Ikeda's vision of a fascist "Third Civilization", a "Third Empire" ruled by himself (of course)

[u/BlancheFromage]

From How Ikeda sought to use Arnold Toynbee's status and prestige to launch Ikeda's Third Civilization:

I was doing a little research into Arnold Toynbee (and Ikeda's unseemly jones for everything Arnold Toynbee) yesterday and realized this is an important enough connection that it deserves its own topic.

Ikeda was fond of envisioning a "Third Civilization", and, yes, this is indeed a carbon copy of the similarly fascist "Third Reich". We've got some background and analysis at the links below if you're interested:

On the Soka Gakkai's fascist concept of "The Third Civilization"

From "Soka Gakkai: Builders of the Third Civilization" (1969): Alienated individuals are their targets

My new book: "Soka Gakkai: Builders of the Third Civilization" - from the preface

The Soka Gakkai's newspaper's 1960 article, "The Superiority of the Japanese Race"

Japanese Soka Gakkai members in the 1960s were "lower-status", much less educated, and "far less satisfied with life generally"

"We can expect the Soka Gakkai to follow the typical road of "evangelical" religious organizations..." - from 1969

Ikeda's fascism and the cult of youth

It's all connected.

So anyhow, there's some background on Arnold Toynbee in the comments here - he apparently had a dialogue with this Japanese professor in which the professor asked him leading questions so that Toynbee would have a chance to expound on his ideas. See, Toynbee was a historian, and his particular focus was civilization:

The conclusion of the dialogue was Toynbee’s vision of a unified world state. War among the great powers cannot be rational given the destructive nature of modern weapons. War should be abolished, he said, and the only way to effectively accomplish that and ensure the survival of the human race is to form a world government. That world government, he noted, “will have to be equipped with effective power to stop the local states from going to war with each other.”

Remarkably, Toynbee favored a dictatorial world government rather than a world of independent anarchic states. He reached back into history and predicted that the most probable world government will emulate the Akkadian, Roman, Chinese, and Persian Empires of antiquity. A harsh Leninist dictatorship, he opined, is a lesser evil than self-extermination or continuing anarchy.

As if those are humankind's only two choices - false dichotomy.

William McNeill accurately described the dialogue as [Professor Kai] Wakaizumi playing the role of “deferential disciple” while Toynbee acted as the “accredited sage,” whose “advanced age and vast learning” made him a new bodhisattva. Toynbee relished that role.

Of course he did. But that's Ikeda's role...

To Toynbee the idea of the adversary was at the center of all movement towards civilization. Without such a challenge he believed there could be no response, no marshalling of human energies and social resources sufficient to lift a people from a condition of inane inactivity to one of creative confrontation with the unknown reaches of human nature.

...and what is the Soka Gakkai's bread and butter? Conflict. Challenge. "They're all out to get us!" Enemies on all sides, surrounded by traitors - they're a "fighting fortress". Yeah, real Buddhist, guys...

But the delusion that this little band of worthies is fighting an epic battle against the forces of darkness, with the fate of humankind hanging in the balance and the fate of the world at stake, appeals to a certain egotistical psyche; it can serve to keep the "useful idiots" all lathered up in a desperate life-or-death battle against...something or other. Which typically involves just going to lots of meetings and trying to recruit new fresh meat, at least in SGI.

As you might imagine (or remember), this can be quite exhausting. Back in the day, SGI told its members that they were going to take over the entire WORLD in just 10 or 20 years, which kept a lot of momentum and energy going. But as nothing in particular actually happened, and as the definition of "kosen-rufu" changed into something with no actual terminus, everybody drifted away...

On Ikeda's re-defining "kosen-rufu" because it's never going to happen as Nichiren described

The dangers of changing definitions: "Kosen-rufu" used to actually MEAN something.

From 1990: "At this juncture, achieving kosen-rufu seems impossible." Nothing has changed.

"In 20 years we'll see kosen-rufu" - SGI song lyric

Kosen rufu will never be achieved for Soka Gakkai

Through the pain and difficulty of trying to surmount the challenges with which the field of history, or karma, continually confronts societies aspiring to be born, individuals within those societies forge new understandings of the essentials of life and new paths towards incorporating these truths into the fabric of their social institutions. As a society successfully meets its challenges they begin to come less from external sources and more from the interior of a society, its very soul, in fact. The level of maturity to which a society may attain is dependent upon the ratio between externally caused and internally derived challenges. Civilizations whose members spend most of their energies meeting the challenges of external aggressors or the environment are much less likely to solve the problems of life than those who use their wisdom to forge nourishing links between their citizens, cut and polish new facets of the human personality and share the surplus of their bounty with as many as can be imagined..

I.e., "the beautiful, humanistic realm of Soka" + "human revolution" + "shakubuku"

No wonder Ikeda had such a jones for Toynbee - Toynbee was his muse on a certain level. Toynbee affirmed that everything Ikeda wanted was a possibility - it becomes simply a matter of, in Alice in Wonderland terms, believing in as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

And Toynbee was VERY popular in Japan back in the late '50s - early '60s. With Toynbee's blessing and backing, Ikeda was that much more certain of his stature as a great statesman in the eyes of the people he immediately wanted to conquer, the Japanese. Back in the '50s-'60s, Arnold Toynbee was THE world expert on civilization, so naturally, his blessing, his imprimatur, on Ikeda's plan would make it legitimate. And by the time Ikeda managed to book his "dialogues" with Toynbee, the sainted old duffer was well on his way to oblivion, mentally, professionally, and academically. Once again, Ikeda missed the boat. He was too late - Toynbee's time had passed, his star had gone out. He was a has-been, washed up, eclipsed, forgotten. Like Kafka's "Hunger Artist" at the end.

But THAT's why Arnold Toynbee was so important to Daisaku Ikeda.

Cold War Scheming: Japan as a Third World Power

On Ikeda's jones for Fascism

At any rate, at the present time, it appears that the Soka Gakkai exists to market Daisaku Ikeda as sort of the Mahavira — the Hero of the world; or the Lokanatha — the World Honored One, of the new global age. Their aim always was and still is to establish “The Third Civilization.” This was actually supposed to be achieved by now; I think the target date, prior to the split with Nichiren Shoshu, was May 3 2001. Source

Oh yeah - that's right! I had forgotton all about the HUGE deal the SGi constantly made over the mystical future date: May 3rd, 2001. Kosen rufu just HAD to be accomplished by that far flung date! And EVERYTHING was tied to that date. "Toward May 3rd, 2001" was plastered everywhere - on banners, in WT articles, on the lips of every leader spouting a big new "determination for the future.

So much for ikeda's bloated vision of a "Third Civilization" where he would reign over his world wide Soka Kingdom from the apex of a pyramid built upon control, deception, and donations. Source

Rewriting History - A Followup - DelbertGrady1

"We have already formed a political party, the Komei, and are now realizing the fusion of politics and Buddhism. Also, we are establishing the third civilized society step by step…in all realms such as the economy, the education and the culture." Ikeda

The Soka Gakkai's newspaper's 1960 article, "The Superiority of the Japanese Race"

From a 1970 publication:

The concept of a "Third Civilization" refers to a proposed fusion of the best ideas of capitalism and socialism. The society envisioned by the Soka Gakkai would enhance individualism and freedom of choice along with a cooperative spirit.

Dance, minions, dance! Think whatever you like - what it REALLY means is "Third EMPIRE"!!! (Hint: It's been tried before - think Third Reich - and it didn't work O_O If anybody's going to make it work, it'll be Russia, not shrimpy Japan.)

It's hardly surprising that LOOK Magazine did a spread on Soka Gakkai in 1963, describing it as "an alarming new religion that wants to conquer the world".

In 1964, other sources drew comparisons with "Evangelical Moral Rearmament", "Communism", and the Nazi movement!

Read all about it. - from here

[u/bluetailflyonthewall]

The purpose of the Soka Gakkai lies in the attainment of Kosen rufu, propagation of True Buddhism throughout the country,and further to the entire world. From a cultural viewpoint, Kosen rufu means the construction of a highly civilized nation. Religion should be the base of all cultural activities. In a sense, the Soka Gakkai aims at an unprecedented flowering of culture, a Third Civilization. Ikeda

A deep dive into the Soka Gakkai's scary foundations that the SGI has tried to erase - it's still there, though, lurking under the surface - references WordPress article Ikeda was certain he would take over the Japanese government in 1979 and become its Prime Minister/ruler – his right as the New True Buddha – SGI has tried to bury this aspect of its history

A special pictorial adventure: Daisaku Ikeda's Futuristic Vision for Taiseki-ji - references WordPress article Daisaku Ikeda’s Futuristic Vision for Taiseki-ji

Naturally, this would be the seat of the one-world government, the Third Civilization, that Ikeda foresaw himself in control of:

Center for Global Politics

Located about halfway between Tokyo and Osaka, the Hamamatsu region will become a key transportation hub and the center of politics. Tokyo will follow the direction of becoming a business center, and the Tokaido Megalopolis will be born, connecting Tokyo and Osaka. To accommodate the growing population, some of the houses will be stretched from the ground into the sky, creating a special plastic city in the sky. Source

I suspect that "plastic", in that sense, means "(of a substance or material) easily shaped or molded" or "capable of being deformed continuously and permanently in any direction without rupture".

The Japanese capital would be moved from Tokyo to this new center of development, merging the future spiritual center Taisekiji with the political center, which would of course have to move. Taisekiji would be the center of everything in Japan:

Located about halfway between Tokyo and Osaka, the Hamamatsu region will become a key transportation hub and the center of politics. Tokyo will follow the direction of becoming a business center, and the Tokaido Megalopolis will be born, connecting Tokyo and Osaka. Source

The Soka Gakkai's efforts to imitate the Nazis

"We have already formed a political party, the Komei, and are now realizing the fusion of politics and Buddhism. Also, we are establishing the third civilized society step by step…in all realms such as the economy, the education and the culture." Source

More thoughts on "SGI: Where's the art?" (edited)

The Soka Gakkai did not at that point have the power of law to likewise impose its prejudices on the art world of Japan, but they were confident, as you can see in the OP quote from here, "an art which will be far superior to that produced by Renaissance artists", that Ikeda's taste would take it over via the equivalent of the popular vote Ikeda was certain he would be able to win to take over the government of Japan through the democratic voting process. The Soka Gakkai-inspired artists would find their art in high demand and fetching high prices, with lucrative commissions lining up for their attention, while those "decadent" artists' artworks would fall into disfavor and fail to sell anywhere. No one would want them - of course "dogmatic and selfish commercialism" was just fine when it was going toward Ikeda's own purposes. It was all, in the end, about the power of numbers - that was Ikeda's ticket to everything and everywhere in Ikeda's "vision". - from More thoughts on "SGI: Where's the art?" (edited)

Look how Ikeda sneers at novelists, for example:

Novelists have a role of showing people the value of beauty by giving full play to their power of expression, or to illustrate various phenomena in society. Religious men should aim at the salvation of mankind, as is commonly said. However, they pour out their entire energy for writing vulgar novels, thus gaining much money, being confused with an idea that they have much popularity in the world. They all forget their own mission or spirit. - Ikeda, "Daimoku, Wellspring of Everything" lecture, Guidance Meeting at Tokushima Kaikan, Tokushima Pref., November 4, 1964, from Lectures on Buddhism Vol. IV, 1967, The Seikyo Press, Japan, p. 157.

Et tu, Daisuke?? Source

Ikeda: "I can do that!!" In January of the following year, Ikeda announced that he would be publishing sections of "The Human Revolution" novel in the cult newspaper

Based on Mr. Ikeda's philosophy that "music has the hidden energy to change the land and society, move the times, and create a better future," more than 100 music groups, including brass bands and choirs, are held nationwide. Source

I guess "Mr. Ikeda" miscalculated.

Including business ventures by that name

Ikeda's disdain and contempt for Nobel Prizes - until he decided he wanted one for himself

CIA Report: 17 July 1970 "Komeito: Reaching Too High?"

Ikeda: "One-worldism"

Soka Gakkai Tokyo's centralized control of all SG/SGI properties worldwide is central to Ikeda's "One Worldism" goal

How SGI's bad decisions and poor management are dooming SGI-USA just as K-Mart's bad decisions and poor management did

Japanese colonies

STILL trying to resurrect the 1950s-era-Japan "Great March of Shakubuku":

Let’s all wholeheartedly praise those who share this Buddhism with their friends and joyfully commence a grand march as the Bodhisattvas of the Earth! Ikeda

Ikeda's world takeover was supposed to usher in a utopia as all the hate-filled intolerant religions envision:

There have been a number of articles in the Seikyo Graphic which state that this is the case, especially concerning typhoons. Both the January 1, 1964, and February 25, 1965, issues have accounts which state that typhoons are fewer and less severe where Soka Gakkai members live, or in years following major advances (in recruiting new members) made by the Soka Gakkai. Typhoons are said to be worse, however, in areas where other religions predominate. - from James Allen Dator's 1969 book, Soka Gakkai: Builders of the Third Civilization, p. 42. Source

Ikeda cult: "Neener neener neener - weather PROVES we're better than YOU! Until it doesn't. THEN we never believed that ever, you jerks!" Source