Receive Quotes from the Late-Edo Bestseller 'Genshishiroku' (Author: Issai Sato) - LINE Service 'Issai-kun' Launched in Collaboration with Ena City, Gifu!
Saikou Inc., in collaboration with Ena City, Gifu, has launched 'Issai-kun', a LINE service delivering quotes from late-Edo philosopher Issai Sato, aiming to connect digital cultural exposure to real-world tourism.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 19:20
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 11:01
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 02:15 (15h 13m after Collected)
Saikou Inc. (Headquarters: Ena City, Gifu Prefecture) released "Issai-kun", a quote delivery service utilizing an official LINE account, on Thursday, April 23. This service is a mechanism that allows people to experience the words and character of Issai Sato, a thinker connected to Iwamura-cho, Ena City, in their daily lives. In collaboration with Ena City, it will be deployed as an initiative to create new opportunities to touch local history and culture, leading to increased interest in tourism.
LINE Registration
Background and History of Development
Every region has its unique history, culture, great figures, and stories. However, opportunities to experience them are limited to tourist spots, museums, and events, and there are few chances to learn about them naturally in everyday life.
In recent years, similar to the "pilgrimage to sacred sites" where people visit the settings of anime and movies, there is a growing movement to take an interest in regions triggered by stories and characters.
Saikou Inc. thought that by creating accessible entry points to experience local great figures and history in the same way, it could lead to regional understanding and tourism, which led to the development of this service.
The first step is Issai Sato, a thinker with deep ties to Iwamura-cho, Ena City.
Ena City has been disseminating his thoughts and history mainly through the "Issai Sato Learning Plaza", but since this is limited to specific opportunities like visiting the facility or events, creating touchpoints for continuous exposure in daily life was a challenge.
This service aims to create both an "opportunity to know" and a "touchpoint for continuous familiarity" by building a system to experience his quotes and character using LINE.
Service Overview
"Issai-kun" is a free service that regularly delivers quotes from Issai Sato and information about him through an official LINE account.
By registering as a friend on LINE, users can naturally experience history and thought in their daily lives.
Key Features:
- Free to use just by registering on LINE
- Carefully selected deliveries from over 1,000 quotes
- Experience design that brings great figures closer
- Also handles the dissemination of local culture and tourism information
Who is Issai Sato?
Born in Edo to the chief retainer of the Iwamura Domain in Ena City, Gifu Prefecture, he was a Confucian scholar of the late Edo period. Excelling in both academics and martial arts, he became the head of the Hayashi family academy at 34 and the president of the Shogunate's academic institute at 70. At 83, he was also involved in drafting diplomatic documents for the Treaty of Peace and Amity between Japan and the United States. His teachings have had a profound influence, from late-Edo patriots like Takamori Saigo, Kaishu Katsu, Shoin Yoshida, and Ryoma Sakamoto to modern celebrities.
What is Genshishiroku?
It is the collective name for four books of analects written by Issai Sato, widely read as a "late-Edo bestseller". Going beyond mere academics, it records various teachings such as mindset towards work, philosophy, and a deep outlook on life. It is a masterpiece that is still loved by many people today, with politicians even introducing passages in their speeches.
How to Register
"Issai-kun" allows you to easily receive Issai Sato's quotes and teachings on LINE. The registration process is very simple in the following two steps.
Step 1: Access the dedicated page
Tap the URL below from your smartphone or scan the QR code with your camera.
Register via URL: https://lin.ee/VMOKO3J2
Register via QR code: See QR code
Step 2: Add Friend
The LINE app will open automatically, so just tap the "Add" button on the screen to complete the registration.
After registration, Issai Sato's words will begin arriving at your LINE regularly.
Collaboration with Ena City
This service, in collaboration with Ena City, promotes the following initiatives connecting "digital (LINE)" to "real (local tourism)".
- Awareness and dissemination through the city's official media
- Designing pathways by placing QR codes within related areas
- Collaboration in disseminating regional culture
- Partnering with the interactive museum "Issai Sato Learning Plaza" (opening in October 2025) as a "base".
Unlike traditional museums, the "Issai Sato Learning Plaza" is an interactive facility for "applying Issai's teachings to one's own modern life" through video theaters and interactive exhibits.
Users who become familiar with his words on a daily basis via LINE visit the facility to experience that wisdom, and then venture out to explore the castle town. And even after the visit, they stay connected via LINE.
Through this back-and-forth between "digital and real", we will establish a tourism model that encourages continuous interest in the region and repeat visits, rather than a fleeting experience.
Value of this Initiative
This service is not just about delivering quotes, but an initiative to:
- Deliver Issai Sato's thoughts to the modern age
- Increase interest in local history and culture
- Create motivation to visit tourism facilities and related areas
A new regional tourism model shifting from "knowing" to "visiting".
LINE Registration
Background and History of Development
Every region has its unique history, culture, great figures, and stories. However, opportunities to experience them are limited to tourist spots, museums, and events, and there are few chances to learn about them naturally in everyday life.
In recent years, similar to the "pilgrimage to sacred sites" where people visit the settings of anime and movies, there is a growing movement to take an interest in regions triggered by stories and characters.
Saikou Inc. thought that by creating accessible entry points to experience local great figures and history in the same way, it could lead to regional understanding and tourism, which led to the development of this service.
The first step is Issai Sato, a thinker with deep ties to Iwamura-cho, Ena City.
Ena City has been disseminating his thoughts and history mainly through the "Issai Sato Learning Plaza", but since this is limited to specific opportunities like visiting the facility or events, creating touchpoints for continuous exposure in daily life was a challenge.
This service aims to create both an "opportunity to know" and a "touchpoint for continuous familiarity" by building a system to experience his quotes and character using LINE.
Service Overview
"Issai-kun" is a free service that regularly delivers quotes from Issai Sato and information about him through an official LINE account.
By registering as a friend on LINE, users can naturally experience history and thought in their daily lives.
Key Features:
- Free to use just by registering on LINE
- Carefully selected deliveries from over 1,000 quotes
- Experience design that brings great figures closer
- Also handles the dissemination of local culture and tourism information
Who is Issai Sato?
Born in Edo to the chief retainer of the Iwamura Domain in Ena City, Gifu Prefecture, he was a Confucian scholar of the late Edo period. Excelling in both academics and martial arts, he became the head of the Hayashi family academy at 34 and the president of the Shogunate's academic institute at 70. At 83, he was also involved in drafting diplomatic documents for the Treaty of Peace and Amity between Japan and the United States. His teachings have had a profound influence, from late-Edo patriots like Takamori Saigo, Kaishu Katsu, Shoin Yoshida, and Ryoma Sakamoto to modern celebrities.
What is Genshishiroku?
It is the collective name for four books of analects written by Issai Sato, widely read as a "late-Edo bestseller". Going beyond mere academics, it records various teachings such as mindset towards work, philosophy, and a deep outlook on life. It is a masterpiece that is still loved by many people today, with politicians even introducing passages in their speeches.
How to Register
"Issai-kun" allows you to easily receive Issai Sato's quotes and teachings on LINE. The registration process is very simple in the following two steps.
Step 1: Access the dedicated page
Tap the URL below from your smartphone or scan the QR code with your camera.
Register via URL: https://lin.ee/VMOKO3J2
Register via QR code: See QR code
Step 2: Add Friend
The LINE app will open automatically, so just tap the "Add" button on the screen to complete the registration.
After registration, Issai Sato's words will begin arriving at your LINE regularly.
Collaboration with Ena City
This service, in collaboration with Ena City, promotes the following initiatives connecting "digital (LINE)" to "real (local tourism)".
- Awareness and dissemination through the city's official media
- Designing pathways by placing QR codes within related areas
- Collaboration in disseminating regional culture
- Partnering with the interactive museum "Issai Sato Learning Plaza" (opening in October 2025) as a "base".
Unlike traditional museums, the "Issai Sato Learning Plaza" is an interactive facility for "applying Issai's teachings to one's own modern life" through video theaters and interactive exhibits.
Users who become familiar with his words on a daily basis via LINE visit the facility to experience that wisdom, and then venture out to explore the castle town. And even after the visit, they stay connected via LINE.
Through this back-and-forth between "digital and real", we will establish a tourism model that encourages continuous interest in the region and repeat visits, rather than a fleeting experience.
Value of this Initiative
This service is not just about delivering quotes, but an initiative to:
- Deliver Issai Sato's thoughts to the modern age
- Increase interest in local history and culture
- Create motivation to visit tourism facilities and related areas
A new regional tourism model shifting from "knowing" to "visiting".