Founder, CEO
“Ima” is an organization that continues to create new forms to address social issues by feeling the “now” (pronounced as “ima” in Japanese) and connecting the “in-between” (pronounced as “a-ima” in Japanese).
Having lived through the transition period when digital technology entered our daily lives and businesses, we have experienced many moments when the “now” changed drastically.
New ways of living and thinking have been advocated in the past, but we are now in an era in which the “now” that has traditionally been valued is changing at an unprecedented speed, and we are excited every day by the new discoveries we can make when we look at the new “now” in a new light.
We live in an interesting time of drastic changes in the concepts of “how people should be” “how organizations should be” and many other things. In this era, Japan has a culture that values “kata” (it means a form) that transcend the concept of time and inherently change, as in the traditional Japanese musical “Noh”. Because we were born and raised in such a Japan, there is a world that we can see.
If there is a “kata”, it is possible to create a new form.
The kata has continued to change flexibly according to the people, places, and conditions of the time.
Capture the “ima” (in-between) and create the “ima” (now). That is our job.
Mission
KIGEI
“Re-examining “”ima””(meaning of the word is the present, but also can be understood “”context”” “between the lines”” of society) and expressing questions and passions to society by business”
As artists, we pose challenges to society, and as entrepreneurs, we work with people who face these challenges to solve them.
BUNKA KOUGAKU
Weaving soul-touching stories from japanese-classic”Takumi” to the future, creating a mechanism for moving towards the future.
Japan’s artisans are renowned for their never-ending pursuit of beauty and perfection. As cultured engineers, we decompose the elements and skills of leading artisans to ensure they are preserved and carried to the future.
Core
The company was founded with the goal of implementing the skills of “Takumi”(artisans) and the aspirations of researchers in Japan’s traditional culture into society. By thinking outside the box and using optimal methods such as business, technology, art, and collaboration with government, we create stories and mechanisms to pass on traditions and techniques to the future and the world.