Staff writer

OSAKA -- After decades of devoting their lives to companies, many Japanese men find themselves at a loss on how to spend their time in retirement.

Kushin Ota, company head of Seikatsu Dezain Kenkyusho, which literally means lifestyle design research center, has a hint to resolve such melancholy.

Ota suggests the lifestyle of "inkyo," which usually translates as "retirement from active life" -- such as for businessmen or the head of a household -- can be interpreted as meaning "being freed from time constraints and social responsibility."

People who adopt the inkyo approach, as he envisions it, know how to enjoy life, have their own lifestyle, place importance on relations with other people, abandon greed and contribute to society through whatever means available.

Ota himself has just turned 50, and he chairs a citizens' group called Inkyo Kenkyukai -- The Society for Studying Inkyo. The group was launched a year ago with the aim of revitalizing the fast-graying society and improving the quality of life for the elderly population.

"When I was studying lifestyles of senior citizens, I found little positive information about retirement life, such as about those enjoying active retirement life and keeping healthy," Ota says.

Although there is a flood of information focusing on pensions and welfare services, he said he wanted to take a more positive approach in studying the graying society.

The absence of an "elderly culture" is the reason why many Japanese regard retirement as the end to their business and social life, he says, explaining how he reached his definition of inkyo.

Today, the word conjures up the image of wealthy people quietly living in retirement or a secluded life in the countryside.

But he says the inkyo mind-set flourished in the late 17th century, when the general prosperity of townspeople contributed to the popularization of arts and literature, ranging from "joruri" (ballad drama) to 17-syllable haiku.

It is during this period that renowned haiku artist Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) and writer Ihara Saikaku (1642-1693) created great literary works. But few people know they were able to do so only after they embraced inkyo, Ota notes.

"I'm not saying that everybody should write novels or create art. What I want to emphasize is that these two greats' inkyo lifestyles made them achieve what they achieved," he says. "By studying such lifestyles, we may find some tips (to lighten up) this gloomy society."

Ota's group, which now has about 600 members across the country, publishes a magazine on the Internet roughly three times a month. Members can contribute articles under given topics, each of which is designed to make them think about their inkyo lifestyle.

Previous topics include "Inkyo people and their lifework" and "Why are children required to be dutiful to their parents? -- a question on the nursing care of senior people."

The group also holds meetings and other off-line activities.

Through various discussions, members of "The No. 1 love letter of life" program write thank-you letters to their spouses or family members to be sent after death.

"While writing a will involves sad feelings and may invite trouble over dealing with the inheritance, love letters don't," Ota says. Inkyo followers should know how to act near the end of their lives, he continued.

Takeshi Fujimoto, 63, an active member of the group, says the group's activities helped him change his way of looking at his own lifestyle.

Fujimoto, who has worked for a sake brewery for the last 40 years, says he used to think only about work. Having witnessed friends become lifeless and ill after retirement, Fujimoto thought he needed to find a new way to enjoy life.

"Having discussions with other members of the group and writing articles on various topics helped me see things from a broader perspective," Fujimoto says. "I am now trying to master the secret of inkyo life."

Members of the group are not limited to senior citizens or retirees. Their ages range from 27 to 85.

Messages left by a number of visitors to the group's Web site -- some 6,000 a month -- show that many people, both young and old, are seeking a way of life that is distinct, meaningful and satisfying.

But the answer to that question is not written anywhere, and one should find one's own answer, according to Takatoshi Misugi, 70, an expert in the history of Chinese ceramic ware who serves as a supervisor to the group.

"It is difficult to live differently from others in this society, where traditional customs and social norms are still strong," Misugi says.

"Businesspeople are so accustomed to doing work just by following orders that they have lost the skills to create their own lifestyle," he adds. "There are no guidelines, and each of us must think independently."

The group plans to publish a series of books on inkyo. The first one, written by Ota, is to go on sale next month. The group is also inviting non-Japanese to join so members can expand the scope of their lifestyles. The group's Web site is at http://www.seikatsu.org