Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944) was a reformist educator, author and philosopher who founded
the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai (the forerunner of the Soka Gakkai) in 1930. His
life was characterized by confrontation with repressive authorities. As
a teacher known for his warmth and consideration, he strove to introduce
a more humanistic, student-centered approach to education. He fiercely
opposed corrupt educational practices and was forced into an early retirement
as a result.
Later, he was imprisoned for
opposing the policies of the Japanese militarist regime. He died in prison from
malnutrition at the age of 73. In recent years his humanistic educational
theories have been attracting increasing international
attention.
Educational
Ideas
For most of his life Makiguchi's
central concern had been to reform the education system that, he felt,
discouraged independent thinking and stifled students' happiness and creativity.
He believed that education should serve the happiness of the students, rather
than the needs of the state.
His educational ideas, and his theory of value-creation (soka), which underlies
his pedagogy, are explored in his 1930 work Soka Kyoikugaku Taikei (The
Theory of Value-Creating Pedagogy).
Makiguchi's views completely contradicted
the logic of the militarist government, which sought to use education to mold
obedient, unquestioning servants of the state.
Religious Revolution
In 1928, at the age of 57, Makiguchi encountered Nichiren Buddhism, finding
within it a holistic philosophy that accorded with his own thinking. Two
years later, he and his colleague Josei Toda founded the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai
(Society for Value-creating Education), the predecessor to the modern day
Soka Gakkai and the SGI.
Originally a small group of educators dedicated to educational reform,
the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai gradually developed into an organization with a
broad-based membership focusing on the propagation of Buddhism. This happened
as Makiguchi and Toda became increasingly convinced that Nichiren's philosophy,
with its focus on the transformation of society through the individual's
transformation, was the means to achieving the fundamental social reform
that they had been trying to accomplish through their educational efforts.
Arrest
Meanwhile, in order to
garner popular support for its war campaign, the Japanese government imposed the
religion of state Shinto, with its nationalistic mythology and ideology of
emperor worship, on the populace. It also grew increasingly intolerant of
dissent. Makiguchi staunchly opposed these repressive actions.
In 1943,
Makiguchi and Toda, along with 19 other leaders of the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai were
arrested and imprisoned. In 1944 Makiguchi died in prison of malnutrition,
refusing to the end to compromise his beliefs.
Josei Toda
Josei Toda (1900-1958) was an educator, publisher and entrepreneur who, as second president of
the Soka Gakkai, revived the lay Buddhist organization after World War
II, building it into a dynamic, popular movement.
Encountering
his Mentor
Arriving in Tokyo from the
northern Island of Hokkaido in his early twenties, Toda found a teaching post at
the school where Tsunesaburo Makiguchi was principal. Impressed by Makiguchi's
educational ideals, he soon became his protege. In 1928 he followed Makiguchi in
his decision to practice Nichiren Buddhism. The two later co-founded the Soka
Kyoiku Gakkai, forerunner of the Soka Gakkai.
Imprisonment
When Japan entered World War II, Toda and Makiguchi were arrested and imprisoned
for opposing the militarist government's policies. In prison, Toda devoted
himself to the practice and study of Nichiren Buddhism, gaining a profound
grasp of its principles. His efforts brought him to a clear realization
that Buddhahood is a potential inherent in all life, and deepened his confidence
that all people could manifest this enlightened life condition through
practicing Nichiren's teachings.
Building the Soka Gakkai
On his
release from prison at the end of World War II, Toda began to reconstruct the
collapsed Soka Kyoiku Gakkai, renaming it the Soka Gakkai (Society for the
Creation of Value).
Toda taught that through Buddhist practice and inner-motivated change,
or "human revolution", all people can change their destiny for
the better. This message resonated powerfully among the many people suffering
from poverty, illness and other challenges in the chaos of post-war Japan.
Moreover, Toda's unshakable confidence in the power of Nichiren's philosophy
and his ability to translate the profound concepts of Buddhism into practical
guidance for daily life re-ignited people's hope and courage.
By the time of his death in
1958 Toda had built an organization of nearly one million members and laid the
foundation for the dramatic spread of Nichiren Buddhism
abroad.
Peace
Legacy
Toda is also remembered for his
uncompromising stance against nuclear weapons, which he termed an absolute evil
that threatens people's inalienable right to life. He urged the youth members of
the Soka Gakkai to work for the abolition of nuclear weapons. This stance, which
he declared in 1957, is considered the inspiration for the SGI's peace
activities.
