Tanuki Systems

Freelance AI Engineer

A super AI engineer who builds with Japanese discipline.

Fifteen years of senior engineering, the craft of monozukuri, and the care of omotenashi — applied to AI products that ship and last.

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Philosophy

Japanese working principles, before code.

How I work matters as much as what I build. These principles shape every engagement.

Kaizen Continuous improvement

Small, relentless improvements every day, rather than rare and risky big rewrites.

Monozukuri Craftsmanship in making

Deep pride and care in how things are built — not merely that they work.

Omotenashi Wholehearted hospitality

Anticipating what a client needs and serving it fully, before being asked.

Hō-Ren-Sō Report, connect, consult

Proactive, transparent communication so you are never left guessing.

Shu-Ha-Ri Learn, adapt, transcend

Master the fundamentals, then break and reshape them for your context.

Genchi Genbutsu Go and see

Understand the real problem at its source before proposing any solution.

Capabilities

One senior engineer, the full AI product surface.

AI engineering

LLM apps, RAG, autonomous agents, embeddings, evaluation, and AI-assisted workflows.

AI infrastructure

Self-hosted vs API cost modeling, vLLM, semantic caching, scaling, and observability.

Full-stack web

Next.js frontends, backend APIs, databases, authentication, and production hosting.

Mobile apps

iOS, Android, and cross-platform delivery, through to app store release.

Cloud & DevOps

Cloud architecture, CI/CD, infrastructure automation, and reliable production operations.

Data & ML

Data pipelines, structured extraction, model evaluation, and AI-driven automation.

Way of working

Reliable, transparent, built to last.

Clear communication

Hō-Ren-Sō by default — regular updates and no silent weeks.

Senior judgment

Architecture and trade-off decisions drawn from 15+ years of shipping.

Craftsmanship

Systems built to be maintained and trusted, not just demoed once.

Long-term partnership

Ichigo ichie — every engagement treated as a lasting relationship.

15+ yearsSenior engineering leadership
Japan patentAlgorithmic product invention
40+ launchesAcross finance, payments, and AI
AI-firstFrom discovery to operations

Contact

Let's build something that lasts.

Tell me about the AI product, workflow, or system you want to build. I will help shape the scope, architecture, and delivery.

Email me