2023/07/01*** Protect the cultural artifacts of Towada City for our shared future! ***Volunteer Operations at the Nitobe Memorial Museum
Kyosokyodo (people and nature building a home together)Continues
In June 2015, without warning, the Nitobe Memorial Museum was ordered closed by the city of Towada due to“lack of earthquake-proofing.” We express our deep gratitude to supporters from around the country who haveallowed us to continue operating the museum and preserving its cultural artifacts on a volunteer basis.
On August 18, 2017, we submitted to the city of Towada 8,609 handwritten signatures and 20,203 signatures
online from change.org, calling for the revocation of the demolition order and the preservation of the museum’sartifacts. The city has not yet replied.
Thanks to the collective kindness of many donors, we have been able to restart the museum’s homepage, pay
for the severed infrastructure, and start a fund to continue its management. Awareness is being raised
throughout the country and we have received signatures and messages from all over.
Prestigious architects in Japan have called the earthquake evaluation which became the grounds for thedemolition order into question, but the city has not responded to a privately funded reinvestigation. Having noother options, the Nitobe family is seeking legal relief to (1) prevent the closing and demolition of the museumand (2) reevaluate the earthquake preparedness of the building based on newly discovered blueprints.
In order to fulfill our museum’s mission of preserving our cultural artifacts and conveying them to future
generations, we are continuing to operate the museum even under these conditions thanks to citizen
volunteers, under our own system of Kyosokyodo (people and nature building a home together). We deeply
appreciate everyone’s continued guidance and support.
Sincerely,Nitobe Tomie, Kyosokyodo chairman
Our ongoing activities(1) We are appealing across the country to prevent the closing of the Nitobe Memorial Museum, which exhibits
the pioneer roots of Towada City and the Bushido spirit of Inazo Nitobe.
(2) We are assembling a team of experts, citizens, and like-minded people from around the country topreserve and maintain the Nitobe Memorial Museum building.
(3) With expert guidance, we aim to preserve the “historical resources of the Nitobe Memorial Museum,” start a
local learning program, and spread our local history and Inazo’s spirit far and wide.
Contact: Nitobe Memorial Museum Volunteers
Kakuta Mieko, Kyosokyodo Office034-0031, Towada City, Higashisanbancho 24-1 Tel/Fax 0176-23-4430 (receiving only) Tel: 080-5578-5939
Email: nitobemm@nitobe.jp
Museum Homepage: www.nitobe.jp
We are appealing for donations to keep the Nitobe Memorial Museum operating and preserve and maintain its
unique cultural artifacts. We appreciate any support.
Donations to the Nitobe Memorial Museum Cultural Fund may be sent to the following accounts.
➢ Yuucho Bank, branch 848 (spelling: hachiyonhachi), normal account 18450, account number 18126561,
name: Kyosokyodo➡Donations from other banks to Yuucho Bank may be sent to account number 1812656➢Aomori Bank, Towada branch, savings account, account number 3184870, name:Kyosokyodo
20th donation period: July 1, 2023 — December 31, 2023
* Please kindly bear the bank remitting charges concerned with yourself.
* The accounting for donations will be managed by the entire team.
* Accounts will be posted annually in March on our website www.nitobe.jp with an overview of our annual
activities.