Tsunesaburo Makiguchi

A Japanese educator who founded Soka Gakkai and resisted militarism during WWII, advocating for humanistic education.

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871–1944), a school principal and reformist, pioneered value-creating pedagogy (soka kyoiku) in Japan. His 1930 book Soka Kyoikugaku Taikei argued that education should foster students' happiness rather than serve state interests—a radical idea in pre-war Japan.

In 1937, Japan's militarist regime mandated schools to teach emperor worship. Makiguchi openly criticized this policy, insisting that critical thinking was essential. His Buddhist-inspired group, Soka Gakkai, became a refuge for dissenters. In 1943, he was arrested for refusing to endorse Shinto talismans. He died in prison, but his ideas later inspired the global peace movement Soka Gakkai International.

Makiguchi's emphasis on individual agency and community-building contrasted sharply with Japan's wartime collectivism. Posthumously, his theories influenced UNESCO's 1972 Learning to Be report, which redefined education's purpose worldwide.