Soka Gakkai

The Soka Gakkai is a lay Buddhist association that originally began as an educational movement in Japan in 1930. Its founder, Tsunesaburō Makiguchi (1871–1944), was inspired by the thought of Nichiren (1222–1282), a Japanese Buddhist monk. Nichiren's brand of Buddhism has exerted a diverse array of influences on modern Japanese society, and according to some interpretations, this can be partly attributed to [Page 1193]Nichiren's nationalistic appeals. Under these influences there emerged a number of religious figures and movements in 20th-century Japan, the Soka Gakkai being the most distinct example. It grew into a gigantic and influential religious group after World War II. In 1961, the Soka Gakkai formed a political group that eventually became a political party, Komeito, in 1964. Komeito participated in the coalition government in 1993 to 1994. It reorganized as New Komeito in 1998, advocating both peace and humanitarian policies. Since 1999, New Komeito has formed a coalition government with the Liberal Democratic Party as the major partner. The Soka Gakkai organized its international network, Soka Gakkai International (SGI), in 1975 under the leadership of its third president, Daisaku Ikeda. Ikeda was born in Tokyo in 1928, and he joined in the Soka Gakkai in 1947. He served as the president from 1960 to 1979 during the period of its most rapid growth. He has also served as the president of the SGI since 1975 and as the honorary president of the Soka Gakkai since 1979.

The postwar recovery and development of Japan paved the way for the growth of the Soka Gakkai, which taught individuals to strive for “Human Revolution” through self-empowerment by encouraging them to believe in the positive power of the Lotus Sutra. Promoting a message that individual rejuvenation will inevitably lead to improvements in one's community, society, and the world, the Soka Gakkai has been actively engaged not only in individual empowerment but also in social activities, especially those related to the peace movement. Although it was formerly known for its aggressive proselytizing and harsh remonstrations of other religions, the Soka Gakkai now seems to adopt more moderate ways in its social outreach. In 2005, the Soka Gakkai counted more than 8 million families as its members in Japan. Ikeda has been very prolific in publications and active in the fields of education and culture. He has promoted dialogue with various world leaders, both religious and secular, and he has received numerous honorary titles from academic institutions worldwide. Now, the SGI extends to more than 190 countries and areas in the world, claiming 12 million members globally.

Interestingly, there has been more academic research conducted on the Soka Gakkai and the SGI outside Japan than within the country, and there are several publications written by leading sociologists of religion such as Karel Dobbelaere and Bryan Wilson. In sharp contrast to other Japanese religions abroad that often draw mainly Japanese residents and immigrants, the Soka Gakkai has drawn significant numbers of non-Japanese converts around the globe, and therefore, it deserves special scholarly attention, as Machacek and Wilson argue.

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