Gachon to the Headmaster Mr.Yohei Sadoshima

■Gachon to the Headmaster . Yohei Sadoshima

As a legendary editor at Kodansha's Weekly Morning, he brought out works such as "Vagabond," "Dragon Zakura," "Hatarashi Man," and "Space Brothers," and from there he founded a manga editing company called "Cork," a model that had never existed before in the world. He is also an innovator model from iU .

What is a manga editor?

They are often producers.

In Japan, the job title of producer is not clearly defined, so it is possible for a manga artist to serve as both a director and producer, and for an editor to help them. The role of a producer in Japan is flexible. It depends on the team of people. I was an editor who acted like a producer in the US.

In foreign countries, the position of editor is limited to someone who creates books and magazines. Manga is popular in Korea and China, but the problem is that there are no editors. The Japanese editor profession plays a strange role worldwide. Korea and China are researching how to train editors.

◆Leaving the publishing company

Many people who leave publishing companies become freelancers, such as novelists or original authors. Or they leave publishing companies and start their own publishing companies (like Sadojima-san). There are probably not many people who are trying to create a business in the IT industry.

◆Why start a business?

Publishing, television, and other so-called media have a large influence on society as a whole, but are very small in the industrial structure. Society as a whole is driven by the principles of capital, including GAFA, and many things are decided, but the influence of the media has become limited. I think we are entering an era where things that previously influenced the whole of Japan will only be known by a few people. I wanted to know about the changes happening in society. I felt that publishing companies are good companies, they treat their employees well, and the problem is that they cannot feel the changes in society firsthand.

The Internet is changing everything. It's changing distribution. It's changing communities. It's changing the cost of connecting people.

◆Leaving the publishing company

The publishing industry in Japan is well-structured. Compared to the rest of the world, the Japanese publishing industry is well-structured. I think this is largely due to the fact that Japanese people love to read books.

I started the company thinking that I might be able to compete with the people who founded Kodansha and Shogakukan, but it wasn't that easy.

◆A company that changes society

I love books and got a job at a publishing company, so I thought that I had to go further into the periphery to innovate, but since I started my own company, I hadn't taken on any challenges that even a publishing company could take on. Revolutionary changes are also coming from the IT industry . If I don't get rid of my fixed ideas, I won't be able to become a company that changes society.

◆The future of cork

We place importance on stories. Our company mission is to "change the world for each individual with the power of stories." It is said that we are entering an era of greater compassion, but we are challenging ourselves to see whether a company that aims for something abstract and unclear can have an impact on society.

Although they are able to stand out in society, they are not able to do work that penetrates the social structure.

Migration

Online is fine. COVID-19 has made society more tolerant. It has made me think about how to spend the remaining time I have comfortably.

◆The existence of schools

I have never liked school. I went there because I thought I might not be able to fit in with society if I couldn't do that. School was a time for me to practice patience. That is not happening now. I endure things even though I shouldn't.

◆School of the future

Most jobs have clear objectives. If you meet people with clear objectives, the relationship will be closed. At school, you meet people with only loose common ground. There are chance encounters. Meeting people whose good points you can appreciate after just one conversation can only happen at school. Schools are valuable as a place where encounters cannot be fully planned. I feel that there is potential in chance encounters themselves.

What is a school?

School as a place of instruction is over. You just have to learn by yourself. In order to find your next question, you need to get suggestions from others until you have a certain level of academic ability and experience. I majored in literature at university, but I was interested in psychology classes and looked at the syllabus. There, I found that my interests were opened up to people I had never expected, and when I attended classes, I thought, "I see." University is an opportunity to ask new questions.

◆Message for you guys

How can we free ourselves from the preconception that we have to graduate from university? I think ( iU ) is a university that wants to install free thinking. However, it is not a message to live carelessly. I want students to explore how they can avoid being bound by prejudice during their time at university. It is good to come into contact with many people with different values.

★Postscript

Light-hearted. It was impressive that he started a company with a system from a famous editor, but he also handed over the president's position to become chairman with ease. And after the corona, he moved to Fukuoka. I sometimes imitate his style of taking a stroll every day and attending online meetings on my smartphone. He is much younger than me, but I admire him.