SGI Guam Ikeda Peace and Culture Center

The new SGI Guam Ikeda Peace and Culture Center opened in August 2022. Located adjacent to the Guam International Trade Center, site of the SGI’s founding, this 15,000-square-foot center features a main room with a 275-seat capacity. A stormwater management system, hurricane-resistant design, large fans, all LED lighting and a rooftop covered with solar panels make the center an ideal match for Guam’s tropical climate.

During World War II, Guam was invaded by Japanese forces on December 8, 1941. On July 21, 1944, American forces landed to retake the island. The fierce fighting that ensued claimed the lives of countless civilians and soldiers on both sides.^[1] As a testament to these events, World War II truck frames and tires were found while surveying the lot where the new Guam center now stands.

Ikeda Sensei resolved to make Guam a beacon for global peace. On January 26, 1975, 158 representative members from 51 countries and territories assembled at the International Trade Center for the First World Peace Conference, where the Soka Gakkai International was founded. In his speech at the conference, Sensei called out to the participants, “I hope that you will dedicate your noble lives to sowing the seeds of peace of the Mystic Law throughout the entire world.”^[2]

Today, the Guam center embodies the conviction of the SGI’s founding and of the deep desire of the people of Guam—and of SGI members all around the world—for the realization of world peace. The center features an exhibit on the mentor-disciple relationship that honors the Soka Gakkai’s founding spirit and the vow that underlies the organization’s global movement for peace.