Keizo Shibusawa's Legacy Lives On Through Collective Intelligence and the Institute for Japanese Folk Culture

Keizo Shibusawa was a Japanese academic and business leader who left an enduring legacy in multiple fields. Born into a prominent family, Shibusawa initially aspired to a life of scholarship but later took on various roles, including Governor of the Bank of Japan and Minister of Finance during World War II.

Despite his many responsibilities, Shibusawa remained passionate about academics and research, particularly in the field of folk culture. He founded the Institute for the Study of Japanese Folk Culture at Kanagawa University, which would become a hub for researchers studying ordinary Japanese people's society, including the history of the fishing industry.

Shibusawa employed 'collective intelligence' as a method to study his vast array of topics and researchers. This approach involves each researcher bringing their knowledge together to create something more comprehensive than what they could have achieved alone.