8 Cultural Figures and Experts Supporting Masayoshi Matsuoka's Isis Editing School

The Isis Editing School, operated by Edit Engineering Laboratory Inc. (Headquarters: Setagaya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Akiko Ando), has an "ISIS co-mission" comprising 8 cultural figures and experts who support Principal Masayoshi Matsuoka's vision and strive to pass it on to the next generation, along with the Isis Editing School's course leaders. The name comes from the meaning of sharing a mission. They support the school's ideology and concepts as a network of knowledge. A meeting was held ahead of the spring semester opening. This release provides information on their roles and activities.

1｜"Isis Editing School" as a Place to Learn Editing Engineering

The Isis Editing School is a school founded in 2000 by editing theorist Masayoshi Matsuoka to learn the 'method of thought' called editing.

Here, 'editing' is not limited to techniques for writing or organizing information. It encompasses everything that occurs where there is a beginning and an end, where there is input and output – such as in life, history, and culture – and is considered 'editing'.

The processes of 'information gathering,' 'relating information,' 'structuring information,' and 'expressing information,' and mastering updated methods for each. The entry point to this is the Basic Course [Shu] (Guard). Offered twice a year, this course intensively teaches and embodies the 38 fundamental forms of editing.

The application deadline for the 57th term of [Shu] is April 26, 2026, with the course opening on May 11.

2｜The "Network of Knowledge" Supporting the School: "ISIS co-mission"

One of the distinctive features of the Isis Editing School is its advisory system called 'ISIS co-mission'. This is a system designed to develop and pass on the editing philosophy conceived by Principal Masayoshi Matsuoka as a current form of learning for the next generation. Cultural figures and experts active in diverse fields such as philosophy, scholarship, expression, and technology gather to function as a network of knowledge supporting the school's philosophy and operations. From a position outside of lecturing or daily operations, the ISIS co-mission brings fundamental questions to the school, such as 'What should editing education undertake now?' and 'What 'methods' can be presented in response to societal changes?'

3｜"ISIS co-mission Meeting" Held on March 27

A meeting of all ISIS co-mission members was held on March 27, 2026. The rapid evolution of AI poses significant questions to post-modern meritocracy. As more and more achievements are expected to be delegated to AI, the following will become important:

・Personal learning experiences and embodiment

・Aesthetics and worldview in judgment and decision-making

・Shared knowledge and shared memory to reconnect people

・Unexpected coincidences and spaces that inspire imagination

At the ISIS Co-mission meeting, lively discussions were held on how to verbalize and convey the contemporary and future significance of what has already been achieved through editing practice at the Isis Editing School.

4｜The 9 Members of ISIS co-mission

The following 9 individuals are participating in the ISIS co-mission:

• Yuko Tanaka (Edo Culture Researcher / President of Isis Editing School)

• Ryuta Imafuku (Cultural Anthropologist and Critic)

• Masayuki Osawa (Sociologist)

• Mitsuhiro Takeya (Media Aesthetician)

• Ichiro Tsuda (Mathematical Scientist)

• Maya Inoue (Representative Director of Komatsuza Theater Company, Essayist)

• Ken Suzuki (Project Researcher, The University of Tokyo)

• Naohiro Ukawa (Contemporary Artist / Host of DOMMUNE)

• Yasuyo Suzuki (Master Scholar, Basic Course [Shu] of Isis Editing School)

While their fields of expertise differ, they share the view of editing engineering as a 'thinking infrastructure' for contemporary society.

──ISIS co-mission Profiles and Endorsement Comments

At the ISIS co-mission meeting held on March 27, 2026, 9 cultural figures and experts from various fields gathered to exchange opinions on the present and future of the Editing School. Below are summarized profiles of each member and their endorsement comments for the Isis Editing School.

■Yuko Tanaka (Professor Emeritus, Hosei University; Edo Culture Researcher / President of Isis Editing School)

【Profile Summary】 Edo culture researcher. Has had a long ideological exchange with Masayoshi Matsuoka and has extensively studied at the Isis Editing School herself. Currently serves as President, overseeing the school as a whole.

【Comment】Through my own experience of going through the Shu-Ha-Ri (course) at the Isis Editing School, I have realized that 'one's way of seeing things changes.' This is extremely important and completely absent in the world of universities, which are divided by fields. Learning, discovery, and expression must move in this direction. It is necessary to create a mechanism for changing one's perspective and develop a system for verbalizing it. From this perspective, I have high expectations for the potential of the Isis Editing School.

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■Ryuta Imafuku (Cultural Anthropologist and Critic)

【Profile Summary】Critic who traverses cultural anthropology, philosophy, and expression. Appears frequently in Masayoshi Matsuoka's 'Senya Senso' (A Thousand Nights and a Thousand Books) and has long had ideological connections with the Editing School.

【Comment】The Isis Editing School is a school for Masayoshi Matsuoka's methods, and in an era where 'teaching' and 'learning' have become polarized, it is a school that re-examines the integration of theory and practice and discovers the common origin of teaching and learning. This is a theme I have continuously contemplated myself. I question the state of institutional education and have been running Amami University of Freedom since 2001. With this experience and knowledge, I will fight alongside the Editing School, which shares the same aspirations.

■Masayuki Osawa (Sociologist)

【Profile Summary】Sociologist. Has been friends with Masayoshi Matsuoka since their 20s and wrote the commentary for the expanded edition of 'Editing Engineering of Knowledge.' Continues to question the relationship between modern society and editing.

【Comment】What Masayoshi Matsuoka is doing must continue. I believe this is important for Japan. It's not just about knowledge transmission; I believe that comprehensive knowledge, values, and aesthetic sensibilities should be inherited as a whole. I hope to contribute to the broad inheritance and transformation of culture and ways of seeing.

■ Mitsuhiro Takeya (Media Aesthetician)

【Profile Summary】Leading figure in media theory and information culture research. Has continually questioned the nature of editing in the digital environment.

【Comment】 I lived in Berlin for seven years and experienced working at a local university, researching the nature of education in Europe and America. While micro-schools are advancing worldwide, Japan is lagging in establishing new educational systems. My own Takeya Juku has reached its 10th anniversary and entered a new phase. What Masayoshi Matsuoka is doing is presenting a new counter-culture. The necessity of sustaining this movement within Japan is increasing, and I would be happy to offer some support within this flow.

■ Ichiro Tsuda (Mathematical Scientist)

【Profile Summary】Mathematical Scientist. Has had long dialogues with Masayoshi Matsuoka regarding science, life, and narrative.

【Comment】I co-authored a book with Masayoshi Matsuoka in 2023. While my own field of expertise is mathematical science based on mathematics and physics, my projects with Mr. Matsuoka intersect with different fields, and I feel the boundaries. I always want to shake the seemingly unshakable foundation of disciplines like physics and mathematics; I believe new things emerge from the unstable. Currently, my interests extend to design and narrative, and I hope to collaborate with the Isis Editing School on such themes to create something new.

■ Maya Inoue (Representative Director of Komatsuza Theater Company, Essayist)

【Profile Summary】 Representative Director of Komatsuza Theater Company. An alumna of the Isis Editing School's [Shu] course, she has practically embodied the relationship between 'forms' and creative work.

【Comment】While returning to the basics of what I learned at the Isis Editing School, I have managed the Komatsuza Theater Company for 15 years since inheriting it. I was thoroughly taught about stories, especially about creating one's own narrative and then presenting it to the world. Our Komatsuza employees have also studied at the Editing School. I would like to assist in conveying what Masayoshi Matsuoka-sensei has taught to the next generation.

■Ken Suzuki (Project Researcher, The University of Tokyo)

【Profile Summary】Entrepreneur and thinker. He conceives of the social role of editing in the age of information environments and AI.

【Comment】With my work as an entrepreneur and my work as a researcher as two pillars, I am engaged in conceptualizing the next 300 years of new social systems using computers. I share many of the same concerns as other members of the co-mission and empathize with the future of the Edit Engineering Laboratory. I hope to contribute in some way to the future of the Isis Editing School.

■Naohiro Ukawa (Contemporary Artist / Host of DOMMUNE)

【Profile Summary】Practitioner of contemporary art and streaming media. He continually questions the possibilities of expression and editing in the age of generative AI from the front lines.

【Comment】Since my third year of junior high school, when I voraciously read the magazine 'Yu' (Play) published by Masayoshi Matsuoka, I myself am a reader who has been 'genetically edited' by the erudition that seeped from its text. In 2010, at the dawn of social media, I launched the live streaming channel DOMMUNE. From my way of thinking (and preferences), which was clearly produced through the cut-and-paste of Kōshakusha = Edit Engineering Laboratory, a lot of genetic information from Masayoshi Matsuoka-sensei is evident. Although I am now appointed as an advisor, which is a great honor, DOMMUNE and the Isis Editing School are like cousins, so one could argue we have been unconsciously building an advisory network all along. While running parallel to the era of generative AI, and without being swayed by trends, I would like to deepen this relationship even further on this occasion. Thank you again!!!!!

■Yasuyo Suzuki (Master Scholar, Basic Course [Shu] of Isis Editing School)

【Profile Summary】Master Scholar of the Basic Course [Shu]. Directly appointed by Masayoshi Matsuoka, she has continuously conveyed the forms of editing engineering in practice.

【Comment】At the Isis Editing School, people from diverse backgrounds such as students, doctors, designers, teachers, and housewives practice editing without regard to their attributes. In practice, with curiosity as the engine, global knowledge, methodological knowledge, and personal knowledge connect one after another, learning becomes embodied, and the way one sees the world changes. Even rigid organizational rules and specialized knowledge become freely editable. Furthermore, what makes the Editing School unique is the dynamic reversal of roles, where learners become master instructors and then instructors. The place where Principal Masayoshi Matsuoka has practiced and passed on editing engineering has become a unique 'school of methods'.

5｜Special Lecture for the 57th Term [Shu] (1)

In conjunction with the opening of the Basic Course [Shu], the Isis Editing School will hold an editing lecture by sociologist Masayuki Osawa. This lecture serves as the final essay of the 'Philosophy of World History' series that Mr. Osawa has been writing for many years, offering the first opportunity to lecture on considerations for 'the present day' that have not yet been sufficiently discussed. Anyone can watch LIVE for free.

Event Summary

Date: Saturday, April 4, 2026

Time: 14:00–18:00

Format: Online event (YouTube live stream)

How to Participate: No registration required. Anyone can participate. Live streaming will begin at 14:00 on YouTube's 'Isis Channel.' Please access the Isis Channel below when the time comes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITOhaoOGxWM

Target Audience: Open to anyone

Details:https://edist.ne.jp/just/densyuza4/

6｜Special Editing Lecture for the 57th Term [Shu] (2)

An editing lecture by cultural anthropologist Ryuta Imafuku will be held on July 19, 2026. It will re-examine the possibilities of editing and dialogue in the modern era from the perspectives of culture, narrative, and community.

Event Summary

Date: Sunday, July 19, 2026

Guest Lecturer: Ryuta Imafuku (Cultural Anthropologist, ISIS co-mission)

※Details will be announced later on the official website etc.

https://es.isis.ne.jp/

7｜Basic Course 57th Term [Shu] Overview

Application Deadline: Sunday, April 26, 2026

Admission Date: Monday, April 27, 2026

Training Period: Monday, May 11, 2026 – Sunday, August 30, 2026

Master Scholar: Yasuyo Suzuki (ISIS co-mission)

Capacity: 200 people

Eligibility: Open to anyone

Course Fee: ¥110,000 (tax included)

Various discount systems available:

Details and Application: From here https://es.isis.ne.jp/course/syu

School Information Brochure:https://es.isis.ne.jp/pdfset/isis_leaflet_noRegistermark.pdf

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Why Can 'Your Three Favorite Things' Reveal Your Thinking Habits? The Secrets of the Isis Editing School's 'Editing Power Check'

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【About Isis Editing School】

On June 1, 2000, the 'Isis Editing School,' as the 'world's unique school of methods,' was opened online. It celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2024. Unlike existing online learning that involves studying automatically delivered content, students learn in a unique style where they engage in mutual learning with about 10 students of different ages and professions in an online 'classroom.' They respond to 'prompts' given by 'master instructors' and receive guidance, thereby drawing out their own editing capabilities. The age range of students is from their teens to their eighties, and their residences and workplaces span across the country and around the world. To date, a total of 70,000 people have enrolled, and 1,024 instructors (master instructors and instructors) have been trained (cumulative). Furthermore, by leveraging editing engineering knowledge, the school collaborates with companies and educational institutions to conduct training and workshops for human resource development. In various forms, it cultivates editing professionals capable of bringing about change in complex and diverse modern societies. The Principal is Masayoshi Matsuoka, and the President is Yuko Tanaka, Professor Emeritus at Hosei University and a researcher of Edo culture.

■Inquiries for Press Coverage: Please contact the Isis Editing School.

Isis Editing School, Academic Affairs Bureau front_es@eel.co.jp

■Contact for Press Release Inquiries

Edit Engineering Laboratory Inc. Isis Editing School

Address: 2-15-3 Akatsutsumi, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-0044

Tel: 03-5301-2213 │ Fax: 03-5301-2215 HP: https://es.isis.ne.jp

Isis Editing School Media Yukan Edist: https://edist.ne.jp

Isis Editing School Official X : https://www.x.com/isis_es

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/isis.editschool

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