In a classroom at Houston Middle School, eighth-grade math students glance at calculators, pushing buttons and recording numbers on their papers. You won’t find a calculator on Taichi Kuriyama’s desk, instead the boy speeds through exam problems with ease and accuracy. First to finish the test, he gazes at the clock, not recognizing that there are 30 minutes to pass before the bell rings. Instead of telling time by the angles of the clock hands, he prefers a digital method of math calculation that gives him precision down to the second.
Taichi encounters the world in mathematical terms.
Recently, his talent led to opportunities to compete with the country’s top young mathematicians. In May 2016, the 14-year-old participated in the 2016 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition aimed at increasing motivation and rigor for mathematically inclined students. The competition, held in Washington, D.C., hosted 229 competitors, including five students from Tennessee. Taichi didn’t place but gained confidence in his ability to perform in front of judges and an audience. Before qualifying for the national competition, he placed first (as an individual) in the Tennessee MathCounts competition in Nashville.
“He is a superior math student, really phenomenal,” says Karla Templeton, the MathCounts sponsor at Houston Middle.
“Taichi has a brilliant mind,” echoes Houston Middle School principal Liz Dias.
“His learning process is much different from ours,” notes his father Juzo Kuriyama, a native of Japan. That process differs because Taichi has autism. At age two, “He lost all of his words,” explains Juzo, director of research & development at Brother International Corporation. “But he had a very high I.Q. with math and figure recognition. One year later, he learned the alphabet from A to Z by figure recognition, then how to make sounds. And he learned how to speak Japanese again. When he started to speak Japanese again, it sounded like a robot.”
At the time, the family lived in Japan. When Taichi turned three, Juzo and his wife Kikumi enrolled their son in English classes at Kumon. There, his friends earned gold medals while Taichi received silver.
“That was his motivation to start math.” The teen began Kumon math classes as an 8-year-old and completed the program in 2014.
During our interview, he replies softly to my questions in Japanese while his dad translates. His parents heard their son speak in front of a large audience for the first time at the state competition. Though Taichi doesn’t often share stories, they sketch his accomplishments for me. A flute player, their son once listened to an orchestra score, wrote an individual score for each of the 50 instruments, put them in a computer, and played the recording. Smiling, he enjoyed his new version.
At school, Taichi is the go-to kid when it comes to algebraic equations and number theory, says Templeton. In addition to a strong work ethic, he brings a sly sense of humor and forms strong friendships with his Robotics Team peers. “Taichi is a humble team player,” says Templeton. He develops computer programming for the team’s competitions and often studies programming in his free time.
The Kuriyama family moved to Memphis seven years ago and will return to Japan next fall. His parents have appreciated the educational experiences offered here. “His classmates and teachers have supported him very much,” Juzo says. “Without their support, he can’t achieve anything.”
What’s ahead for this math prodigy? In a few years, he hopes to join the Japanese team at the International Mathematical Olympiad. Then, he aspires to become a professional computer programmer. “Already he is a better programmer than I am,” his dad admits. “He is very fast.”
Templeton notes he is always willing to share his gift with other students. “He helps them in a compassionate way.” Turning to Taichi, she asks, “Did you know you were doing that?”
“Yes,” he replies softly. The answer, like so many others, comes easily.