Authordanen

Chapter Summary On July 1, Shin’ichi Yamamoto, at a young men’s leaders meeting, announced that the seventh memorial (sixth anniversary) of Josei Toda’s death on April 2, 1964, would be the start of the essential phase of the Soka Gakkai’s development. By “essential phase,” Shin’ichi meant the time when the actual work of kosen-rufu would

Chapter Summary On July 28, Shin’ichi Yamamoto attended the first all-Japan Soka Gakkai Writers Department general meeting. He appealed to them that the mission of the Writers Department is to expose lies and malicious reporting that seek to agitate the people, and “to forge a fresh climate of public opinion in which true peace and

Chapter Summary On November 23, the news of U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s assassination shocked the world. Shin’ichi Yamamoto thought about the thousand days that Kennedy had struggled as president. He determined to work to bring an end to discrimination and to create eternal peace in the world. At the November Headquarters Leaders Meeting, it

Chapter Summary “Great religion always gives birth to great culture” (The New Human Revolution, vol. 7, p. 1)—Shin’ichi Yamamoto believed that kosen-rufu is a movement to illuminate the hearts of humanity with the compassionate light of Buddhism and bring to blossom exquisite flowers of peace and culture. In 1962, Shin’ichi focused his efforts on cultivating

Chapter Summary On January 8, 1963, Shin’ichi embarked on his trip around the world to lay the groundwork for the future of worldwide kosen-rufu. His first stop was Hawaii, where he attended the Hawaii Conference, which doubled as the inaugural meeting of Hawaii Chapter. After urging the members to “unfurl the great banner of propagation

Chapter Summary Shin’ichi Yamamoto arrived in Paris on January 15, and, the next day, he attended the inaugural meeting of the Europe General Chapter and Paris Chapter. Representatives from the newly formed Germany Chapter also attended. Shin’ichi asserted that a sunny, early spring had come to Europe, saying, “Each of you is the sun, bringing

Chapter Summary On the night of January 23, heavy blizzards hit Niigata Prefecture, stalling 26 trains, six of which remained immobile until January 27. One of them was a chartered train carrying nine hundred Soka Gakkai members on their way home from a pilgrimage to the head temple. Their train was stuck at Miyauchi Station,

Chapter Summary On February 2, Shin’ichi and his companions arrived in Turkey. Looking back on the history of relations between Japan and Turkey, he observed that although diplomatic relations between nations are important, the ties between their people are fundamental. While in Turkey, they visited the Dolmabahçe Palace and other sites. The group traveled onward

Chapter Summary On a tract of reclaimed land jutting into Japan’s Hakata Bay, there was a shantytown that the locals called Dokan, which was considered a rough, unsafe area, inhabited by people who ended up there due to various severe hardships. As the momentum of the Soka Gakkai’s propagation efforts accelerated toward the goal of

Chapter Summary On June 2, Shin’ichi attended the Shikoku Head-quarters Leaders Meeting in Kagawa Prefecture. The day before, an anonymous caller threatened Shin’ichi’s safety if he attended this meeting. However, determined that he would protect the members—the precious children of the Buddha—Shin’ichi participated. The next day in Okayama Prefecture, he gave a lecture to district

Chapter Summary Shin’ichi actively fostered the members of the student division. In the April 1962 issue of the Daibyakurenge study magazine, in an editorial addressed to student division members, he clarified their mission to serve as trailblazers for kosen-rufu. He also began lecturing on Nichiren’s writings to student division representatives to help them become people

Chapter Summary Shin’ichi Yamamoto and his party arrived in Madrid, Spain, on the evening of October 15. He prayed earnestly for many Bodhisattvas of the Earth—the Pablo Picassos and Pablo Casals of the Mystic Law—to someday emerge in this country. The next morning, the group flew to Geneva, Switzerland, where Shin’ichi encouraged a couple of

Chapter Summary On October 30 and November 1, one week after returning from Europe, Shin’ichi Yamamoto appeared before the Osaka District Court in connection with charges brought against him in what had come to be called the Osaka Incident. The trial was reaching its final stage. On November 5, Shin’ichi attended the 10th young men’s

Chapter Summary On January 1, 1962, Shin’ichi Yamamoto led the first gongyo of the Year of Victory at the Soka Gakkai Headquarters in Shinanomachi. He prayed deeply to achieve total victory on all fronts. On January 13, he traveled to Hokkaido to attend a memorial service for a region young women’s leader who had passed

Chapter Summary Starting April 3, the day after the memorial service honoring the third anniversary of President Toda’s death, Shin’ichi Yamamoto set out on a series of trips to attend chapter inaugural meetings in Gunma, Niigata, Aichi, Saitama and Shimane prefectures, as well as in the cities of Tokyo and Hiroshima. Whether before or after

Chapter Summary After attending the May 3 Headquarters General Meeting, Shin’ichi Yamamoto had an informal discussion with top youth leaders. He proposed that, starting on May 3, the organization designate 1961 as the Year of Youth. In the second year of his presidency, he would focus on creating a fresh tide of kosen-rufu, centering on

Chapter Summary On July 4, 1961, Shin’ichi Yamamoto stood before the grave of his mentor, Josei Toda, and chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo three times infused with deep prayer. The previous day, July 3, was when his mentor was released from prison 16 years earlier. That same day four years prior, Shin’ichi had been arrested on unwarranted charges.

Chapter Summary On his first visit to Europe, Shin’ichi Yamamoto arrived on October 5 to his first destination, Copenhagen, Denmark. While on a bus bound for the city center, he thought of N.F.S. Grundtvig, the “father of the Danish renaissance,” and his young successor, Kristen Kold, who both worked to make higher education accessible to

Chapter Summary After departing Hong Kong, Shin’ichi Yamamoto shared with his fellow leaders his plans to form a general chapter in Asia. Sensing everyone’s surprise, he said, “First, we have to create a vision and then think of how to go about realizing it” (The New Human Revolution, vol. 3, revised edition, p. 68). He

Chapter Summary After burying the commemorative items, the party took a second walk through the temple grounds. Seeing places related to Shakyamuni Buddha, Shin’ichi Yamamoto’s thoughts turned to the life of this great sage who illuminated humankind with the vibrant light of his being. Shakyamuni was born as a prince of the Shakyas (a small