The phrase “敬天愛人 - Keiten Aijin” is famously known as the motto of Saigo Takamori (1828 - 1877), a prominent revolutionary and political figure from the late Edo period. Although well-known in Japan, the concept of “Revere Heaven, Love Mankind” was likely first formulated by the Chinese emperor Kangxi, who ruled towards the end of the 17th century.
Fast forward to modern Japan. Inamori Kazuo (1932 - 2022), a renowned entrepreneur, adopted this phrase as the corporate philosophy when founding Kyocera Corporation. Inamori cherished “Nanshu-ou Ikun,” a collection of Saigo’s thoughts published posthumously in 1890, because he felt they provided deep insights into the ideal qualities of leaders. Naturally, 敬天愛人 played a central role in this collection.
Inamori was known as the “God of Business Management” in Japan. In 2010, he took on the challenge of restructuring Japan Airlines, which had previously gone bankrupt, but declined any compensation or salary for his efforts. In less than three years, he managed to bring the company back to the stock exchange.
Inamori also led “Seiwa juku,” a study group for young entrepreneurs. He dedicated a significant portion of his time to educating and nurturing the business skills of many promising leaders, much like an old master teaching martial arts secrets to young warriors in the past. Until its closure in 2019, Seiwa juku had approximately 15,000 members both domestically and internationally.
The core principle of Inamori’s management philosophy was to “uphold what is right as a human being.” This translates to following the correct path indicated by Heaven, which should be respected and cherished, represented by “敬天 (Revere Heaven).” Additionally, he emphasized making judgments based on an altruistic mindset, i.e., “愛人 (Love Mankind).”
For Inamori, the heroic figure from his hometown (both men were from Kagoshima), Saigo Takamori, was a mentor at heart. The great samurai’s thoughts became the foundation of a modern-day business leader and will be passed down to future generations. This exemplifies how old legacies are applied in a new era.
