The following is from the November 2026 issue of the Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai’s monthly study journal.
He was a mentor of great warmth and compassion. He was a mentor whose deep love was tempered with sternness. He was a leader of the people, who loved ordinary citizens and placed his trust in youth. He was a fearless champion who stood resolutely against great evil with righteous indignation.
Now is the time for us to inherit the spirit of our mentor and prove ourselves to be his true disciples.
Ikeda Sensei lived his entire life dedicated to the path of repaying his debt of gratitude to his mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda, whom he always held close to his heart. This unyielding determination to fulfill his vow to President Toda as a faithful disciple was demonstrated on Nov. 5, 1961, the year after he became the third president of the Soka Gakkai, when he achieved the goal of holding a meeting that brought together 100,000 young men’s division members.
In October 1954, President Toda had published an essay titled “Youth, Be Patriotic!” expressing his fervent desire to see 100,000 youth united in the mission of leading people to happiness. At the time, the young men’s division had only about 10,000 members, making the goal of 100,000 seem like an impossible dream. But Sensei was filled with a burning resolve. He traveled tirelessly throughout Japan, encouraging one member after another to make that dream a reality.
On May 3, 1961, the goal of bringing together 100,000 youth was formally announced. Over the next six months, Sensei traveled across Japan to attend youth division general meetings in each region. Amid a surging tide of momentum, 100,000 young men’s division members assembled at the National Stadium in Tokyo. I was a university student at the time, and Sensei’s impassioned words moved me so deeply that I trembled with emotion.
One week later, 85,000 young women’s division members gathered at Mitsuzawa Stadium in Yokohama, pledging to carry forward their mentor’s legacy. Just three years after President Toda’s passing, Sensei had fulfilled his vow to his mentor in every respect.
Now, as we approach Nov. 15, the third anniversary of Sensei’s passing, let us, too, advance with joy and unwavering determination along the great path of fulfilling our own vows to our mentor!
On Nov. 10, 1981, during a visit to Shikoku, Sensei declared: “I will take the lead once again!” This declaration marked the beginning of a full-scale counteroffensive in the wake of the first priesthood issue (when Sensei resigned as Soka Gakkai president to protect the members against the evil machinations of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood that sought to control them).
Inspired by their mentor’s call, the youth division members poured their determination into writing lyrics for a new song. When they presented it to Sensei, he readily offered to help refine it. In the spirit of mentor and disciple, he worked with the young members to revise the lyrics, making more than 20 revisions, and the “Song of Crimson” was born. In every age, it is the youth and the people who herald the dawn of justice.
The mentors and disciples of Soka have experienced in their own lives the truth of Nichiren Daishonin’s words “Once you become a disciple or lay supporter of the votary who practices the true Lotus Sutra in accord with the Buddha’s teachings, you are bound to face the three types of enemies [arrogant lay people, arrogant priests, and arrogant false sages]” (“On Practicing the Buddha’s Teachings,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 391).
This month marks the 35th anniversary of the Soka Gakkai’s spiritual independence from the priesthood. Now, in this month when we also celebrate the Soka Gakkai’s founding, let us ring the bell of a new dawn and set forth on a hope-filled journey of kosen-rufu, advancing toward a new stage as a worldwide religious movement!
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