CategoryOur History

May 3 is the New Year’s Day of the Soka Gakkai, a day when members in 192 countries and territories take a fresh step forward rooted in their vow to advance kosen-rufu in their communities.  The day commemorates the inaugurations of second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda in 1951 and Ikeda Sensei as third president in

Installment 5: Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land—Part 2

4/2 Josei Toda’s Passing  In 1958, after fulfilling every one of his vows for kosen-rufu, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda’s noble life came to a close. He was 58. Standing alone amid the ruins of postwar Japan and carrying on the final injunction of founding Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Mr. Toda rebuilt the

Installment 4: Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land—Part 1

3/5 Founding of the Men’s Division  In 1966, 750 representative Soka Gakkai members gathered with Ikeda Sensei at the Soka Gakkai headquarters in Tokyo to mark  the establishment of the men’s division. Sensei expressed his expectations of the men: “Become golden pillars supporting the citadel of Soka. … If the men’s division develops remarkably and

Installment 3: Declaration of the Establishment of Nichiren’s Teaching

Establishing the teaching for unlocking the great human potential of all people.

Feb The February Campaign  In February 1952, as the Kamata Chapter advisor, 24-year-old Daisaku Ikeda led the chapter in achieving the unprecedented monthly propagation result of 201 new households. To adorn second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda’s birth month with a significant milestone in propagation, he focused on each unit, the front line of the

Installment 2: Seeking Spirit

On Jan. 26, 1975, the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) was established on the Pacific island of Guam—the site of fierce fighting between American and Japanese military forces—and of countless civilian deaths—during World War II. It was then-Soka Gakkai President Daisaku Ikeda’s vision to make Guam the symbolic starting point for this international movement to actualize

1/15 Establishment of the junior high school division In 1965, meetings of the high school and junior high school divisions were held throughout Japan, marking the establishment of the junior high school division. (See The New Human Revolution, vol. 9, “Young Phoenixes” chapter)  1/25 Sensei declared ‘not guilty’ in the Osaka Incident On July 3,

The following excerpts are from The World of Nichiren’s Writings, a discussion between Ikeda Sensei and Soka Gakkai study department leaders on the life of Nichiren and context of his writings. They can be found in vol. 1, pp. 2–3. Katsuji Saito: To begin with, I would like to ask about Nichiren’s writings in general

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu (November) and the 30th anniversary of Ikeda Sensei starting to write The New Human Revolution (August) and presenting the poem “The Sun of Jiyu Over a New Land” (January). And there are more wonderful dates to celebrate

NEW SERIES! Installment 1: Vow

12/2 Ikeda Sensei Started ‘The Human Revolution’ In 1964, Ikeda Sensei began writing The Human Revolution in Okinawa, the stage of a horrific land battle during the Pacific War. The Human Revolution, comprising 12 volumes, took more than 28 years to complete, with over 1,509 installments serialized in the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun.

Ninety-two years ago, on Nov. 18, 1930, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, first president of the Soka Gakkai, and his disciple, Josei Toda, published the first volume of The System of Value-Creating Education (Jpn Soka kyoikugaku taikei ). This date came to be known as the founding day of the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai—the Society for Value-Creating Education. Informed

11/18 Soka Gakkai Founding Day  In 1930, founding Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, together with Josei Toda, published the first volume of The System of Value-Creating Education (Soka Kyoikugaku Taikei). This date later became known as the founding day of the Soka Gakkai. In November 2013,  based on his vow to lead all people to

10/2 World Peace Day  In 1960, Ikeda Sensei departed for his first overseas trip to realize the ideals of his mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda, and took his first steps for worldwide kosen-rufu in North and South America. (See The New Human Revolution, vol. 1, “Sunrise” chapter, and NHR-24, “Ode to Mothers” chapter)

The following installment is from “Nichiren: His Life and Legacy,” adapted from Ikeda Sensei’s series The World of Nichiren Daishonin’s Writings. It was originally published in November 2011 Living Buddhism, pp. 41–45. From the Editors Following the execution attempt at Tatsunokuchi Beach, Nichiren Daishonin. was detained under house arrest for about a month in what

Ikeda Sensei had been the third Soka Gakkai president for just five months when, on Oct. 2, 1960, he boarded Japan Airlines Flight 800 to Honolulu. It was his first overseas journey to spread Nichiren Buddhism. As the plane roared over the Pacific Ocean, Sensei placed his hand over his jacket’s inner breast pocket, where