Shoji Tokiji

Born 1940 in Akita Prefecture. Shoji graduated from the Akita University Faculty of Education in 1963 and subsequently worked as a teacher at Hanaoka Elementary and various other schools. Focusing his career on community-rooted peace education, he guided students in creating numerous collaborative educational woodblock prints including Along the Hayaguchi River (Iwanome Elementary School), Beyond That Mountain (Koshiyama Elementary School), and Living on the Soil (Seisho Elementary School). In 1985, he received the Leadership Award from the Japan Educational Print Association. His major papers include “Educational Practices for Fostering Peace Awareness and Raising Children Who Value Human Life: A Study Through Learning from Local Materials on the ‘Hanaoka Incident’” (published in Nippon Standard’s 9th Essay Collection Academic Achievement for All Children, 1985). He currently serves as secretary-general of the Association to Protect the Japan-China No-More-War Friendship Monument on the Grounds of Hanaoka, organizing an annual memorial service every June to commemorate the Hanaoka Incident and hosting field trips for elementary, junior high, and high school students.