Chapter 1: Keiko That Began in Despair
— In 2009, the two of them were each grappling with their own questions —
The Story of Koji Miki
After building my career at Fujitsu, completing graduate studies at Keio University,
and serving as an executive at an IT startup, I (Miki)
was laid off in my 40s.
It made me realize just how fragile external success can be.
The experience of seeing everything crumble was enough to shatter my emotional balance.
It was in the midst of that despair that I began practicing zazen every morning.
It wasn’t about comparing myself to others, nor was it about achieving anything.
It was simply about quietly facing myself.
As I continued zazen, the fear that had occupied my mind began to fade.
And from the depths of my heart, business ideas began to well up.
For me, zazen was the first time I regained the sense of self that I had lost.
The Story of Shigeru Utsunomiya
I (Utsunomiya) worked at Suzuki for 18 years as a production engineer.
From mass production lines to prototyping, and from cost planning to the mold department.
Those were days spent using my body on the shop floor, continuously making things.
However, within the logic of the organization, I gradually began to suppress my own emotions.
As I swallowed my words and obeyed, my spirit quietly wore away.
“What do I really want to do?”
Carrying that question with me, I turned 40 and decided to let go of stability.
Those 18 years on the shop floor were a time when, even as I suppressed my instincts,
I could not let go of them.
Even if I didn’t realize it at the time.
Miki, who began with zazen, and Utsunomiya, who began on the front lines.
Though their approaches differed, both took time in their respective settings
to look inward.
Then, in 2009, their shared experience of being laid off from the same IT startup
became the starting point for enmono.
November 11, 2009.
It began with an ending.
Chapter 2: A Place for Those Who Take on Challenges
— In 2011, enmono began here —
The company name “enmono（縁+モノづくり）” was born from
the idea of “creating things through human connections.”
The first initiative we sought to create was
for small and medium-sized manufacturing companies struggling in the wake of the Lehman Shock.
It was a platform where owners of small local factories,
unable to break free from the subcontracting structure of large corporations,
could present their own products to the world.
“Micro-Manufacturing Management Innovation Course.”
Social media, 3D printers, crowdfunding.
Using tools that were just beginning to emerge at the time,
we explored ways to create one’s own original products.
This initiative gradually expanded,
and was even featured on TV Tokyo’s “World Business Satellite.”
Among the graduates, some went on to create hit products that reached 42 countries around the world.
However, as we continued our activities, we gradually realized something.
Those who had mastered the tools
would next hit a wall, wondering, “What should I make?”
What truly matters, even before deciding what to make—
isn’t it knowing what moves your heart?
From there, enmono’s exploration
began to deepen, shifting from the outside in.
This was the first turning point in our 16-year journey of discovery.
Chapter 3: A Place to Listen to Your Inner Voice
— 2014: To Zenschool —
In 2014, we changed the name of our program to “zenschool.”
From a place that teaches “what to create,”
to a place where you discover for yourself “what moves your heart.”
It was a decision to enshrine that fundamental shift in our name.
At the heart of our curriculum lies the practice of introspection.
Taking stock of one’s own life,
and tracing the traces of passion that have accumulated since childhood.
Through dialogue with others, encountering a side of oneself that one cannot see on one’s own.
Rather than imparting knowledge,
it is a space where participants can learn to hear the voice within themselves.
zenschool was born as a space for this seven-month journey of practice.
“Rabbit”-type students shine at the final presentation, but
their passion often fades and their efforts fizzle out.
On the other hand, “Turtle”-type students may speak little,
but once the flame of their inquiry is ignited, it never goes out.
What we have come to believe is that
true change does not stem from external skillfulness,
but from the depth of one’s inner exploration.
Chapter 4: Kamakura as a Place
— In 2019, “the environment” becomes a philosophy —
In 2019, we moved our headquarters from Shibuya, Tokyo, to Kamakura.
There was a clear reason behind this decision.
When we held workshops with the same content in both Tokyo and Kamakura,
the participants’ reactions were completely different.
Participants in Tokyo carried the weight of their organizational titles,
and found it difficult to break free from formulaic, fact-based thinking.
From the participants in Kamakura,
regardless of whether it would translate into business,
questions that came from within—questions that felt personally relevant—emerged.
The ocean, the mountains, temples and shrines, quiet moments.
By stepping away from the noise of the city,
people find it easier to reconnect with their own senses.
It’s not that “the environment changes learning,”
but rather that “the environment itself is part of the practice.”
It was only after coming to Kamakura that I became fully convinced of this.
Wakai-an Studio is not merely a venue.
It is a place to pause, pose questions, and reconnect with oneself.
Chapter 5: Places Where Resonance Occurs
— The Discovery of Resonance —
As I continued to create these spaces, I had another realization.
People aren’t moved by persuasion.
Nor are they moved by management.
True, profound change begins with resonance.
It’s the moment when something within oneself resonates with something within another person.
In that moment, people begin to act.
The concept of “Resonance Marketing” was born
from this realization.
Creating connections through resonance, not sales pitches.
Nurturing value through co-creation, not competition.
And the same applies to putting this into practice.
There are places we cannot reach simply by delving deep within ourselves alone,
but dialogue and resonance with others can sometimes take us there.
This practice is not
a solitary journey,
but something that deepens through our resonance with others.
Chapter 6: The DOJO
— The Name We Finally Found —
From 2009 to 2026.
Looking back, we have been doing one thing all along.
That is, creating a space to rediscover our senses.
Miki rediscovered the senses he had lost through zazen.
Utsunomiya confronted the senses he had suppressed while working on-site.
zenschool was born as a space to listen to one’s inner voice,
the environment of Kamakura opened our senses,
and dialogue and resonance with others have deepened our inquiry.
We have described the essence of this space using many different terms.
Micro-making. zenschool. True Innovation®.
Resonance. IKIGAI. The Age of Symbiosis.
However, through recent conversations, a single word has finally come into focus.
DOJO（道場）.
A dojo is not a place to teach something.
It is a place to reclaim your senses, deepen your questions, and refine yourself.
It is a place to accumulate insights through practice with others.
We have been building a dojo all along.
Perhaps we simply didn’t know its name.
The more AI evolves, the more humans are challenged to rethink themselves.
What do we know?
What can we do?
How quickly can we come up with answers?
The value of these things will change dramatically because of AI.
That is precisely why what will matter most in the coming era is—
What moves our hearts?
With whom do we resonate?
How do we engage with society?
What do we value in our lives?
We call this coming era the “Kyosei Era.”
People and people. People and nature. People and AI.
An era where these relationships are not based on conflict, but on living together.
The DOJO is a space
dedicated to continuously refining these questions as we move toward the Kyosei Era
The Map of Inquiry We Cherish
─ The Ten Ox Pictures ─
“The Ten Ox Pictures” is an ancient story about a man searching for an ox.
At zenschool, we interpret the ox as “your own passion and questions”
in a modern context.
This 10-step process unfolds
during the 7-month zenschool program and in the journey that follows graduation.
Stage 1: Seeking the Ox
“I don’t know what I want to do”
→ Introductory Retreat: Searching for clues through a life inventory
Stage 2: Following the Tracks
“Embarking on a journey of self-discovery”
→ Exciting Treasure Hunt: Discovering traces of forgotten passions
Stage 3: Seeing the Ox
“The shape of my passion begins to emerge”
→ Online Presentation: The source of my value takes shape
Stage 4: Catching the Ox
“Struggling to grasp my passion”
→ Monthly Follow-up: Nurturing it into a tangible reality
Stage 5: Herding the Ox
“I’ve finally caught my passion”
→ Prototyping: The challenge of giving it concrete form
Stage 6: Riding the Ox Home
“Mastering Passion with Freedom”
→ Final Integration Session: Preparing to Return to Daily Life as a New Self
Stage 7: Forgetting the Ox, Retaining the Person
“Realizing the Answer Was Within You All Along”
→ Post-Graduation Insight: You Searched Outside, but It Was Inside
Stage 8: Forgetting Both Ox and Person
“Becoming absorbed in passion and entering a state of flow”
→ Immersion in business or activities: Within passionate endeavors
Stage 9: Returning to the Source
“Achieving results that exceed expectations”
→ Results beyond imagination, such as SkyDrive and lunar rovers
Stage 10: Entering the Village with Hands Hanging Loose
“Communicating naturally to others”
→ A community where graduates support their juniors
We, too, are still on a journey of discovery.
I’ll be honest.
We don’t have a “formula for success” or a “right answer.”
Both Miki and Utsunomiya have arrived here after going through their own despair and struggles.
We aren’t teaching you because we’ve found the perfect answer;
rather, because we continue to walk this path while grappling with similar questions,
we believe we understand how you feel.
Our role is to
create a safe space where you can face yourself with peace of mind.
And to ask the right questions at the right time.
That’s all.
I never
imagined that Mr. Fukuzawa would start a company to build flying cars.
I couldn’t
have imagined that Mr. Kajikawa would turn a factory into an art museum.
No one
expected that Mr. Nakajima would actually send a lunar rover to the moon.
But in the end, everyone tells us, “I’m glad I participated.”
That is the basis of our conviction.
First, let's hear the story.
“I'm not sure if this is really right for me.”
“I'm worried about committing to a 7-month program.”
“I want to know exactly what I'll be doing.”
For those of you with questions or concerns like these,
we are holding free consultation sessions.
Miki and Utsunomiya will speak directly with each of you.
There will be absolutely no high-pressure sales tactics.
Even if, after hearing what we have to say, you conclude that “this might not be right for me,”
we believe that is an important insight.