Kyoto University of the Arts
Kyoto Peacebuilding Center (KPC)
Meeting of the Council
19 May 2022
Prof. Hiroto Onogi
Executive Director, Uryuyama Gakuen Educational Corporation
From the artist's point of view, Professor Onogi said, the United Nations seems far from people especially artists. but as far as we could see, there is no way to solve problems if we are fighting in a power struggle. Humanity was born with the right for all people to live a happy and joyful life. No paintbrush, violin, or piano can win in the face of force, but they have the power to stop you from pulling the trigger of a gun. Our university’s mission is that we should create a world where people have a conscience, where people are accepted, and where everyone can live decently. This may seem like a dream, but this university is serious about it, and it is possible if we develop human resources and don’t give up.
Priest Tomokiyo Tanakaf
Board Member of the UN Association of Japan
Priest Tanaka said, Kyoto, the old capital of Japan founded 1,228 years ago, is also a place where people prayed together for peace with awe and respect for all Shinto and Buddhist deities, ancestors, nature, and all things beyond human knowledge. The philosophy of prayer is not a religion, but a universal value and global ethic for all humankind in the world. Culture, including arts and entertainments, is a great tool as a universal language, capable of moving people's hearts and changing their minds at a breath. Kyoto has been able to survive for 1,000 years because of its culture of learning from the past. So, Japan's role is to export this “Culture of Peace" to the world and to incorporate it into education.”