“Mr. Suzuki” and “Mr. Sasaki” Met by the Sumida River

ItoYou mentioned establishing a "new government" last May. Was there a particular reason for that?

SakaguchiThere was an old man named "Mr. Suzuki" I met by the Sumida River, and meeting him was significant. It happened after I met the old man by the Tamagawa River. Mr. Suzuki's house by the Sumida River was even more incredible than the one by the Tamagawa River; he hadn't used a single nail. He had created a true "0 Yen House" by collecting trash and organizing it neatly. He knew exactly where he had found everything, so each house had a story.

ItoThat encounter is amazing. Isn't "Mr. Suzuki" incredibly creative?




ItoI see. So you finally discovered the nest you had been searching for!

SakaguchiYes. Mr. Suzuki taught me that this is how nests are made. From there, I moved towards the theory of space. That is, what is space? Everyone sees it from a different angle, right? That's what space is. It becomes problematic when we think, "Everyone is in the same single space." For example, if you think, "There are four different spaces," you can start to think about things more easily.

ItoIndeed, the scenery each person sees is their own, separate space.

The City as Nature Drops Fruits Called Convenience Store Bento Boxes

SakaguchiSo, when you look at the maps of homeless people, you see completely different maps from the ones we know. When I asked, "Does this mean there are two Asakusas?" then came "Mr. Sasaki," who said, "No, there are three..." He lives by collecting trash in Asakusa. People throw away precious metals, which he picks up as minerals. "Gold Rush!" (laughs).

ItoGold Rush (laughs). Amazing, he's a genius.

SakaguchiHe truly is a genius. Being with him is full of surprises. Where he says there are minerals, there definitely are. He lives in hotels with the money he makes selling those minerals. Yet, people call him homeless.

ItoFascinating! That way of life might be the ultimate luxury.





SakaguchiMr. Sasaki's map of Asakusa is completely different from the original Asakusa. He says, "There are as many Asakusas as there are residents. If you include tourists, there are even more." When I asked, "What is Asakusa?" he replied, "Asakusa is infinite. But humans create walls like this. When you create walls, various people cannot enter that space. In other words, architecture is an act of 'reducing space.'" Then, when I asked, "So, is Mr. Sasaki's house, which seems to only have enough space for sleeping, actually an incredibly large house without walls?" he answered, "Not exactly. But he knows exactly what is in the Taito City Central Library nearby, and no one gets angry if you call it a bookshelf. This is just something done with thought."

ItoThat's exactly right. We are only limiting ourselves by adhering to conventional notions, thinking, "This is the extent of a house."

SakaguchiHe keeps teaching me things like that. He is like a "grandfather" to me. The mission he gave me was, "You must write a book. Convey all of this. But do not put the money you earn into your own pocket. Redirect that money to others. Meet talented people and introduce them to those who can recognize their talent. Just keep moving. You can't encounter different things if you don't move. Then you will start to ferment."

ItoWonderful! It's like a "teaching" or an "oracle"... It's an encounter where you both enhance each other's energy.

SakaguchiYes, homeless people understand that feeling. I too have started to wonder, "What should I be spending money on?" Since everything is discarded, I've begun to think, "This is the 'nature' of the city." "The city as nature drops fruits called convenience store bento boxes." Then, I started to see space from a different perspective, one that was different from the space I had seen before.

Looking at people, you can tell they are old friends from this era

ItoEven before our session, I did a reading, and you already knew most of it yourself; it was exactly as you described. You always possess multiple perspectives. Just as you mentioned seeing things "in terms of space," I perceive them as if in parallel worlds. I leap across the timeline, and everything overlaps, appearing all at once.

(*) Parallel World: A world that branches off from the observer's world at a certain point in the past and coexists. Parallel universe. (Source: Digital Daijisen)

SakaguchiWow.

ItoWe humans live in a 3D society filled with material things, inhabiting bodies made of matter. However, "consciousness," which is said to be "thinking (what the head thinks) = subconscious (conscious)" and "emotions, feelings, sensations (what the heart feels) = subconscious (unconscious)," is a 4D or higher energy that does not materialize and exists beyond time. Therefore, as the energy waves emitted by a person's consciousness at the moment I meet them, I see flashes of the past scenes that influenced them the most, or the future scenes with the greatest potential, like a fast-forwarded movie.

SakaguchiI see. What can you see from my energy waves?

ItoYou have experienced all the historical backgrounds of various countries and eras, and in each life, you have not settled in one place. You have traveled extensively. At one time, you were a warrior.

SakaguchiA warrior!





SakaguchiIndeed, when I look at people, I can tell they are old friends from this era.

ItoExactly. So, if the memories align, I believe they will all come back to you, and the accuracy of those intuitions must be extremely high.

A Peacemaker (Messenger of Peace) Descended to Earth from the Universe

SakaguchiIt was Yoyogi Park late at night, but when I looked up, Jupiter, the Moon, and Venus were in a straight line. I exclaimed, "Why are they in a straight line?" and tears started to flow... Then I looked it up on Wikipedia. It turned out that day was the anniversary of the Paris Commune's collapse during the May Revolution and the birth of the revolutionary government. So, my past memories must have resurfaced, and I couldn't stop crying.

(*) Paris Commune: The world's first socialist government, established in Paris for 72 days from March 18 to May 28, 1871, by the populace, mainly the working class, after the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71, a war between Prussia, aiming for German unification, and France, attempting to prevent it). The Commune (autonomous government) was organized by representatives elected from each district of Paris, but it collapsed after fierce battles known as the "Bloody Week" with government troops supported by the Prussian army. (Source: Digital Daijisen)

ItoIncredible! Your memories must have resurfaced.

SakaguchiThen my wife said, "Aren't you going to inherit that and start a revolution next?"





ItoYou truly have been doing that all along. You've been a warrior many times and have acted like a revolutionary. Although the approaches differ, your soul's mission, what you aim to do, what you want to express, and what you want to convey to the world have been consistent across all eras and all your lives. In essence, you descended to Earth from the universe as a peacemaker. You are challenging yourself by experiencing everything on Earth, constantly asking yourself what you can do for the people living in that city, that era, and the current time, from various perspectives. That is what I find so strong about you.

SakaguchiYes. For example, if I see people fighting, I deliberately step into the middle and say, "Excuse me!" and then collapse (laughs).

Ito(Laughs).

SakaguchiI believe it's important to first let people who have lost hope confirm that they are "connected." Conversely, some people worry about me. My wife feels like my love is overflowing too much (laughs). It's starting to spill out like jelly, and she's trying to gather it, but she says, "Since it would be a waste to throw it away, would you like some?" and gives it to people. Seriously. That's why, in that sense, I've never had trouble in life.

I hope to go all the way with my mission

ItoYou are truly blessed with encounters.

SakaguchiIt's all about encounters. Just recently, driven by a strong desire to protect children in disaster-stricken areas, I visited Japan's largest leper colony in Kumamoto. It was a very peaceful place, and the idea of building a school for children there came to me. "Let's change the way we think about learning. Not the Ministry of Culture, but I will build a school. It will accommodate 2,000 people. We'll invite children from disaster areas and local children, and change things from there." I was talking about this. As I was sharing this dream, someone from beside me said, "Excuse me, young man. I am the legal advisor for that sanatorium, and we were just discussing wanting to invite children from disaster areas." "However, this is a national facility, so we need to persuade the government to make it happen. You have the power to move people's hearts. Please convey your thoughts to everyone with your words." So, I will fight alongside that person.





ItoYour ancestors, generation after generation, have been working towards creating a peaceful country with the same mission, haven't they?

SakaguchiYes, so I hope to go all the way with my mission. Collaborating with allies. "How to Create an Independent Nation" is a book where I declared, "I will get serious from now on." It asks, "So, can everyone please stand up?"

ItoWhen you present, I think it's good to break down each theme into smaller parts. You should do that in countries all over the world. Writing, speaking, creating music.—In other words, like with "0 Yen House," through communicating something, you enhance the value and potential of various people. It requires effort because it branches out, but you have multifaceted talents, so you'll be fine. Next, you should continue telling stories. You did that in past lives. After going through that process, you will eventually become a politician. I was surprised to hear that you already have a dream of becoming a politician (laughs).





SakaguchiWow.

ItoAlso, how should I put it... Because you are trying to fuse and connect dreams and reality in the best possible way, I think you easily gain support from many people. You have already transcended the duality of "which one?"

Having a spiritual partner saves you in many ways

SakaguchiAlso, what should I be careful about?

ItoAs advice, I would say that you thrive in interactions with people, and you are a peacemaker, which I believe you are aware of. However, you tend to run off on your own when your antenna picks up something you're interested in or like. If you make an effort to run while calling out to those around you, saying, "It'll be okay, right? Everyone understands, right?" then you'll be fine.

SakaguchiI see.




ItoYes, like in business matters. When you engage in various activities by breaking them down, it would be good to have partners who excel in each area by your side.

SakaguchiI see. Recently, in Canada, I'm a contemporary artist; in Tokyo, I'm more of a media artist and writer. In Kumamoto, I'm involved in politics, specifically with the administration. I work with people like the governor on policy matters. In Europe, I'm called a performance artist. Universities call me "Brother," so I'm just like family. In short, I have completely different faces in different countries around the world.

ItoI think you should have about 100 titles. You can do that much.

SakaguchiIn Tokyo too, I do rakugo and music. Just the other day, I performed as an opening act for Yanagiya (Sanshi). But yes, I can do it all.





Kyohei Sakaguchi | SAKAGUCHI Kyohei
Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1978. Graduated from Waseda University, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Department of Architecture. In 2004, his photo collection "0 Yen House" (Little More), documenting the dwellings of homeless people, was published and gained attention. In 2006, he held his first solo exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery in Canada. In 2008, he published "TOKYO 0 Yen House 0 Yen Life" (Kawade Shobo Shinsha), documenting the life of Mr. Suzuki, a master of street living by the Sumida River. The following year, 2009, he himself lived on the street by the Tamagawa River. In March 2011, he moved back to his hometown of Kumamoto City and opened "Zero Center." He declared the establishment of a new government and called himself the first Prime Minister. In May 2012, he published his new book "How to Create an Independent Nation" (Kodansha Gendai Shinsho). From June 30th, his first documentary "How to Build a Mobile House" was released at Eurospace Shibuya and other theaters.