Kuniyoshi Obara

was an influential Japanese education reformer and publisher. Obara left a strong mark in education philosophy and on the theories of liberal education, art education and vocational education. In addition to creating his own education theory, Zenjin (or "Whole Person") Education, he was among the leaders of the New Education Movement in Japan and disseminated in that country the works of earlier reformers such as Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. He was the founder of the campus Tamagawa Gakuen and for many years president of its university, Tamagawa University.

Biography Personal life Born to a Samurai family on 8 April 1887 in the Kagoshima Prefecture of Japan, in a village called Kushi, Obara was the grandson of a famous educator. He was adopted into the Ajisaka family in his early childhood after the death of his parents.

Throughout this period, Obara also worked as a publisher, a profession he undertook in 1923 with the founding of his Idea Shoin Press, which was later renamed Tamagawa University Press. There are institutions and people not just in Japan but worldwide where 'Zenjin' philosophy is followed. A school in India, Wisdom World School Kurukshetra, has mentioned that the educational idea in the 'Zenjin Philosophy' has been their philosophy. The Japanese word ‘Zenjin’ means ‘whole man’ or ‘whole person.’ Thus his theory is often called ‘whole man education’ or ‘whole person education.’

Honors Obara was internationally honored for his work, receiving among other recognition the Royal Order of Commander of the Dannebrog, Knight, bestowed during his 1975 visit to Denmark with his wife. A paper on Obara has been on the UNESCO site and presents a detailed account of the ideas and aspects he has talked about.