The Culprit Was
Inside Me

At 27, Kaoru Fujii founded a tiny noodle-machine company in Kagawa, Japan. Over five decades, he built it into the world’s number-one manufacturer, exported to 70+ countries, and received the Order of the Rising Sun from the Emperor.

Yet behind the triumphs, a cold wind blew. He missed his son’s childhood, was blind to his wife’s tears, and repeated destructive patterns he couldn’t explain.

On the night he stepped down as CEO, he finally asked: “Why do I keep repeating the same mistakes?” The answer came from the depths of his subconscious — the voice of his Meiji-era grandfather whispering rules he’d never questioned.

The culprit wasn’t someone else. It had been inside him all along.

This book introduces Rootology (Nekko-gaku) — a framework for understanding the four invisible layers and seven core elements that shape every decision you make, from the boardroom to the dinner table.

Across 11 chapters, Fujii traces his roots through childhood tuberculosis, a flying-table grandfather, near-death experiences, and the painful estrangement from his own son — showing how awareness alone can rewrite patterns carried across three generations.

• 01 The Boy in the Shadows — Origin of a Challenger
• 02 Weapons of the Underdog
• 03 The Corporate Training Ground
• 04 Small Business Survival Lessons
• 05 The Philosophy of Customer Success
• 06 Building an Impenetrable Ecosystem
• 07 The Father’s Chair, The Son’s Gaze
• 08 The Treasure Called Life
• 09 Management and the Roots
• 10 The Awakening at Year Fifty
• 11 As Long as There Are Roots, You Never Truly Die