Ever since I was in the forefront of food industry as an owner-chef of a Shojin restaurant in the midst of Tokyo, I have seen disorder in the food habits in this country. This disorder not only has not stopped, but is escalating everyday, I just kept grinding sesame to make pudding every day, worrying about what should be done about it, and one day I found an answer. The answer was to reform people’s consciousness about food that is, food education was to be given. How to face food properly and how to prepare food the way it should be is to be aware of. Food preparation is daily practice of life and is a way to live consciously. Is it an exaggeration to say it is a duty that each person –whether of this country or anywhere else in the world-should practice daily?

Looking back at those days of my Shojin restaurant月心居, I feel grateful that it could run for 15 years till its closing on Dec. 2007 thanks to the support of countless people. First of all, why did I have to open a vegetarian Shojin restaurant in the midst of Tokyo? It was genuinely out of my earnest wish I immersed myself in Shojin cuisine at the nunnery月心寺 in Ohtsu, Shiga Prefecture and since that time my goal has been to spread the Shojin cuisine as a traditional culture to as many people as possible. Some 50000 people in total visited 月心居 in 15 years. The space was always fully booked, especially in the last 1-2 years. The earnest interest in healthy lifestyle and to savor vegetables at that time also contributed to the popularity. I have to express my deepest gratitude that so many people from inside and outside Japan came to have my food and I will never forget this.

In those days, I felt that Shojin cuisine finally acquired citizenship in society. And I felt that my first wish to spread the proper understanding of Shojin cuisine-a cuisine that has been transmitted from long ago and transformed into its current aesthetic form had been accomplished, even if more could have been done. I don’t think it is an overstatement to say that Shojin cooking is a unique and straightforward cuisine that crosses all borders and Japan can be proud of internationally.

月心居 has closed its doors, but my mission remains the same. That is, to spread the awareness of the essence of Shojin cuisine worldwide. To share the wonderful potential of Shojin cuinine. Food culture can change our future. I believe that the millions of years of human history are based on food culture. Now, instead of just worrying while I am grinding sesame, I realized that it is my mission to suggest various ways that can create a wonderful food environment.

In February, 2008, I established the "Zecoow Culinary Institute". Zecoow or是食means “Just eat anything that is served oneself with deep gratitude” is inspired by the well-known Buddhism phrase Shikisokuzeku or 色即是空 from the Heart Sutra. It means “Form is the emptiness. Emptiness is the form”. In my pursuit of Shojin cuisine, regardless of whether from the east or the west, my aim is to continue to discover how the unique Shojin approach can reveal true beauty and health in our clothes, home, environment, healing practices, and agriculture. The advantage of this unique Shojin philosophy is that it can be presented in various forms.

Drawing upon my knowledge, wisdom, technology and sensitivity acquired at 月心居" and through new creative works, therefore, it is my great pleasure and wish to keep sharing the wonderful messages of vegetables through the Zecoow Culinary Institute.

Shojin(soul cleansing) Ryori (cooking) is a traditional, yet modern, even futuristic, Japanese vegetarian cuisine worthy of boasting to the outside world.  Shojin Dojo aims to become the center for proliferating and advocating the art and spirit of Shojin Ryori.

There is an increasing sense of urgency to eat healthily at the same time aspire for a sustainable environment.  We believe Shojin Ryori’s philosophy and technique, although little known outside Japan, can play a major role solving today’s multitude of problems; threats to fundamental elements of our well-being such as health, environment, family, community, children’s diet, women’s education, food safety such as false labeling, and so on.  Shojin Ryori has potential to lead the way to a whole new way of eating that may contribute to right the wrongs.

Those with keen senses have already noticed the flaws of diets consisting of mainly meats and fish in areas ranging from health, environment to logistics and have shifted towards vegetable centered diets.  A renowned (Michelin) three-star chef (name if possible) has abandoned meat intensive menus and is experimenting with vegetarian recipes.  

It’s not just about professionally prepared meals.  The food the eaten at home in today’s commercialized society is mass produced, pre-prepared and in the end, thrown out as waste.  Health deteriorates and communication at the dinner table dwindles.  This is a trend prominent in cities in developed nations.  People cut corners and consume products that are manufactured by a faceless, placeless someone.  People think less about what they put in their mouths and as a result, impede their health―cancer and weight related illnesses are on the rise.  The human race has stupidly created a food crisis that needs to be addressed immediately.

As a base, Shojin Dojo has chosen San Francisco with its phenomenal natural environs and its abundance of insightful persons.  We endeavor to establish a foundation for “Shojin (soul cleansing)” as a lasting legacy for humankind here in sync with this idyllic location.  By doing so, we believe we can help solve the myriad of problems humankind faces.

We would like to invite you to the healthy and spiritually rich world of Shojin.  We shall be relentless in concurring with our herbaceous ingredients.  We shall treasure the preparation process as this adds warmth and grace to the meals.  For this reason, we shall avoid electric appliances such as microwave ovens, food processors and electric rice cookers.  We shall not shy away from time consuming labor.  That extra effort allows us to communicate with our ingredients and congregate our soul into the meal.  Such process can’t be harmful.  This simple process of taking the time and facing the ingredients directly allows inner growth of the soul and possibly the eventual salvation of society as a whole.

Although Japanese cooking is already popularized worldwide, what is available is unfortunately far from authentic.  The main cause is because the Japanese people themselves have been slack in educating and passing down properly the philosophy and techniques of Japanese cooking through the generations.  We have an obligation to convey the art of Shojin to future generations so as to never repeat such mistakes.  

This obligation should be carried out by a viable business and not just as charity or philanthropy.  A restaurant business that recognizes the value of authentic Shojin and actively works toward gaining community support for Shojin ways is one way to achieve this goal.

In addition to the restaurant business, we shall advocate a total lifestyle centered around Shojin Ryori which is based on the Zen--a philosophy with unlimited possibilities--way of thinking.  Empowering people through learning about vegetables, educating people about vegetables and Shojin Ryori so that they become someone who can do good to the world, enlightening the whole community through healthy ways of Shojin Ryori―the possibilities are limitless.  Cooking then becomes ascetic training, it becomes joy, it becomes life itself.

We don’t want to limit Shojin Dojo to food.  It is imperative that we introduce and interact with the culture that surrounds and derives from Shojin Ryori.  The roots of a cuisine are correlated with agriculture, religion and also the arts of the people.  Collaboration  of food with other cultural aspects has historical backgrounds and is also essential in the appreciation of both in the future. 

Feb 4, 2019

• 地元の野菜を生かした、その土地ならではの精進料理を堪能していただけます
  例）琉球精進、越後精進、京精進、NY精進、パリ精進…

• 精進料理の講演・デモンストレーション及びテースティングなど
  例）New York、Boston、Londonの『THE JAPAN SOCIETY』等にて講演
  例）ブラジル サンパウロ市イビラプエラ公園内日本館にて講演（ブラジル日本文化福祉協会、和食普及委員会主催）
  例）ロンドン、大和ファウンデーションでの講演
  例）大阪ガス主催講演会

• 単なる料理法に留まらず、健康的な生活、哲学にも言及する精進料理教室を開催（詳細はお尋ねください）

• 食を介した企業のコンサルティング
• 料理店・ホテルの食のコンサルティング
• 食品開発　野菜を使った新しいメニューの提案（スイーツも含む）
• 介護食、病院食、離乳食、機内食、メタボ食、成人病予防食のメニュー開発

• 自然農を実践なさる農家や、自給自足の農家と交流しながら、田畑で食材や生産者と直に触れながら、食の根本を学ぶ。土から離れては、食にあらず。

• 「食藝プログラム」カリキュラム指導
  座学と実践による「食は藝術である」という観点からいろいろな角度から検証し、食や料理の重要性を学び、身につけるカリキュラムです。
  女子教育に力を入れている大学や、芸術系大学に、この授業の採用を期待します。
  例）京都造形芸術大学 (2009年-2013年)「食藝プログラム」
  - エクステンション講座  精進する料理教室
  - エクステンション講座  伊勢神宮の魅力  「食の世界」「衣の世界」
  - 東京学舎  季節のもてなし「懐石料理」

• アニバーサリーメニュー制作・監修 例）Parisの老舗宝石ブランド、Boucheron150周年記念ガラディナー（フレンチと和のコラボレーションメニュー）
• 結婚式用メニュー制作・監修 例）ホテルオークラでのある結婚式にて総料理長とコラボレーション／新郎新婦の出身地の食材を活かした世界にひとつだけのメニューなど

• 小・中学校における授業、及び教育関係者への講演 例）豊島区立文成小学校企画「味覚の授業」（2009年）
• 企業、地域の食事改革

• 大学でのレセプション料理 学生が自ら料理し、サービスするレセプションパーティーを通して、食が教育の中心になる。
• 各種パーティーでのレセプション料理 例）La Biennale di Venezia（ヴェネツィア・ビエンナーレ）2013日本館のレセプションパーティにて精進料理をお出ししました。