What is ‘Hitozukuri’?
Hitozukuri means literally: Hito= ‘people’ and Zukuri (tsukuru) ‘process of making’;
-> the process of educating and forming people.
Just as with monozukuri, the literal translation does not convey the real connotation of hitozukuri.
Prof. Kozo Saito (mechanical engineering at the university of Kentucky) describes Hitozukuri as
a continuous process that is more than just following education. It is a lifelong process that shows the ingredients of a personal maturation and the maturation of ones craftsmanship.
Prof. Saito quotes Confucius:
‘when I (Confucius) was fifteen years old, I decided to study; at thirty I became independent; at forty I focused; at fifty I realized my mission in my life; at sixty I became able to listen to people without bias and prejudice; finally at seventy I attained the stage that my thinking and action are harmonized with nature.’