Property Investment: The Intersection of Art and Technology (Part 2)

Read Part 1 Here.

For this article we had the pleasure of interviewing the CTO of Leeways, a property investment venture, Mr. Kazuteru Otsuka. As a student, Mr.Otsuka embarked to France to solve artistic issues using technology and algorithms as well as conducting a study on composition theories. Since returning home from France, he has been involved in many system and business developments. In 2015, while acting as the CTO of Leeways, he developed a next generation property investment platform known as “Gate”. We sat down with Mr.Otsuka to learn more about his remarkable career, to discuss the possibilities of property investment and technology, and what role his interdisciplinary background has played in his work and research.

You have conducted research into the composition theory from an information science perspective, and you are also very knowledgeable in the Arts. What role does an interdisciplinary background play in modern research and development?

In society there is one “correct” answer that has been determined by another human or by a group consensus, and you can experience a peaceful life living according to that answer, or you can wear yourself out by constantly opposing that “correct” answer, and from a creative perspective, innovation is born amidst the clash between the “answer” and it’s opposition, and history is made by repeating this clash.

There is a saying in science that goes “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”, and that an objective and definite logical answer is determined by growing like a pyramid. Mathematicians claim that the goal of mathematics is truth, while the goal of art is beauty, and what happens in between these two extremes is called emotion, however the thoughts are created from nothing, and this abstract space of aesthetic consciousness is what ultimately makes a human, human.

It is difficult to put this space into words and so it is often overlooked, and since it cannot be evaluated you cannot devote resources to it. For example the difference between Macintosh and Windows, when it was first developed, is the result of two different ideas that formed in this inarticulable space.

There are many questions in this world that can’t be answered.

Here’s an interesting example, it is difficult to express something that is continuous, and yet mathematicians use a method called “Dedekind cut” to easily explain it, and scientists have a completely different concept that they believe is the true representation of something that is continuous. However, this concept cannot be expressed using real numbers. Innovation is born when you must create a new way to express something if it cannot be expressed or explained with existing languages.

In Japanese society, we have a tendency to latch on to things that already have an answer, and so we limit ourselves to a pyramidesque vertical growth. During a 3rd grade elementary cultural festival, the students were given a “fill in the blank” questionnaire, and expressed frustration at the fact that there were several correct answers for one question. It’s terrifying to think that 3rd graders already believe that questions should only have one answer.

Remarkable creations tend to bring to life emotions we cannot express with words.

Yes, it is sometimes difficult to put something amazing into words. I am interested in Buddhism, and in Buddhism the goal is to experience enlightenment as Buddha did, and in order to reach that state of mind, reason is important, but reason alone is not enough. You also need to meditate. You cannot verbalize what it is like to experience enlightenment, and so you cannot write a textbook with instructions for how to reach enlightenment. Software is the same, it is difficult to put into words. For example, if I were to explain to someone why LINE is so popular, I would only be able to convey a generalized explanation. At the end of the day, it is the result of chemical reactions that happen in the brain, so there’s no concrete way to convey this to another person.

Instead of following the path of a regular employee, you choose to create your own path. Would you recommend for others to do the same?

While I believe people should do what makes them happy, I do think it is unnatural to be bound to a single contract, when there is a plethora of knowledge and lifestyles available in society. Essentially contracts are there to stipulate rules for a certain relationship, and so depending on who the contact is tied to, the relationship will be different. In my eyes, it is unnatural to have a relationship based on rules of a contract.

When I was a student, I once filmed a movie, and that gave me insight as to what it means to work. First you have a goal, you collect the necessary funds and resources to create it, you release it, and then you divide the profit among the resources. Since the goal is the first thing to be established, your resources come together, solely for that common goal. The Kurosawa group for example, changes its organizational structure every time they work on a different production.

These kinds of groups are composed of individuals that form a group solely for the purpose of the project. It is not an organization, but rather a network of individuals bound together by a common goal. Resources are brought in depending on the necessary creative abilities, and as society continues to use this process to create value, the tendency towards this process will only increase.

Lastly, can you tell us about your goals for the future?

I simply want to continue to make tomorrow better than today. In the end, material matter will disappear but knowledge is omnipresent and eternal, and I hope to continue to live a life of knowledge.