Athlete Brains: Dai Tamesue's "Mastering Pace" vol.17

A serialized interview column where Mr. Dai Tamesue freely discusses "things on his mind right now." The only set themes are "What is autonomy?" and "What is tolerance?" Faced with unreasonable questions from a mysterious "interviewer," Mr. Tamesue shares his thoughts on various "things on his mind." Well then. What kind of stories will emerge this time...? Stay tuned.

──This interview on the theme "What is beauty?" comes to a close with this final installment. Last time, we explored beauty through politics, business, and more. This time, let's look at it from the perspective of "education." As a father of one, what do you do to convey the value of "beauty" to your child?

Tamesue: That's a tough question, but in a word, I suppose it's teaching them about "balance."

──Balance, you say.

Tametsu: Whether things fit together well, I guess. For example, kids often stack stones they find on the riverbank. They learn things like, "Ah, stacking from big stones to small ones makes it stable." To put it grandly, it's about learning natural laws or societal ethics. Last time, you mentioned how "the sauna aligns your body." It's about conveying that when things are properly aligned, they achieve a beautiful form. I think it's crucial to teach children that—even if it's just pebbles on a riverbank.

──I see. In politics or business, we tend to think in terms of "adjustment," but when you say "balance," it reveals the ideal, beautiful form.

Tamura: Exactly. Understanding natural laws helps grasp how things should be or their proper position. Building an athlete's physique or body mechanics is fundamentally about that. When athletes hit a technical wall, they usually return to posture. If the basic stance or ground contact is off, limb movements lose their beauty. Ultimately, sports technique is also about building posture.

──I see.

Tametsu: Whether it's politics, business management, child-rearing, sports, or anything else, people inevitably seek "results." They develop this mindset that to get "results," they'll use any dirty means necessary. But that way, you can't truly obtain what you really want.

──So, essentially, it's about beauty, right?

Tamura: I believe what humans ultimately seek is "beauty." That sense of satisfaction when things are in order, or achieving the ideal state. When you encounter a Japanese garden or cuisine at a traditional restaurant, it somehow brings a sense of relief, a healing to the heart, doesn't it? I think the essence of beauty lies there. That feeling of "Ah, it's in perfect order."

──In the business world too, it boils down to wanting to be organized or to organize things. That's why we tap away at our PC keyboards daily or engage in business negotiations. But sometimes you suddenly realize you're doing the exact opposite of beauty (laughs).

Tamura: For athletes, that aspect is pure. No matter the sport, it ultimately boils down to pursuing "a beautiful version of oneself."

──I see. So that connects to the activities of Athlete Brains?

Tamesue: I suppose you could say that. It's not like we're doing this for beauty's sake, but to put it simply, I think the good and also the poignant thing about athletes is that they "keep saying the most obvious things. Or rather, that's all they can say."

──Super obvious, huh? (laughs)

Tamesue: Exactly. Athletes are the worst at things like "brainstorming" that the business world talks about. Valuable ideas need both originality and feasibility. Without both, it doesn't work as a business. But athletes struggle with both. They confront themselves relentlessly within set rules. They stake their lives on relentlessly challenging records deemed impossible to achieve. But I believe the "super obvious things" they master through this process hold significant value.

—By mastering the utterly obvious, they achieve world-class performance, after all.

Tamesue: Exactly. They accomplish things that seem obvious to everyone, yet no one else can do them. I actually think this applies to politics and corporate management too. You know, like, "Yeah, this service, this product—it should have existed all along. Why wasn't it here before?"
While coming up with wildly unconventional ideas that no one else thinks of is creativity, I believe that executing the utterly obvious things everyone could conceivably think of is also a form of creativity.

──That's where the meaning of Athlete Brains' activities lies, you mean.

Tametsu: I'd be delighted if you felt that way.

──This time, we discussed the intriguing theme of "What is beauty?" As always, it was a truly enjoyable conversation. Thank you.

Tametsu: The pleasure was all mine. I look forward to our next interview.

(Interviewer: Web Dentsu Inc. Editorial Department)

---

From the Athlete Brains Production Team, Hibi

Part 3 of "Beauty." Mr. Tamesue shared that an athlete's value lies in "being able to state the super obvious." In fact, while working together on a project, he once told me, "Posture is crucial." While this was obvious to an athlete, it felt like a discovery to me personally. I remember how this keyword, "posture is crucial," sparked a wave of ideas. Mr. Tamesue also said, "Understanding the laws of nature helps you grasp how things should be or their proper position." Applying natural laws to business thinking might also yield new discoveries. At Athlete Brains, we work to transform the obvious truths athletes perceive into discoveries. The Dentsu Inc. team then expands these discoveries, articulating and visualizing them to elevate them into concepts everyone can resonate with.

Athlete Brains Production Team Dentsu Inc. / Akinori Hibi (3CRP) · Kohei Shiraishi (Business Co-creation Bureau)

---

Athlete Brains, spearheaded by Dai Tamesue.
For details on this team that connects the knowledge cultivated by athletes to solving challenges in the world (for companies and society), click here.