Sensei Dr. Tereza Choko Ito is the founder of the Shinri Association of Brazil and a member of the first graduating class of Osatoshi therapists in Gunma, Japan.
Dr. Choko Tereza Ito’s journey has taken her from Brazil to Japan and Thailand, and from a career in engineering to a life devoted to spiritual study and teaching.
Born on July 3, 1954, in Rio de Janeiro, she graduated in Chemical Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in 1979. She continued her studies in Japan, earning a doctorate in Metallurgical Engineering from Tohoku University in 1987.
In Japan, Dr. Choko met her husband, who was pursuing a doctorate in Electronic Engineering. They later moved to Bangkok, where she taught engineering at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology for 18 years. Thailand became their home and an important setting for her spiritual journey.
Her Spiritual Path
Raised Catholic, Dr. Choko went on to explore several spiritual traditions. She was a member of Seicho-no-Ie, a Japanese spiritual movement whose teachings emphasize the divine nature of life and the unity underlying different religions.
She later joined Sukyo Mahikari, a Japanese spiritual movement centered on receiving and sharing what it calls True Light as a practice of spiritual purification. Dr. Choko helped establish its center in Thailand and served as a leader of the Bangkok dojo for three years. She also spent three years studying Kardecism, alongside Japanese religious traditions.
These experiences shaped her search for spiritual understanding and eventually led her to Osatoshi.
A Personal Turning Point
Dr. Choko has shared that she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, described in her account as grade 3. She received Osatoshi treatment during that period and later experienced remission. The experience deepened her commitment to spiritual study and teaching.
Teaching Across Cultures
Dr. Choko became a member of the Association for Study of Truth = Law of God, also known as Shinri, and later took responsibility for its international section. On February 24, 2013, Master Masao Utsumi officially appointed her as a representative of the international section and a seminar instructor authorized to teach its study classes outside Japan.
Her ability to connect across cultures has been central to that work. She speaks Portuguese, Japanese, English, and Thai, and also communicates in Spanish. As Shinri’s teachings reach more people internationally, Dr. Choko hopes to bring Osatoshi to more Spanish-speaking communities and, eventually, to English-speaking audiences as well.
Books and Continuing Work
In 2013, Dr. Choko published あなたを幸せ一杯にする本—freely translated as The Book That Fills You with Happiness. Her book O Livro que Salva os Espíritos (The Book of Saving Spirits) was first published in 2015 and became study material for Shinri classes.
Today, Dr. Choko lives in Thailand with her husband and son. She teaches online and travels internationally to lead courses, particularly in Brazil. Among the many students she has taught there are people who now practice Osatoshi as therapists themselves.
From engineering classrooms to spiritual seminars, teaching has been a thread throughout Dr. Choko’s life. She continues to share what she has learned with people seeking a deeper understanding of Osatoshi and their own spiritual path.