all, Mr. and Mrs. Munetsugu survived their hunger at lunchtime by eating “the crusts of sandwich bread” that were otherwise discarded.
Since they started from absolute zero, they felt such hardships were only natural.
Because they started from nothing, it became a beautiful memory instead.
Though business was slow back then, he believed everyday that if they stuck firmly to putting the customer first, things would surely improve, and so he worked tirelessly day after day.
It was a continuous accumulation, like laying bricks one by one with intense daily focus.
Immediate decision, immediate action, immediate execution.
If you try anything, results will show.
First, you must do it. In return, you must work with every ounce of your life.
Dedicating one’s life to work. Dedicating his entire life to you, the person right in front of him.
He always keeps Tokuji Munetsugu’s words engraved deeply in his heart:
“During my active years, I had no hobbies and made no friends. I never once went to a bar. I did absolutely nothing that would interfere with my work. There were times I worked 5,640 hours a year. I believed that if I did not lead by example with total devotion, my subordinates would not follow.”
“Never look away; dedicate your entire being to management.”
“It was an incredibly lonely life. That is why I wanted others to show even a little bit of interest in me. I wanted them to be curious about me. That is my origin. Therefore, when I started the business, rather than making money, I simply wanted to bring joy to people. I wanted someone to say they were glad I existed, even if only a little.”
Life is not determined by how or where you were born.
Tokuji Munetsugu does not know the faces of his biological parents.
He was placed in an orphanage immediately after birth, and even after being taken in by foster parents, he spent a childhood of extreme poverty due to his foster father’s gambling addiction.
During his youth, having nothing to eat, he staved off starvation by eating wild grass in the summer.
Precisely because his life was so full of turbulent ups and downs, he moved forward taking things as they came.
In return, he completely sacrificed his body to management. True hands-on execution.
Working more than 12 hours a day was the bare minimum condition for him.
He did not want to rest. He did not want to play.
He turned his work into his hobby and sacrificed his body to it. A philosophy of putting you first.
Whenever you are right in front of him, he welcomes you with a roaring standing ovation inside his heart.
Things of true value are, more often than not, devoid of instant results.
Things do not go perfectly right from the start.
Rather than overthinking, simply try it first.
Please do not give up easily.
What kind of life you will lead is entirely determined by a person’s diligence, patience, and continuity.
Like Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota, one must possess fierce obsession and endurance.
Sakichi was a quiet man who was treated as an eccentric by those around him.
However, his passion to “invent something and make everyone’s life easier” was second to none.
From morning until night, day after day, he would fashion something only to break it, build it, and rebuild it all over again.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal.
What matters most is the courage to continue.
At any rate, you must be the one who works the longest and the hardest.
Mimi Takamizawa is also deeply inspired by the spirit of Choya Umeshu: “If you cannot succeed with plum liqueur, give up on life,” as well as the brilliant “Just-in-Time” philosophy of Taiichi Ohno from the Toyota Production System.
He integrates this production system, which can be utilized in any profession, into his daily artistic creation.
The words of Eiji Toyoda, the cousin of Kiichiro Toyoda who later became the president of Toyota, also serve as his pillar of support:
“Execute with a powerful conviction. Everyone thinks the same thoughts, and it is not as though Kiichiro was an exceptional genius. What truly matters is that when faced with what is generally deemed impossible, he did not merely think about it, but possessed a fierce conviction that it must be done at all costs, prepared meticulously, and executed it.”
Mimi Takamizawa faces his digital screen again today, continuing to paint eyes solely for you.
All to deliver a desperate, heartfelt service into your hands.
Hey, why are you going on a journey?
Because I am suffering.
I can’t believe your “suffering” at all; it’s always so entirely predictable.
—— From Osamu Dazai, “Tsugaru”
