| This text has been slightly reworded from the original Japanese text in order to translate it into English. The original intent has not been changed. The translation was done using the translation sites DeepL and Google Translate. |
December 15, 2024
Dear, Mr. Yukinori Nemoto
My name is Toshiji Shimizu. I live in Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture. I have decided to write to you because there is something I would really like to tell you. I am not acquainted with Mr. Nemoto. I do not know Mr. Nemoto, but we are connected because I live in his Toyohashi constituency. I often see his posters on street corners. I wrote one letter to Mr. Nemoto and sent it to his office in the Diet.
My age is 66 years old. After graduating from high school in Toyohashi, I worked in dental clinics and dental laboratories for the first 10 years after graduating from a technical school for technicians, and for the latter 20 years I was self-employed, opening a dental laboratory in Toyohashi. I operated my business as a dental technician until the age of 54, but I have now stopped practicing dental technology. I am a Catholic who was baptized in 2014 after the age of 50 because I felt the need to do so.
Now, ever since I have been working in the dental laboratory, I have felt a special sense of obligation to do something. I always felt as if I was being urged to do something for the benefit of many people, but I never knew what to do. I chose dental technician as my profession, so I decided to do something in the field of dentistry and invented new dental technology. I invented some and sent reports to dentists in my city, but I could not come up with anything good. After I closed my own dental laboratory, I continued to submit reports to dentists for several years.
One day, I learned that CAD is used when designing dental prosthetics, and that AI could be applied to pioneer a new method of dental laboratory work. However, in order to introduce it into the current dental practice, I thought that a different philosophy was needed. I will not go into details here, but I thought that by incorporating the concept of autopoiesis into dynamical systems theory, we could objectively describe human existence and cognitive functions in the world. We thought that this philosophy could be used to support a new way of applying AI to dental technology. I also thought that by using this dynamical systems theory as a new understanding of Christianity, it would be possible to root Christianity in Japan.
It may seem like a pipe dream for the average person to think of a new Christianity taking root in Japan. It seems unrealistic to me too to hope for such a thing. It seems like something fluffy, but I think it is necessary to produce reasonable results so that it becomes a real issue.
My Plan
It is already mid-December 2024, but early in the new year, I am planning to send an email to the originators of Gnathology, the University of Southern California School of Dentistry (The Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, Los Angeles) and the Gnathology Society (International Academy of Gnathology American Section), the originators of Gnathology. What kind of email is this: “Would you please encourage the School of Dentistry at Institute of Science Tokyo to upgrade their current gnathology and make it gnathology 2.0?” This is what it says.
Gnathology is the concept of a systematic approach to the treatment of the dental bite. This gnathology is a study of treatment methods related to the occlusion in dentistry that was conceived in the United States more than 100 years ago. The gnathology currently in circulation is based on the scientific knowledge of more than 100 years ago. Nevertheless, it is still in use today. Naturally, since it was invented in the U.S., one would expect that its contents would eventually be updated in the U.S., but there is no sign of such an update. There is no indication that this will ever be the case. So, even though it is a wonderful thing, it has now become an anachronism and is rarely looked back upon. Don’t you think it would be good to update it so that it is applicable from the present to the future? However, this is something that I, as a dental technician, have no control over as it relates to dental care. Therefore, I would nominate the professors of the dental college.
As a dental technician, I think what I have done is to propose a new definition of science in the present. Science is constantly being updated as new discoveries make the news. Thus, in our daily lives, we are rarely given much thought as to what science is. The field of science has never been associated with traditional Japanese culture. The culture of science began to be introduced around the time of the Meiji Restoration, but science was never connected to the core culture of Japan. That is what I am going to do this time. In fact, I have written to His Majesty the Emperor. I proposed a religion that would combine Christianity and science. The content of the letter was that I would like His Majesty the Emperor to be the “restorer of a new Christianity” in Japan.
A religion that combines science and Christianity was proposed by the former Unification Church as the Unification Principle, but was labeled as “heretical” by the established church. Pseudoscience is a set of beliefs that do not meet the criteria to be called science, but are presented as if they were science. Thus, the Divine Principle and Unification Thought of the former Unification Church failed to connect science with the core of Japanese culture. I hope that Gnathology 2.0 can be realized by the Japanese people as a demonstration that they have connected science with the core of Japanese culture.
Involvement with the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (former Unification Church)
Why does God ask me to do this? My family was not a Christian family, but I was very interested in Christianity. I am originally from Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan, but when I was younger (in my 20s) I lived in the Kanto area (Tokyo and the surrounding area). When I was living in Soka City, Saitama Prefecture, a couple from the former Unification Church visited my apartment and started attending the video center. I attended the video center (You can watch a video explaining the doctrine) for a while but did not join the church. A few years later, when I was living in Nakano Ward, Tokyo, I was approached on the street and went to the video center again. I had been there before, so I guess I went there out of nostalgia. I went there again for a while but did not join the church. At the time, I thought the Unification Church was one of the Christian churches, but it was a heretical religion and distinct from the established Christian churches. I was interested in the Divine Principle. I was especially interested in The Principle of Creation. I have never been taught religious doctrine in a formal way, and I do not know how other religions teach it. In fact, I don’t know what heresy is. The media only criticize superficially whether it is bad to ask people to donate large sums of money or whether there is a problem with the doctrine, but they do not give any specifics.
Time went by and in 2010, when I was 52 years old, I contacted the headquarters of the Unification Church and was introduced to a church in Toyohashi, and went there myself to a place called “Hana Forum (meeting place)” run by the Unification Church. The reason why I went there was because I had not made any progress in finding a “new method” in the field of dentistry, my main business. At the time, I was thinking of using a general-purpose CAD system for dental work, but I couldn’t find a good CAD system. What does this have to do with the Unification Church issue? It occurred to me at the time that if we left the Unification Church issue behind and thought only within the scope of the dental field, the obstacles would not be resolved. Thinking about it now, I think it was a kind of “Drowning man will clutch at a straw” kind of sentiment.
No one told me to find a “new way” in the dental field, but I felt compelled to produce some results. I was thinking of adapting CAD for general industrial use to dental use. At this point, I could not find anything suitable. In hindsight, if I couldn’t do it, I probably should have just stopped. I think the biggest reason I did not stop was the thought that I had to create a future for my children. I felt that if I stopped, their future would be closed to me.
I had a hunch that this sense of mission I felt might be related to the former Unification Church. So, out of necessity, I went to the video center myself. I felt that I could not end without achieving this sense of mission. I did not know exactly what actions I should take to achieve the final result. I was advised to buy a book called ‘The Book of Tensei’, which I decided to do, but I still haven’t paid for it. After a while, the Hua Forum, which was located in front of the Toyohashi Civic Cultural Centre, moved into a renovated clinic room in what used to be a dental clinic, changing the name of the shop. That made me think that the problems I feel about the Unification Church might also have something to do with the dental field.
At that time, Ms. Yasuyo Natsume was the director of the forum, and Ms. Noriko Kanazawa was a consultant. One of the counselors was Ms. Noriko Kanazawa, who made a very meaningful comment. She said something prophetic like, “The Unification Church will eventually disappear. In August 2015, the World Christian Association for the Unification of Spirits changed its name to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. I am not sure if she was referring to the name change or the dissolution request to the “Family Association for World Peace and Unification” triggered by the “shooting incident of former Prime Minister Abe” on July 8, 2022.
I watched videos, went to services and attended meetings of the former Unification Church, but realised that since my aim is to achieve something in the field of dentistry, I eventually had to find and do ‘something’ for myself. I once thought about walking with the old Unification Church, but eventually I decided to stop.
Proceeding in my own way
Since my aim is to achieve something in the dental field, I decided to start by manipulating tooth geometry in general-purpose CAD (now Solidworks+ Power Surfacing) and explain it in conjunction with the philosophy that supports the technical manipulation. It’s a bit old, but we decided to use Norbert Wiener’s cybernetics theory, and in 2010, we made a video of the CAD manipulation, put the audio of the explanation on it, made a Blu-ray disc and sent it to hundreds of people. One of them, Tousuke Kikutake, president of the dental laboratory Ktex, called me. ‘I looked at it with great interest. If you can give form to an idea that has been thoroughly examined, you will be able to do something in Tokyo again’. When I used to live in Tokyo, I used to go to a training center for dental technicians for specialised techniques related to ceramics, and a man called Tousuke Kikutake was the owner of this center. This center offered me the opportunity to go to the USA for a two-month training course. However, there were no specific instructions on the phone as to what I should do.
Years later, in 2011, I went to Osaka to meet with Mr. Hiroki Wada of Wada Precision Dental Laboratory, Inc. for an interview. He was the chairman at the time. I think it was then, and I think it still is today, the top company among dental laboratories. I think Mr. Hiroki Wada got the idea of what my purpose was in coming to see him, but I did not get any specific hints as to what I should do.
One day, while browsing a Web site on my computer, I learned that I could view video recordings of classes at Keio University, SFC (Shonan Fujisawa Campus). I watched a class given by Professor Takashi Iba (then Associate Professor) of the Faculty of Policy Studies. The lecture at the time was on Niklas Luhmann’s social systems theory. It was about introducing the concept of autopoiesis into social systems theory. It was a difficult theory, but I was very interested in it. I decided to use it as a reference. I created a table from the concepts of contingency and double contingency. This can be found in a document that can be downloaded from my web site.
In addition, I came across a book on the web site Amazon. While searching for a book that would be of some help to me there, I came across a book titled “Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion (Templeton Science and Religion Series).” This book was a translation, but since the publisher is Igaku Shoin, the content was scientific and academic, not spirituality, which is a dubious subject. The book gave me an overview of the field, including examples of emergence theory using ant ecology as an example, as well as research on God’s place (God Spot). From this book, I learned the term dynamical systems theory. There is a similar term, dynamic systems theory, which deals with things and objects that change dynamically. By incorporating the concept of autopoiesis into dynamical systems theory, I created a systems theory from the perspective of human existence and cognition. I also incorporated the larger theme of Christian death and resurrection into this, making this dynamical systems theory one way of understanding Christianity. I was baptized in the Catholic Church, and I hope that it can be recognized as one of the ways to express this.
The Letter to the Emperor of Japan
The reason why I wrote to the Emperor of Japan is because I felt that the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (former Unification Church) was not fulfilling its normal Christian existence in Japan. When I think of who should play a leading role, I can only think of the Emperor of Japan. His Majesty plays an important role in Shintoism and Buddhism in Japan. Most of the religions practiced by the Japanese living in Japan are Shinto or Buddhism. In addition, we thought it would be good if His Majesty the Emperor could play an important role for Christianity as well. The uniqueness of the Emperor of Japan, the uniqueness of the world, is called Emperor overseas, and is the only thing that has kept Japanese culture going over the years. Although its existence was threatened during World War II, it was decided by GHQ (General Headquarters) to continue. Thus, it will continue to be continued in the future.
As such, I think it is important and essential to have the Emperor of Japan as the foundation of Christianity’s existence in Japan. It would be nice if some doctrine could be created by University Christian Specialist, but since it is a religion, unlike philosophy, this is not possible. I am not sure if my proposed understanding of Christianity is correct and if people will accept it, but since I have come this far, I would like to push forward as far as I can, thinking that I have come this far by the will of God.
What I currently think
I did not originally start this kind of thing because I wanted to do it myself, but because someone else wants me to produce some results. Therefore, I believe that we need to set a deadline and produce some results. If all you want to do is to post your arguments and opinions on a website and have those who have a mind to look at them and refer to them, I don’t think you need to produce any particular results. To date, the only results I have produced myself are the articles I have posted on my website and the 20 or 30 videos I have uploaded to YOUTUBE. No one can usually support a fantastical story. It was not made by an expert in philosophy, and I don’t know how much value it has. Therefore, I cannot directly advise “Institute of Science Tokyo” to upgrade to Gnathology 2.0. Even if I did, I am sure it would be ignored.
This is where the American dentists come in. It depends on their response. If it is something that will touch their heartstrings, I am sure they will respond positively. If not, they will end up ignoring me. All the things I have thought about and done will have been illusory and meaningless.
I believe that understanding of Christian expression can also be addressed by having Descartes, an important historical figure, resurrected and appear, rather than by creating a new religious leader as in the case of new religions. In other words, I thought that by looking back to the past from the present state of scientific development, it could be seen as a universal teaching. I had actually hoped to have Leibniz, Spinoza, and other philosophers like them revived, but I felt that I had to make such an inquiry as soon as possible, so I decided to write to Mr. Nemoto in a hurry.
Until now, I had no one to whom I could confide my feelings about such a divine request. If I could do everything by myself, that would be fine, but in most cases, I cannot accomplish things without the support of others, no matter how much God asks. I felt that now was the time when I needed to say that to someone.
The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification has already been labeled a “heretic” in terms of the Divine Principle and Unification Thought, and it will be difficult for it to be recognized as a universal religious organization in Japan. Furthermore, the shooting of former Prime Minister Abe has occurred, and a call for its dissolution has been issued in the wake of this incident.
No matter how much we believe in God, we can’t actually do anything unless we connect with people who are in tune with us. I felt that it was not enough to just one-sidedly update a blog on a website and ask for some reference if it caught the eye of someone with a good heart. Therefore, I boldly sent this letter to Mr. Yukinori Nemoto, whom I have never met.
According to news and weekly articles, Mr. Nemoto seems to have been involved with the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. I don’t think it is entirely true, but I think he was close to them. When I was in my twenties, I used to attend a video center run by the Unification Church. There was a system of devotion at the time and I was invited to join, but I never went in that direction. However, I was interested in new interpretations of Christianity. As you know, only about 1% of people in Japan are Christians. I hope this will be a good start.
I will be sending out an email to the U.S.
I have omitted the outline in this column because I have already actually sent the email. Please see the email text for the contents.
| At one point, I learned that when using CAD to create crown geometry, the application of AI could pioneer a new method of dental laboratory work. I believed that “Gnathology 2.0” was needed to take advantage of this, along with philosophical considerations to support it. However, since I am a dental technician, I am limited to matters related to tooth shaping and prosthetic creation. I cannot be involved in matters related to treatment. The new philosophy that supports “Gnathology 2.0” presented here is “the truth obtained by reconsidering Descartes’ philosophy from a current perspective. As a dental technician, all I can do for “Gnathology 2.0” is to make suggestions regarding the creation of prosthetics. Since it is difficult for me to continue this project alone, I have decided to look for someone who is willing to carry it out to make it a reality. However, as a dental technician in Japan, it is very difficult for me to find someone who agrees with my “new proposal for Gnathology” to dentists. Therefore, I decided to look overseas. I believe that it was dentists living in the United States who first invented Gnathology and spread it around the world. I thought that some dentists living in the U.S. might understand the reasons for updating traditional Gnathology to “Gnathology 2.0,” so I came up with the idea of sending an email to dentists in the U.S. chapter of the International Society of Gnathology and the dental school of USC. I believe that USC is the birthplace of Gnathology, as those who have contributed to Gnathology are honored in the Ostrow Hall of Fame. Do you think that traditional Gnathology is sufficient for dentists living in the U.S.? If you don’t think so, why not put the initiative to design dental prosthetics back in the hands of dentists using AI-powered CAD technology and “optimized centric relation” derived from the new philosophy behind “Gnathology 2.0”? Why not move from purely mechanistic mandibular motion to a “new mechanistic mandibular movement using AI”? In order to regain the initiative to design dental prosthetics, it is essential to have technology that automatically generates crown shapes using AI, rather than leaving it in the hands of dental technicians. AI is currently one of the hottest technological fields and is evolving every day. If dentists and AI Engineers work hand in hand, I believe we can achieve “Gnathology 2.0″. I would very much like to see the renewal of Gnathology accomplished through the efforts of Japanese dentists. I believe that what the Japanese do is very important and will benefit dentistry worldwide. If you like what you see in my blog, could you please encourage “Institute of Science Tokyo” to do research? I would like the project to be led by Japanese dentists. I can say that this is the reason why I have continued this project until now and have made a lot of efforts. I hope that “Institute of Science Tokyo” will do the research and produce results. This university was just recently formed by the merger of “Tokyo Medical and Dental University” and “Tokyo Institute of Technology”. This university could develop technologies that apply AI and data science to dental care. I, an ordinary person, a dental technician with no name, will be totally ineffective and ignored if I advise the dentists of the university. If you, i.e., the people who first developed “Gnathology,” made such a statement, you would probably be inclined to do so. And I hope that Japanese dentists will realize “Gnathology 2.0”. During the time of Tokyo Medical and Dental University, the predecessor of Institute of Science Tokyo, we have experience and achievements in researching the “Kinematic axis”. The other predecessor of Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, of course, is doing research on AI and data science. I would very much like to see you use the brand name Gnathology and complete the software for automatic crown shape generation using the “optimized centric relation”. I cannot mention anything related to diagnosis or medical treatment, as only a dentist can do that. For AI reinforcement learning, we need a large set of data, a set of mandibular movement data and upper and lower dental arch shape data. I believe that we may need the cooperation of university researchers around the world who are willing to support “Gnathology 2.0”. I have posted on my blog the contents of a letter I sent to the Emperor of Japan. I would like to ask you to start a new Christian group in Japan in the Catholic Church. Currently there is a Christian group in Japan that has been labeled a heresy, the “Family Federation for World Peace and Unification”. As you may know from news reports, the shooting of former Prime Minister Abe occurred on July 8, 2022. As a result of this incident, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology submitted a request to the court for a dissolution order against the “Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. The “Family Federation for World Peace and Unification” has long been considered a cult-like religious organization. Ignoring match, which is a higher concept than unification, can only be understood as heresy as a scripture for understanding Christianity. The United States takes its concept of match very seriously. It is evident in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, which states. I believe that this religious group will eventually be disbanded, and I hope that afterwards it will be active in the Catholic Church as a group that supports the new Christianity that combines science and Christianity as I have proposed. I have never been a member of this religious group, but I have been to a video center run by this religious group. The believers are obedient people to the orders of their superiors. I hope that you will have a conversion and take on the role of connecting authentic science with the core of Japanese culture. I wrote to Mr. Yukinori Nemoto, a member of the House of Representatives, in advance to let him know that I am going to send an e-mail to dentists involved in Gnathology in the United States. If we are really going to study Gnathology 2.0 at “Tokyo University of Science”, it will be very expensive. Through industry-academia collaboration, public funds such as grants may be available. If a company tries to develop a product solely on its own, it will basically have to do so with its own funds. However, by collaborating with universities, it is possible to take advantage of grants related to industry-academia collaboration. We would like Mr. Nemoto to coordinate with companies and universities. Also, it seems that Mr. Nemoto was close to the “Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. I hope that Mr. Nemoto will be able to play some role in the Christian field as well. I hope that when the Gnathology 2.0 research is completed, the results will be used to help defray some of the costs of linking science to the core of Japanese culture. |
What I would like to ask Mr. Nemoto to do
When it really comes to researching Gnathology 2.0 at “Institute of Science Tokyo”, I would like to ask Mr. Nemoto to coordinate the project. The dental laboratories, “Wada precision dental laboratory.” and “Ktex Laboratory” seemed interested. Keyence Corporation” often has pop-up ads on the Web sites I visit, so I sent them some materials. I did so, and received a response that seemed interested. However, the intentions of the dental laboratory and instrumentation company that I specifically described were at that time, and I did not confirm whether they still have such intentions today.
The outcome of my email to the US will determine if everything is for naught. If there is no good reply, it means that everything I have written here is in vain. It means that it was just a dream story that I fantasized about. Forget what I wrote in my letter. If things turn out for the better, Mr. Nemoto will be given some role and will be rewarded. What the future holds is totally unknown to me. It depends on the outcome of the email I will send to the US.
My blog is rudimentary, but I encourage you to visit my blog. My blog has downloadable PDFs that explain in detail. I have uploaded the document to my blog (https://an-open-letter.com) and I encourage you to download and read it.
When I was totally wrong, all I can say is that I am truly sorry. What I spent 30 years doing was a total waste of time. All I can say is that I am truly sorry. I have children of my own, and I have managed to keep going without stopping with the intention of creating a future for them. I believe that this is the only time I will have such a chance. From now on, the only thing I can do is to read books, write reports, and upload them to the website. If I have some success, I would like to join the LDP and contribute what I can.
Contacts
+Institute of Science Tokyo, 1-5-4 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
URL (https://www.isct.ac.jp/ja)
+Wada precision dental laboratory, 3-15-46 Nishi Awaji, Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 533-0031, Japan
URL (https://labowada.co.jp/)
+Ktex dental laboratory 16-17, Takadanobaba 3-chome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0075, Japan
URL (https://www.ktexlab.co.jp/)
+Keyence Corporation, 1-3-14 Higashinakajima, Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka 533-8555, Japan
URL (https://www.keyence.co.jp/)
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