Socium

Yozan Uesugi, an 18th-century daimyo of Yonezawa in Japan's Yamagata Prefecture, transformed a struggling, debt-ridden region into a prosperous, sustainable economy. Yozan's leadership style stood out among his fellow daimyos, as he prioritized the well-being of his people above all else. This led to a change to a prosperous and sustainable economy, free from debt with low living costs and a greater quality of life for the people. This conceptual paper explores Yozan's life by examining key historical events to uncover their psychological significance, employing thematic coding strategies. The research aims to assess Yozan’s effective leadership approach through a comparative analysis, incorporating both organizational and psychological perspectives. The goal of the paper is to uncover the key principles driving his leadership success and develop a framework that can serve as a guide for future leaders. In summary, the paper analyzed Yozan’s leadership approach, emphasizing the promotion of well-being through compassion, Zen and ikigai (one’s purpose in life). The discussion synthesizes the findings to offer valuable insights into modern leadership practices, presenting a leadership style grounded in simplicity, compassion, Zen and ikigai. Furthermore, the paper presents an effective leadership framework based on Yozan’s principles and methods, designed to guide future leaders.