“It was from my beloved Kanagawa that I launched my first battle after becoming the Soka Gakkai’s honorary president, holding aloft the flag of truth and justice all alone.”[1]
—SGI President Ikeda
Following the May 3, 1979, headquarters general meeting, SGI President Ikeda and his wife, Kaneko, went directly to the Kanagawa Culture Center, which overlooks the Port of Yokohama and the Pacific Ocean. After stepping down from his post as Soka Gakkai President, Daisaku Ikeda broadened his efforts for world peace. The Port of Yokohama, which extends out to the world, perfectly symbolized his endeavor. In honor of President Ikeda’s enduring efforts for world peace and kosen-rufu, a photo of the port graces this month’s cover.
On the Port of Yokohama
This port was officially opened for trade with foreign countries in 1859, just one year after the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Amity and Commerce. The agreement opened Japan’s trade with foreign countries, making the Port of Yokohama a gateway to the world.
Conveying the Spirit of “Justice”
President Ikeda writes: “Kanagawa—specifically, the Port of Yokohama, of which the Kanagawa Culture Center commands a view—is a gateway to the world. It was here that I renewed my commitment to carry out Nichiren Daishonin’s injunction to propagate the Mystic Law throughout the entire world. And it was here that I took up my calligraphy brush and wrote the single word justice in Chinese characters (see p. 43 of this issue). I entrusted the small group of disciples at my side with the mission of passing on and conveying to later generations the spirit with which I wrote that word.”[2]
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