Activity Fields
Filial Piety
Culture
Concept
Historically, the spirit of filial piety has been an important virtue in Eastern traditional culture. The ancient people wrote the classic Xiaojing (Classic of Filial Piety) based on this spirit, which was highly revered in East Asian countries such as Japan, China, and Korea.
Today, in an era of highly developed technology and civilizational progress, society faces problems such as family breakdown, declining birth rates, aging populations, regional vitality decline, rising suicide rates, and widening wealth gaps. While material wealth has increased, moral values have gradually diminished, and the spiritual world has become increasingly scarce, leaving many unable to truly feel secure and happy. Under the influence of rising individualism, various social issues have emerged, and it is urgent for us to reassess and reflect on the relationships and values between people.
In modern society, filial piety is often seen as an outdated tradition, but we firmly believe that this spirit, rooted in gratitude, not only nourishes the inner world of modern people but also helps improve relationships between individuals and promotes social stability. It still holds irreplaceable value in modern society.
Therefore, we are dedicated to promoting filial piety, cultivating exemplary character, fostering family happiness, and achieving a prosperous and peaceful society.
This is a grassroots movement aimed at promoting the spirit of gratitude and fostering harmonious parent-child relationships.
This is a grassroots movement aimed at promoting the spirit of gratitude and fostering harmonious parent-child relationships.
Activity Goals
Through our activities, we aim to achieve three goals
Exemplary Character – Cultivating a Heart of Gratitude
“Filial piety is the foundation of all virtues.” Filial devotion stems from a heart of gratitude toward one’s parents. Life does not exist in isolation; rather, it is rooted in our parents and interconnected with society. Through our activities, we aim to nurture children’s sense of gratitude and deep respect for others.
A Happy Family – Harmony Brings Success
“When a family is harmonious, all endeavors prosper.” The family is the cornerstone of society and the starting point for character formation. We believe that only through family harmony can society achieve stability. Therefore, we are committed to supporting initiatives that help build happy and loving families.
A Prosperous and Peaceful Society
We believe that when parents love their children and children respect their parents, families and society support one another, leading to solutions for many social issues. Thus, we promote the spirit of gratitude and compassion to foster a prosperous and peaceful society.
Activity Details
The International Culture and Education Charity Foundation has launched numerous activities centered around the theme of gratitude toward parents. The details are as follows
Filial Piety Essay Contest
We hold an annual essay contest for elementary and middle school students across Japan. In 2021, we received 48 submissions, which increased to 368 in 2022, and reached 483 in 2023. After a rigorous evaluation process, a grand award ceremony was held to recognize the outstanding works and their authors.
Filial Piety Scholarship
Based on the winning works from the essay contest, we have established a scholarship system to support the top winners. All scholarship recipients are required to actively practice filial piety and submit monthly reports sharing their progress and experiences with their actions of filial devotion.
Filial Piety Online Exchange Meetings
Each month, we organize an online exchange meeting for the students and their families who have won the Filial Piety Award, as well as individuals who are dedicated to promoting the spirit of filial piety. The event begins with a keynote lecture by a guest speaker, followed by participants sharing their personal experiences of practicing filial piety. As the activities progress, the number of participants continues to grow.
Filial Piety Essay Anthology
In order to promote excellent filial piety essays to a broader audience and allow everyone to experience filial piety, we have selected award-winning works and published the Filial Piety Essay Anthology.
※ Available for sale at Kinokuniya, Keibundo bookstores, and Amazon, or can be accessed at the National Diet Library of Japan
Filial Piety Lectures
We regularly invite renowned speakers to hold lectures, discussions, and calligraphy workshops to spread the spirit of filial piety.
Public Welfare Activities
We regularly organize and carry out public welfare activities. To date, we have conducted several volunteer activities in disaster-stricken areas in Chiba and Tohoku, Japan.
Activity Results
Promoting Parent-Child Harmony
A 6th-grade boy participated in the essay contest award ceremony. Although he did not write an essay himself, he was invited by a friend to attend the ceremony. After returning home, he took the initiative to help with chores such as washing dishes and doing laundry, which greatly surprised and touched his parents.
Use of the Scholarship
One female student who received a scholarship from the contest used part of it to buy gifts for her parents, while donating the remainder to Ukraine.
This was not something anyone asked her to do, but rather something she thought of and practiced on her own.
For more detailed information about the activities, please click below to refer to
Branch Map
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