Sozo Kurahashi’s philosophy of Japanese early childhood education and care: An analysis of poetic descriptions of his interactions with children

Abstract

This study examined the philosophy of Sozo Kurahashi—referred to as the “Fröbel of Japan” and the “father” of Japanese Early Childhood Education and Care—by focusing on the poetic descriptions of his and other teachers’ interactions with children in his essays. It also compared these descriptions with specific scenes observed by the author in a kindergarten. Specifically, this study focused on his usage of the term kokoro-mochi (state of heart). He used this concept to convey three main ideas: (1) a child’s state of heart is very faint and extremely short-lived; (2) it exists separately from the rationale behind something; and (3) paradoxically, teachers tend to neglect children’s present state of heart, despite loving and educating them. From his perspective, adults tend to overlook children’s present feelings, because they see the present as the determinant of the future while educating them. Kurahashi seems to emphasize that children should not be viewed from a third-person perspective, but should be engaged with through a second-person perspective. Furthermore, Kurahashi encouraged teachers to empathize with each child’s state of heart. Therefore, he highlighted the need to engage with children in the present, caring for their being, responding to their feelings, and respecting their creativity in spontaneous play. His philosophy provides insights into the attitudes toward children.