The name George Ohsawa emerged from the French phrase "Oh, ça va," adopted as a cheerful retort while he promoted his dietary philosophy in Paris. Born Nyoichi Sakurazawa in 1893 in Shingu, Japan, he became a prolific author and nutritionist who sought to link Eastern medical traditions with Western social challenges throughout the twentieth century.
Early Influences and Personal Recovery
Born into an impoverished samurai family, Sakurazawa faced severe health challenges during his teenage years, suffering from tuberculosis and ulcers. He rejected the prognosis of Western-trained doctors, who had previously treated his mother and siblings unsuccessfully. Turning toward the teachings of Sagen Ishizuka, he claimed to have cured his own ailments at nineteen by utilizing traditional Chinese concepts of yin and yang.
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By 1913, Sakurazawa joined the Shokuiku movement in Tokyo to study under Manabu Nishibata. Following years of research and travel, he formalized his philosophy, publishing The Unique Principle in 1931. This text outlined the order of the universe through binary dualism. He later established a foundation to recruit followers to this system, which emphasized health markers such as appetite, sleep quality, and precision of thought.
Wartime Resistance and Incarceration
During World War II, his pacifist stance and public criticism of the ruling class led to significant conflict with authorities. He authored a book predicting the defeat of Japan, drawing parallels to the fate of wartime leaders in France. This action resulted in his arrest and torture by the Kempeitai in May 1942. After his eventual release, he relocated his operations to the mountains of Yamanashi Prefecture.
Global Expansion and Sanpaku
While living in France, he utilized several pen names, including Musagendo Sakurazawa and Georges. He gained notoriety for applying the Japanese diagnostic concept of sanpaku—characterized by white sclera visible below the iris—to predict the deaths of public figures, including John F. Kennedy. This application of physiognomy reached a wider audience in 1965 when his writings were compiled by Felix Morrow and William Dufty in the book You Are All Sanpaku.
Fast facts
- Birth name: Nyoichi Sakurazawa
- Born: 1893, Shingu, Japan
- Died: 1966, Tokyo, Japan
- Philosophy: Macrobiotics
- Diagnostic term: Sanpaku
- Primary works: The Unique Principle, Zen Macrobiotic
Questions readers ask
What is the meaning of sanpaku?
It is a traditional Japanese diagnostic condition where the white area of the eye appears below and to the sides of the iris, which Ohsawa interpreted as a sign of extreme fatigue.
Why did he change his name to Ohsawa?
He adopted the name during his time in France as a play on the phrase "Oh, ça va," meaning "I am doing fine."
