Great Hopes for the Success of Hatada Academy
Otto Vogl
Herman F. Mark Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts
The Hatada Academy is one of the most unique institutions for future directions in the education in Japan. It brings together students and teachers, young and old. It provides inspiration and knowledge that is needed for their success in the 21st century. I am privileged to be associated with the Hatada family, (especially Hatada Koichi) for many years and would like to congratulate them as their skilled effort in this endeavor. Most importantly, the house where the Academy is being held is a place of tradition that has its roots in the Meiji era. The house in Habikino was built over 120 years ago by Hatada Yasugoro, the great grand father of the present Hatada, in the Meiji tradition, (Meiji 20 nen) as a farm house in Habikino (now a City of about 120,000 inhabitants) near Sakai. It has been kept over the years immaculately and unchanged by the family and has now the status of a municipal monument. Mrs. Vogl and I visited the house in Habikino a few years ago and were impressed by its charm and authenticity as a rural mansion. It is an ideal location to hold the Academy. I can speak with some authority as a connoisseur of Japanese life, teaching and the Arts and wish the Academy success and the students of the Academy success in their future lives.