Adult and community education (or “social education”) for community development based on resident autonomy has an urgent requirement today. It is important to build a theory of the relation between community and people’s learning. This study clarifies Usagawa Mitsuru’s (1919–1970) theory of Kominkans and ideological background. Kominkans are community learning centers of Japan. He conducted research on Kominkans’ role in adult and community education.

  First, I referred to the brief personal history of Usagawa and re-evaluated the controversy between Usagawa Mitsuru and Ogawa Toshio about voluntary Kominkans. Next, I analyzed the background of Usagawa’s aggressive support for voluntary Kominkans. In addition, I examined Usagawa’s intention of emphasizing the theory of voluntary Kominkans centered on facilities similar to Kominkans as well as the theory of social education (adult and community education) facilities centered on public Kominkans.

  Given the above-mentioned considerations, Usagawa’s theory of Kominkans is based on the thought of organizing the affairs in adult and community education that take root in people’s happiness and exploring possibilities that Kominkans are dialectically equipped with a simple philosophy and an advanced form of public facility.