Chapter 1 — The Beginning of Coincidence: The Door of Inevitability
The Light and Shadow of 30 Years
For thirty years, I witnessed both the brilliance and the shadows of the cosmetics industry — and of many others as well. Behind the glamorous façade of major brands often lay a deep gap between ideals and reality. Products meant to make people beautiful would, at times, drift toward excessive marketing and chemical formulations. That contradiction left a quiet question deep within my heart. At a certain point, I stepped away from the noise of business and began to spend my days studying the phenomena of nature — the myriad relationships that weave through all things.
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The Study of All Things
What I sought was not mere observation of nature.
I set out to explore the vertical axis of the spiritual world — Heaven, Earth, and Humanity —
and the horizontal axis of the material world — People, Things, and Money —
seeking the point where they intersect to uncover a way of life in harmony.
By looking deeply at the universal principle of “Tenchi-jin (Heaven-Earth-Human)”
and the reality of “Jinbutsu-kin (People-Objects-Wealth),”
I wondered if one might reach an integrated understanding of nature and human society alike.
That quest for synthesis eventually crystallized — into a single drop of extract. Yet at that time, I had no intention of returning to business. I wished only to pursue truth, apart from profit or competition. And that pure desire — ironically — opened the path to something entirely new. Almost as if guided by nature itself, the story of “Kusaki to Mirai” began.
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A Small Step — Visiting a Herb Farm and Experiencing Distillation
One day, simply out of curiosity and a wish for calm, I joined a local herb-farm tour and harvest workshop near my home. I later attended a herb distillation class as well. The scent rising from the still, the moment fresh herbs were wrapped in steam and transformed into clear droplets — it was more than an experience; it was a revelation. That simple, playful step — taken for healing and enjoyment — would ultimately become the door of destiny that changed my future.
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Encounter with Mr. Toshihiro Kojima of “Aroma Needs”
The instructor at that workshop was Mr. Toshihiro Kojima, founder of Aroma Needs. In 2006, he suffered a traffic accident that left him with severe pain and numbness throughout his body, forcing him out of work for two years. During that time, he sought help from five world-renowned physicians known for their “miraculous hands,” yet none could bring recovery. When hope began to fade, a therapist friend offered him an aromatherapy treatment — and, astonishingly, the pain and numbness disappeared. That was his first encounter with the healing power of aromatherapy. Moved by that experience, Mr. Kojima devoted himself to studying and teaching the therapeutic use of herbs and essential oils, spreading the art of aromatic plant therapy to others. He stood before me not merely as a researcher but as a living testament to the power of nature. His words and practice struck me profoundly. I could never have imagined, at that moment —
when I had abandoned business and immersed myself in the study of natural law —
that this workshop would become the very door of inevitability leading me to “Kusaki to Mirai.”