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Local Grade-schoolers Make and Present a Picture-card Show on YKK Founder Tadao Yoshida
By YKK (Japan)

Updated: January 31, 2018

 A picture-card show club at the Shimonakajima Community Center in Uozu City, Toyama Prefecture, created a picture-card show about YKK founder Tadao Yoshida as a well-known individual who hailed from the area. A reception was held at YKK Center Park in December 2017 in which the children presented the picture-card show that they had created.

 In June 2017, YKK concluded the Comprehensive Agreement on the Promotion of Furusato Education* with Uozu City. The company is cooperating with and providing support for "Furusato Education" promoted by the city. As part of Furusato Education, children learn about the marks left by and the thinking of local forefathers.

<Presentation scenes>

<Background to Making the Picture-card Show>
 Since 2012, the Shimonakajima Regional Promotion Association has advocated the making of picture-card shows as a means to communicate the history and culture of the region to children. Under this initiative, children work with adults to make the picture-card shows. The recent picture-card show was made by five local grade-schoolers, with the guidance of members of the regional promotion association's secretariat. They spent about a year making the picture-card show, including borrowing reference materials from YKK to learn the history of the achievements of YKK's founding president.
<Picture-card Show Presentation>
 The picture-card show traced the 84-year life of YKK's founding president. Starting with his childhood and the background to founding the company after moving to Tokyo, the picture-card show also illustrated how he returned to his hometown to rebuild his company after the Great Tokyo Air Raids, the difficulties he had in product development as well as the move to expand his business overseas. It depicted in an easy-to-understand manner the importance of never giving up at any time using stories from Tadao Yoshida's life.
 Sound effects, such as the chirping of skylarks, were used in the dramatic retelling of the story. The practice that children had put into doing the picture-card show was clearly evident as they vividly presented their work. The audience, which included persons from Uozu City Hall, YKK employees, guardians and the public, had a good time watching the presentation.

* Comprehensive Agreement on the Promotion of Furusato Education

  • - Uozu City promotes the nurturing of compassionate individuals who learn together and cultivate a new age.
  • - The city positions the abovementioned nurturing of people as part of "Furusato Education." Going forward, the city will strive to deepen and enrich Furusato Education in which children learn through the marks left by and thinking of the area's forefathers.
  • - YKK will support the Furusato Education for children advocated by Uozu City and provide cooperation and support for its promotion.
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