CategoryOur History

To see the actual timeline please click here. In January 1975, Ikeda Sensei joined 158 delegates from 51 countries and territories for the First World Peace Conference at the International Trade Center in Tamuning, Guam. There, the Soka Gakkai International was established, and Sensei selected as its president. It was not happenstance that the SGI

To see the actual timeline please click here. The end of the Cold War saw nations celebrating windfall “peace dividends,” slashed and repurposed military spending to fund education, sanitation, health care and the like. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, symbol of Cold War division, the icy walls dividing the great powers and their

To see the actual timeline please click here. The 21st century arrived on a tide of information. “The digital age” saw the rise of the smartphone, a palm-sized portal into events unfolding from every angle, everywhere on earth, at any time of day. Conversing with study department leaders in the ’90s, Ikeda Sensei touched on

To see the actual timeline please click here. Entering the third decade of the 21st century, Ikeda Sensei spoke of the time’s significance, declaring the next 10 years toward the Soka Gakkai’s centennial “a period of vital importance that will be a turning point for humanity.” Indeed, unprecedented challenges opened the decade—a global pandemic and

The 19-year-old Daisaku Ikeda joined the Soka Gakkai on Aug. 24, 1947, 10 days after attending his first Soka Gakkai discussion meeting and encountering Josei Toda. Three years later on this date, Josei Toda announced his intention to step down as the Soka Gakkai general director. In a heartfelt interaction between the two afterward, Ikeda

Chronicling the translation of the writings of Nichiren Daishonin and its impact on the members of the SGI.

Installment 17: Return to Kamakura

On July 16, 1260, prompted by the widespread suffering wrought by the great earthquake that struck Kamakura, Japan, in 1257, Nichiren Daishonin wrote his treatise “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land” and submitted it to the most influential figure in the government, Hojo Tokiyori. In this treatise, written as a

Installment 16: The Sado Exile—Part 4

Chronicling Sensei’s visit to Honolulu in 1975.

On June 19, 1996, during what was to become Ikeda Sensei’s last visit to America, the SGI-USA Florida Nature and Culture Center (FNCC), in Weston, Florida, opened. Nestled on 125 acres of restored wetlands at the edge of the Everglades, the FNCC is the site of various SGI-USA conferences held throughout the year for each

Chronicling Ikeda Sensei’s visit to Denver in June 1996.

by Naoko Leslie  SGI-USA Women’s Leader Just a month after his inauguration as the second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda established the women’s division to initiate the kosen-rufu movement. Seventy-three years have passed since then (June 10, 1951). Carrying on his mentor’s determination to rid misery from the face of this planet, Ikeda Sensei continued

Chronicling Ikeda Sensei’s visit to Anchorage, Alaska, in May 1983.

Installment 15: The Sado Exile—Part 3

Motivated by his unwavering compassion and commitment to eradicate suffering, Nichiren establishes the teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

This Month in Soka Gakkai History 4/2 Josei Toda’s Passing In 1958, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda’s noble life of 58 years came to a close. Carrying on the final injunction of founding Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Mr. Toda rebuilt the Soka Gakkai and achieved his lifetime membership goal of 750,000 households. (See

Chronicling the 50th Anniversary of Ikeda Sensei’s UCLA Lecture

After years of struggle, he had achieved the impossible. Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda realized his lifetime goal of expanding the Soka Gakkai’s movement to 750,000 households in late 1957. Alongside his monumental achievement, however, Mr. Toda’s health declined rapidly. In March 1958, sensing his life was coming to an end, Mr. Toda suggested

3/5 Founding of the Men’s Division In 1966, 750 representatives gathered with Ikeda Sensei at the Soka Gakkai Headquarters in Tokyo, marking the establishment of the men’s division. On that occasion, he said, “If the men’s division develops remarkably and establishes a solid framework for kosen-rufu, our organization will remain secure forever” (The New Human