In the brisk morning air on March 16, 1958, 6,000 youth gathered at the foot of Mount Fuji with second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda, who envisioned the occasion as a dress rehearsal for kosen-rufu.
President Toda, though battling severe illness, spoke powerfully: “Today, I want to bequeath this mission to you young people. I entrust the future to all of you. I’m counting on you—counting on you to accomplish kosen-rufu!” (The Human Revolution, p. 1895). He charged his most trusted disciple, Daisaku Ikeda, with leading the way in this grand undertaking.
Just a few weeks later on April 2, having passed the baton, President Toda died peacefully.
Regarding that moment, SGI President Ikeda later wrote: “I grasped that spiritual baton of the unity of mentor and disciple, and I ran with it. I ran and ran. … March 16 is the eternal starting point of true cause, when all disciples stand up to be counted. For me, each day is a day of fresh commitment; each day is March 16” (March 27, 1998, World Tribune, p. 11).
Celebrating the 62nd anniversary of March 16, Kosen-rufu Day, SGI-USA youth members and guests will gather across the country between March 7–15 for youth discussion meetings themed “One Youth. Infinite Hope.”
SGI-USA Youth Leader Olivia Saito said that the aim of these dialogue-driven gatherings is to awaken youth to the fact that they can bring forth unlimited potential from their lives, and be the source of change and hope for the world around them.
“We are convinced that one youth after another, advancing with this realization, will create a fresh wave of energy to counter the negative functions that are rampant in our world and create a new era based on infinite hope and respect for all life,” Ms. Saito said. “This is how we will stand up as successors of our movement in the original spirit of March 16.”
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