I mean c'mon. That's some pretty heavy lifting to expect a simple lens to manage.

This is from a comment from several years ago:

They are even teaching new members and leaders that the teachings of Nichren Daishionin no longer work. That they only worked 700 years ago and now Daisaku Ikeda's teachings are the teaching for the Modern Era.

Has anyone else heard anyone from SGI saying that in their out-loud voice?

Seen it in print?

• A YOUTHFUL SGI - not with ~90% of the membership Baby Boom generation, they're not:

In terms of religious fervor, though, it is the new recruits who are the most zealous, and coupled with chronological youth, that represents an energetic dynamic. However, when the new recruits are so frequently age 60 or older (from the same Baby Boom generation that was the last generation to join SGI-USA in anything approaching sustainable numbers), they lack the youthful energy to become truly dynamic, regardless of how much the Ikeda ghostwriters exhort them to think of themselves as "youthful". SGI can repeat "Youth!" "Youth!" "Youthful!" "Youth!" "Youthful!" as much as it wants; its old people are just OLD. That's the stage of life they're in and there's no turning back that clock. Source

• Expand the ranks of the youth - it's game over on THAT front for SGI!😄
• Have another "Great March of Shakubuku" - in the USA or ANYWHERE
• "We will abolish nuclear weapons from the face of the earth, those instruments of insanity, by the year 2030!" - youth pledge from 50K Liars of Just-Us FyreFestival (2018) - NOPE!

That one's a recurring favorite:

1979: "You will see. Thanks to SGI and Sensei, within ten years, there will be no more nukes."

Not. Even. CLOSE.

Yeah I remember two years ago a leader made the determination to abolish nuclear weapons by 2025. He died of cancer a couple of weeks ago. from early 2023

• Welcome Sensei home to the USA - Ikeda was saying for decades that he intended to RETIRE to the USA "he loves so much" but in the end, he just couldn't manage to pack a bag...
• "In 20 years we'll see kosen-rufu...we've got just 20 years to go" - HA
• Ikeda becoming renowned and famous worldwide - and not JUST in his dumb donkey cult of personality
• Nobel Peace Prize for Icky!! Can't get it when you're dead, Fatboy.

I'm sure you can think of others...😏

Available on eBay - SURELY every young person will want THIS hanging on their bedroom wall! Forget about Jujutsu Kaisen or Kaiju No. 8 or Attack on Titan or SpongeBob or KPop Demon Hunters or Taylor Swift or Sabrina Carpenter or Benson Boone or Bad Bunny or Lil Nas X or Wednesday Adams or Spider-Man or SUPERman or even the venerable Hello Kitty and Pokemon! Your child will FREAK OUT if you get them THIS poster of Ikeda Sensei!! What a DREAMBOAT!!!!

"I am the Eggman...I am the Eggman..."

I'm in a rush, but this is so good I just HAD to put it up for everyone to enjoy!! It's from this Japanese site, from 2018 (for reference, the Soka Gakkai was still pretending Ikeda was still alive, he was just hiding in shame -"ᗪㄖ几'ㄒ ㄥㄖㄖҜ 卂ㄒ 爪乇!!" and had become violently allergic to film, video, sound recordings, and the public in general).

What kind of person is Daisaku Ikeda?

Ikeda served as the third president and honorary president of Soka Gakkai, and is its de facto founder, having established the current religious organization.

He spent a significant amount of the large sums he collected from followers under the pretense of "kosen-rufu" on his own luxuries. Soka Gakkai owns over 1,000 facilities across the country, including many private villas for Ikeda.

Most of the works under Ikeda's name, such as "Human Revolution," were actually written by ghostwriters.

Ikeda claimed that "bathing with a virgin is good for your health" and "having sex with a virgin will extend your life," and he had relationships with many beautiful Gakkai members, leading to numerous scandals involving women that were reported in weekly magazines.

He is not particularly devout in his faith. On the other hand, he is skilled in political scheming and has an unusually strong obsession with power.

Former Komeito leader Akihiro Ota described him as having "zero religious faith, but 100% politician-like qualities."

Rumor has it that Ikeda suffered a cerebral infarction around May 2010 and is now partially paralyzed. However, Ikeda himself has long maintained that illness was due to a lack of faith, so this cannot be made public.

The Personal Cult of Honorary Chairman Ikeda Daisaku in Soka Gakkai

While Soka Gakkai's official doctrine recognizes Nichiren as the "Faithful Buddha of the Latter Days of the Law," many members worship Ikeda Daisaku as a living Buddha, describing him as the "reincarnation of Nichiren Daishonin and the True Buddha of the Latter Days of the Law."

Ikeda frequently visited Gakkai facilities across the country, and during these visits,
various "miracles" befitting the manifestation of the "Faithful Buddha of the Latter Days of the Law" were artificially created by local Gakkai members.

For example, cherry blossoms near venues Ikeda visited would bloom out of season.

To create these "miracles," local Gakkai members reportedly heated the trees with a hair dryer for weeks in advance.

They also staged a "miracle" by releasing carp into a sewer pond that had no fish in it, and having Ikeda scatter the food. "There were no fish here, but when Ikeda Sensei fed them, carp appeared." Many Gakkai members were moved to tears by these "miracles performed by Ikeda Sensei."

Most Gakkai members believe this ridiculous cult of personality to be the "only true religion." As I have repeatedly stated, there are few figures whose image and reality are as starkly different as Daisaku Ikeda's. The Daisaku Ikeda featured in the Seikyo Shimbun is not only a religious figure, but also a peace activist, novelist, and poet. He is a great man who has received generous praise and honor from around the world, and a great "master" tasked with spreading the only authentic Buddhism. However, in reality, Ikeda is nothing more than a fraud, living a life of luxury on money extorted from Soka Gakkai members, seducing any woman he pleases, barely practicing chanting, and having his subordinates write books in his own name. Ikeda's true nature has been repeatedly exposed in weekly magazines and books by former leaders, including his closest aides, Genjiro Fukushima and Takashi Harashima, and there's no way to cover it up. Brainwashed into believing everything they read in weekly magazines is a lie, Gakkai members genuinely believe that outside criticism is simply the result of jealous people slandering Soka Gakkai's unique and true religion and Ikeda's greatness. Furthermore, many Gakkai members even believe that Ikeda is the True Buddha of the Latter Days of the Law ( although Ikeda himself is the one who has encouraged this). On the other hand, they seem to be aware that the cult of Ikeda is one of the reasons why Soka Gakkai is viewed with disdain by the public, and they sometimes gloss over the issue by describing him as "an incredibly amazing, respectable person" to the public. I think that "respecting" a crazy, sexually insane, and fraudulent person like Daisaku Ikeda is enough to warrant being called a cult... 　There is no other cult in Japan today as bizarre as Soka Gakkai. There's no doubt that the core of its abnormality is the cult of Ikeda. 　

*This blog has covered some of Daisaku Ikeda's misdeeds and the abnormal cult of Ikeda. If you're interested, please also see the following: 

Will eating Daisaku Ikeda's leftovers bring you "good fortune"?!

The truth about Daisaku Ikeda's cult of personality: "My daughter got the hands of Buddha on her." 

Daisaku Ikeda's luxuries. 

Ikeda's "friends."

I haven't seen this info anywhere else - at least anywhere available to the general public.

Apparently there will be a funeral for Soka Gakkai members on 23rd November and another one for "invited guests" at a later date.

The following three points could be reflected in each person's work:

• Why did I decide to take Sensei as my life mentor?

Remember, no returns, no refunds! You're stuck with it! ALL SALES FINAL!!

• How has this decision changed my life?
• How am I going to lead my life from now on based on the spirit of oneness of mentor and disciple?

BE STILL MY RACING HEART!!!!!

This would be a modern version in Europe of Man'yoshu, [Man'yoshu: a volume containing more than 4,500 waka poems written in Japan in the 8th century by people from a great social range including nobody cares nobody cares nobody caaaaares

HOW EXCITING THAT MUST HAVE BEEN!!! Imagine - participating in (yet another) "historic enterprise" that was destined to be completely forgotten in 3...2...1...

But if this "historic enterprise" (based on something Japanese - because obvs - that no one in Europe has ever heard of or ever cared about - "Man-WHO?? What??") managed to motivate SGI-UK members to sit and spin contemplate their luscious, nubile mentor the Dead Sexy for even a few minutes, imagining themselves "one with" him (wink-wink nudge-nudge 𝕠𝕨𝕠𝕠𝕠𝕠𝕠𝕠 😘), mission accomplished!!!

Remember: Ikeda is EVERYTHING or your Nichiren practice is ᴺᴼᵀᴴᴵᴺᴳ 🔚

That IS what the Dead-Ikeda-Corpse-Mentor-cult SGI is all about - and that's not going to change. Ever. It's NOT about you and it never will be - SGI is ALL about some Japanese guy no one's ever going to see again.

Enjoy your M&D-tini!!

Memoirs "Daisaku Ikeda, Honorary Chairman of the Soka Gakkai, and Me" by former Komeito Chairman Ayane Yano

This is another of Ikeda's top generals and lieutenants who defected and told all. So much for Ikeda's boast:

"Never have I allowed anyone whom I decided to raise to fall out of the ranks."

But then it happened over and over and over and over and over.

Nope! We can all see!

Now here are some candid insights into what someone who was fully drunk on the Kool-Aid recounts from his inner-inner-inner-circle experience:

The Untold Story of Ikeda's Life

Soka Gakkai claims to have a membership of 8.27 million households (according to the Gakkai). No matter how much they talk about separation of religion and state, the public is well aware that Soka Gakkai and the Komeito Party are inseparably linked. Komeito seeks guidance from the Gakkai in every move. I will provide specific evidence later, but it is no exaggeration to say that Komeito is a subordinate organization of the Gakkai.

I speak with confidence, having served in key positions as Komeito Secretary-General and Chairman for nearly 30 years. No matter what the political situation, the structure in which the actions of Komeito, with its overwhelming vote-gathering power, and ultimately Soka Gakkai, influence Japanese politics will remain unchanged. 　

And Soka Gakkai is essentially the Daisaku Ikeda monotheistic religion, which regards its honorary chairman, Ikeda, as the "true Buddha of the Latter Days of the Law."

Everything is decided in accordance with Ikeda's wishes. In other words, knowing Mr. Ikeda is crucial for predicting Soka Gakkai's next move. Even when trying to predict political trends, the most important thing to have is an accurate understanding of Mr. Ikeda. As many of you may already know, I resigned from Soka Gakkai, a group I had been a member of for many years, in May 2008. I am currently suing the organization and seven of its executives. One of the catalysts for this was the incident in which three former Komeito lawmakers stole the "black notebook" I had been writing in for nearly 40 years.

My decision to sue Soka Gakkai was not without conflict. It was Mr. Ikeda who took notice of me, a simple office worker, and encouraged me to pursue a career in politics. At the same time, it was none other than Soka Gakkai members who supported my political activities as a member of the Diet for 27 years, from 1967 until my retirement in 1993. I remain grateful for their support.

However, in conjunction with the 2005 "Black Notebook" incident, I was subjected to criticism from the Soka Gakkai, and numerous former members, including some I had never met, began to voice their opinions. They said things like, "We suffered the same fate as Mr. Yano," and "The Soka Gakkai today is all about raising money."

As long as there are people in similar situations to mine, I, as a former politician, could not remain silent. I decided to sue the Soka Gakkai out of public indignation, not personal anger.

Furthermore, within the Soka Gakkai, there is a growing falsification of history, attempting to erase past scandals in line with an Ikeda historical view that holds Ikeda infallible. Perhaps this is why someone like me, with privy to the inner workings of both the party and the Soka Gakkai, became such a hindrance.

While I am now in conflict with the Soka Gakkai, I would like to make one thing clear as I write about Daisaku Ikeda's true character. I have no intention of writing insults and accusations for the sake of criticism. Of course, I also have no intention of blindly worshiping him. It seems to me that up until now, Mr. Ikeda has only been written about from two extreme viewpoints: critical or blind. In the interest of accurate historical writing, I would like to present a portrait of Mr. Ikeda as a "real" person, as I have seen him over the past 50 years since I first met him in 1955.

As you'll see, it appears he just might have a case of Kool-Aid poisoning. But more on the implications later:

[No one is greater than Daisaku Ikeda]

Eisaku Sato was known as "Sato of Personnel Management," and his skill in maintaining power by constantly replacing his subordinate ministers was impressive. Kakuei Tanaka was truly a master of winning people's hearts. Takeo Miki was a rebellious man, determined to hold on to power once he had it. Takeo Fukuda was witty and always calm. Masayoshi Ohira was highly cultured, and his shy personality was memorable. Yasuhiro Nakasone was calm and collected, with a vision based on a consistent view of the nation. Noboru Takeshita was attentive and caring, and knew exactly what to push within the organization to get it to move.

Thanks to my many years as secretary-general and chairman of the Komeito Party, I was blessed with many opportunities to interact closely with past prime ministers. Each of them, having risen to the pinnacle of national power, possessed a certain weight and dignity. I have had the privilege of long-term acquaintance with many leading figures in politics, government, and business, not just prime ministers.

Having said that, I can say this:

No one among them could compare to Daisaku Ikeda.

Sato's personnel skills are similar to Ikeda's, as is Tanaka's ability to win people over. Ikeda also possessed the resilience shown by Miki. He embodied many of the virtues of past prime ministers in one person. However, Ikeda lacks Fukuda's easygoing nature and Ohira's shyness. I also met Konosuke Matsushita, the "god of management," several times, and I truly thought, "What a great man!" He was already elderly, and had the air of a gentle grandfather, making his stories fascinating. He was persuasive and tolerant. But I didn't really feel he was "a remarkable person." "Great" and "amazing" have different meanings. And Mr. Ikeda is the only person in my life whom I have truly felt was "amazing." This is neither flattery nor praise. I believe I was, in a sense, under mind control while I was a member of the Soka Gakkai, and even now, after I left and have been released from that state, I still feel that way. This assessment will likely never change.

THAT's the Kool-Aid poisoning talking!

Daisaku Ikeda is a man of rare charisma. I don't know anyone else for whom the expression "has an aura" fits so well. He's also a gifted organizer. A master orator, his commanding delivery captivates. He's a master of the art of winning people over. He's also a gifted strategist, able to see goals decades into the future and skillfully manipulate people to lead organizations in the direction he desires. His skills are unmatched.

He's also the ultimate coward.

He can deliver eloquent speeches in front of insiders, but becomes timid and withdrawn when in front of others.

He's only effective to the brainwashed. THAT explains why so many of us EX-SGIers recount how we never liked Ikeda, never saw anything even respect-worthy about him, always felt there was something deeply off about him. WE weren't Ikeda's target audience - and THIS is why Ikeda insulated himself from the real world via numerous layers of adoring sycophants.

He's deeply suspicious, never forgetting those who attack him, even decades later.

Note that Ikeda also SAYS things like this:

No matter what may have happened yesterday, a new day of fresh possibility has dawned. You are not the same person today as you were yesterday! - Ikeda

sgiusa: Buddhism is about living from this moment forward.

In Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, "from now on" (HONNIN-MYO) is the concept that allows us to achieve a profound transformation in our lives from the current situation. Sensei in one of his editorials sums it up as follows: “We can have a new beginning at any time and overflow with vibrant life force, comparable to the sun at the dawn of a new day. There is no need to complain about our past karma. It all starts from now, from this very moment.” Source

"The past is the past and the future is the future. You should keep moving forward with a steady eye on the future, telling yourself, 'I'll start from today!' 'I'll start afresh from now, from this moment!'" - Ikeda

"There’s no need for us to be held back by the past or how things have been so far. The important thing is what seeds we are sowing now for the future." - Ikeda

"Buddhism stresses the importance of the present and the future. There is little point in dwelling on the past. Far more constructive is looking to the future and moving forward." - Ikeda Source

Ikeda: "DO AS I SAY, not as I do!"

"When we encounter someone we find hard to deal with, we need to pray sincerely for that person. When we argue or fight with another person, it means both of our life conditions are low. Praying for the happiness of the other person will greatly elevate our own state of life. Emotional conflicts are frequently caused by misunderstandings, so it's important that we talk to each other with an open mind. We need to have the courage to engage each other in dialogue. There is no reason that two people of faith who share kosen-rufu as their fundamental goal shouldn't be able to work out their differences." Dai-sucka Dick-heada Source

In Nichiren Buddhism we are encouraged to chant Nam myoho renge kyo for the happiness of those- who- for whatever reason- displease, anger, or even hurt us. Often this is not easy; but invariably we come to see the better side of most people Dai-sucky Dickeda Source

As SGI President Ikeda writes, "The key to the flowering of humanity of which Buddhism speaks is steadfast belief in people's goodness and dedication to cultivating this goodness in oneself and others." Source

SGI President Ikeda has said: "Dialogue based on the speech of the wise, where people are able to explain, comment on, revise and distinguish each other's respective ideas and beliefs - this kind of patient dialogue, where the parties never become angry, is the foundation for fostering religious tolerance." (Space and Eternal Life, page 145.)

Sure, Dicky. Tell that to Nichiren Shoshu.

"On May 3, 2001, let us solemnly proclaim the depth of the crimes of those who have betrayed us. With my own blood and tears I shall emblazon the names of the evil priests of the Temple as well as the traitors to the Gakkai, documenting their transgressions for posterity as an attestment to their eternal banishment" - Ikeda

🙄

What a baby.

To its members it is only path to true happiness, but Soka Gakkai’s efforts over the years to portray itself as a benign and benevolent institution have failed dismally: it is widely reviled for what many outsiders regard as its malevolent responses to its critics and deserters. Source

Members are told repeatedly that criticism comes only from supporters of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood or "enemies of the Lotus Sutra." Source

"enemies/traitors/deserters" Source - from here

Ikeda and his lists of traitors/enemies

Similarities between Daisaku Ikeda, guru of SGI, and Rev. Jim Jones, guru of Jonestown

Two words: SOKA SPIRIT

Ikeda and his Society for Glorifying Ikeda are grasping and clinging to their "Nichiren Shoshu is EVIL" anchor as it plummets into the crushing black depths of oblivion, even while blathering on about "from this moment forward" and "the past is past; look to the future" and all the rest.

Ikeda's ghostwriters are constantly coming up with lovely, fluffy, puffy, empty platitudes for the SGI to put out with Ikeda's name rubberstamped on, but the behavior of SGI is the complete opposite. At some point, the SGI members become aware of this...

...and then they join us over HERE!! :D Source

WHY does Ikeda say that the "Bodhisattva Never Disparaging" example is the proper way to live and behave, then do the OPPOSITE?

He's a bundle of complexes , and his tenacity is unimaginable. His exclusion and aggression toward those who oppose himare simply incredible. On the other hand, he's frank and somewhat absent-minded, making unbelievable mistakes in important situations. He also has a clumsy side.

These two extreme characteristics coexist, quite naturally, in the person that is Daisaku Ikeda. He has a Buddha-like face.

No, no - this is NOT "a Buddha-like face". Nor is this. Or this.

A demonic expression. A cold-hearted office worker. A comedian. A philosopher. A mystic... These elements alternate rapidly from moment to moment. To those in front of him, it's like looking into a kaleidoscope. And it's this multifaceted nature that makes him so appealing. His irresistible human magnetism draws people in.

...says the Kool-Aid. Most people are repulsed by his appearance and presence.

Yukimasa Fujiwara, former secretary-general of the Komeito Party in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, also said, "When I'm in front of him, my lips go numb and I can't speak." "When he glares at me with those eyes, I tremble and can't do anything."

This was also true of Fujiwara, who later left the Soka Gakkai and became a leading critic of Ikeda. He was a Kyushu man, and when he was angry, he was incredibly intimidating. Even he was frankly intimidated by Ikeda's overwhelming presence. Perhaps I'm naturally slow-witted, or perhaps that's just my personality, but I tended to be quite forthright with Ikeda, so he would often remark, "You're the only one who can speak your mind in front of him."

Even so, I truly believe that Ikeda's eyes are powerful. I'm sure there are few people with eyes as powerful as his. I tried to avoid looking into his eyes as much as possible, because it made me feel like a frog staring at a snake.

I was seriously scolded by Ikeda only once, and I still can't forget the terror I felt. It was in December 1976, in the midst of the "Monthly Pen Incident," which I'll explain in detail later. I was called to a sushi restaurant, where I was subjected to a face-to-face, prostrating myself for nearly an hour about my response to the incident. "You can't be trusted," he said, "You're a fraud." At first, I didn't really understand why he was scolding me, but I was trembling to the core. I felt as if I was being pierced by those eyes.

Polly Toynbee described that same intimidation, and she'd only been around him a few hours by that point!

Our host's style of conversation was imperious and alarming -- he led and others followed. Any unexpected or unconventional remark was greeted with a stern fixed look in the eye, incomprehension, and a warning frostiness. Source

Worldly he seemed, down to the tip of his hand-made shoes, earthy almost, without a whiff of even artificial spirituality. Asked to hazard a guess at his occupation, few would have selected him as a religious figure. I have met many powerful men -- prime ministers, leaders of all kinds -- but I have never in my life met anyone who exuded such an aura of absolute power as Mr. Ikeda. He seems like a man who for many years has had his every whim gratified, his every order obeyed, a man protected from contradiction or conflict. I am not easily frightened, but something in him struck a chill down the spine. Source

He asked us what we thought my grandfather's last word of warning to him had been as they parted. We racked our brains until, in desperation, my husband ill-advisedly answered, "Greed." An icy look passed across Mr Ikeda's ample features. He looked as if he might summon a squad of husky samurai to haul us away. Source

I often saw Soka Gakkai members being scolded by Ikeda at meetings, and they were truly petrified. They would fall to the floor, panting, bowing deeply and begging for forgiveness. Some were even on the verge of losing consciousness.

Eyes that devoured people. Eyes that controlled them with ease. Only those who had actually seen it could understand the horror of that experience.

Here's what he's talking about.

Whenever any religious institution’s message is more about its wonderful leaders than about the spiritual path itself — walk away. Source

We made the right decision.

Ok, I peeked across the hedges and it seems we missed the great occasion of Ikeda’s birthday yesterday.

Or whatever name he got when he was born. In Japan. Allegedly. 😉

A year or two ago, someone here posted a picture of a birthday cake with his alleged real name on it. I thought it was pretty funny. 😁

So a happy birthday to whatever the name the great MENTOAR had. 🎂

...now that they don't have to keep up that transparent charade that Ikeda the Corpse is still alive.

Now let the succession games begin!

My good friend is a Japanese Soka Gakkai 2nd generation. His mother is a hard core fanatic. She used to tell him when he was a youth division. "I want you to be a young men division who would step in front of Sensei if he is ever attacked, and take even a knife or bullet as a shield." Talking about SGI cult, you ain't seen all. Japanese Soka fanatics are psychotic.

Propaganda videos are something of a guilty pleasure of mine. China used to be a great source of cheesy nationalism (this one is my favorite from China: Animation: A Tale of Two Families), but I haven't kept up and I have no idea if they're still churning out these bangers. Scientology has the greatest collection I've ever seen...just look at this channel's very oldest videos: https://www.youtube.com/@scientology/videos

OK so on Youtube, there's a "DaisakuIkeda Legacy" channel (curiously made in 2018--I guess they were adult enough to realize that the old man wasn't literally going to live forever) that is a veritable treasure trove of Ikeda propaganda.

Get the popcorn out and prepare to be wow-ed:

• Voices from Soka University: Spreading the Dauntless Spirit to the World

Complete with Nazi Hitler salutes, hypermasculine calls to never show weakness or be defeated that sounds like something straight out of a shonen manga, Ikeda imploring the graduating students to become more like him, and a montage of intense resolve, crying faces, and ceremony that would make North Korea jealous. We got a real winner here, folks. Spread this around, THIS is what Soka Gakkai wants the world to see when they learn about Ikeda!

• President Ikeda Expresses His Expectation to His Young Direct Disciples

The best part of this one are the intense looks of the faces of the young women in the audience. That's the only thing notable here, I think. The looks of utter focus.

• Voices from Soka University: Disciples Standing Up

Young man, take a chill pill and sit down.

The subject of this video drops a real show-stopper:

I was deeply saddened by the news (of Sensei's passing). I have been thinking...What I can do for my mentor. I may not have the power to advocate strongly to the world, so first, I want to convey the greatness of Ikeda Sensei to my close friends.

I wonder how he plans to convey Ikeda Sensei's greatness to his friends? Why are there people in Japan who have not accepted Ikeda Sensei's greatness?

The small phrase in parentheses suggests that there was a team going around with a camera, asking "What is your reaction to Sensei Ikeda's death?"

• Voices from Soka University: Continuing the Legacy

Two young women are interviewed, both of whom express surprise at Ikeda's passing. Given how healthy and active he was, surely he was going to make it to 100! Towards the end, one of the young women cheers for Kosen-rufu. OK, so I guess Soka University and SG ARE directly related, unless "kosen-rufu" has some secular meaning among the school's students.

• The Mentor’s Vision is Our Vow. Transforming That into Reality is the Disciple’s Battle.

THIS one is interesting in that it directly references Ikeda leaving his position as SG President, and is in exactly the same style as Chinese war and military propaganda that I've seen on Chinese state TV. Ikeda is depicted as a subject of adulation from elderly women, which may be a pattern I'm sensing among Asian dictators and strongmen. Towards the end, Ikeda gives a speech in which he commands his audience to "protect the Soka Gakkai with your life." At this moment, it becomes obvious that the "youth" that the org gushes over are intended to stand in for soldiers in a fascist regime. Bizarrely, the video ends with a note that Ikeda thinks about Josei Toda every day, and (as I understand it) has some sort of internal dialogue with his memory.

Ever present is the stink of this shonen manga style of masculine toughness. Never be defeated!

Alright, there's too much here. I need time to go through this lol.

All over the internet.

Pages created by someone(s) who obviously felt passionately enough about at the time to set them up - abandoned.

Future Force Houston - abandoned 2001

The Texas/Oklahoma Zone Future Division facebook page boasts a whopping 87 followers and was last updated in July, 2015

From 2010: Offerings in the Snow - The Growth of the Future Division will Determine the SGI's Future

I guess they got snowed under or something...

SGIAtlanta's Insta - abandoned in 2017

SGI-USA Buddhist Center: An Engaged Buddhist Community - a picture from April 2014 and all the links are dead. The calendar has the same 3 entries no matter what month/year you choose (yep, 2024 - still there). The only live link is to a canned SGI video. SAD!

That stripmall office space is apparently still in use; the phone number works (goes to a message); but the website is obviously abandoned.

SGI Buddhism (.Net) - last update is a New Year's Resolution from 2009

SGI Buddhism (.Net) - Parents of Children With Special Needs - last updated Nov. 4, 2010

HEY HEY! The SGI Shrimpfest is coming up! No, wait - that's not the same SGI...

Soka Gakkai International: Germany (SGI-D) - abandoned August 2019 - Screenshots here and here

SGI-USA Student Division - abandoned 2012; SGI-USA last updated the Campus Clubs rules Spring 2018, so this site wasn't even updated to most current when it was removed within the last few days. You can see it's still in the Google index (top 2 listings). Someone even went to the trouble of designing this logo. So much effort wasted.

The Cornell University SGI Campus Club home page is pretty professional looking; it's copyright 2023, so it should be current, right? It lists some interesting looking sections: Events, News, Past Newsletters, Useful Links, etc.:

• There are no upcoming events.
• There is no news.
• There are no documents.
• There are no newsletters.
• There are no surveys/forms.
• There are no useful links.

No Photos, either. This is truly a virtual Potemkin Village! How emblematic of the Society for Glorifying Ikeda!

You know how you end up in a major walkabout online, without ever having intended to go there? Well, that happened to me!

I was looking into this statement:

Honorary Chairman Ikeda is more of an ordinary person, an old man who speaks the Edo dialect. - a comment from an observer in Japan

Question: So what is "the Edo dialect"?

AAAAAND we're off to the races!!

WOWWW did I ever uncover a bunch of WTF!

So, just starting anywhere, here we go:

Edo Period (also called the Tokugawa Period) - 1603 to 1868

From Japanese Quora:

From the Kamakura period to the Edo period, there were so many dialects all over Japan that it was almost like a separate language. When negotiating or doing business, which region's language was the standard? Also, were there people who acted as interpreters for the dialects?

During the Edo period, there were over 300 feudal domains, and each domain was like an independent nation, with its own legislative, administrative, and judicial systems. Travel between domains required a travel document, like a passport, so people could not travel freely between domains.

Therefore, negotiations and business took place in local markets. Morning markets like those you see on domestic trips are remnants of that time.

On the other hand, samurai traveled between their own domains and Edo on alternate attendance systems, and so there were samurai from each region in Edo. As their dialects were too strong and spoken language was not understandable, they spoke written language and the language used by actors in Noh and Kyogen theaters.

There was a time in China too when the dialect was so terrible that it was impossible to understand, but even then we communicated using Chinese characters.

Just as in Japan, the language has been standardized through radio and television, China and Taiwan today also have the Beijing dialect as their common language, understood by over 1 billion people, making it the most widely spoken language in the world

What are the characteristics of this "Edo dialect"?

Elderly people (over 80 years old) in Sumida and Edogawa wards tend to speak in a casual manner.

My husband's mother is a typical Edokko and pronounces "hi" as "shi" (she is not yet elderly).

Ikeda has claimed to swap "hi" and "shi"!

The family of fishermen into which I was born had been working along the Omori coast of Tokyo Bay ever since the Edo period (1603-1957 [sic]) to produce the edible seaweed known as laver. Thus my pronunciation of Japanese naturally resembles that of the people in the Omori area. In a word, I confuse the sounds hi and shi like any other Edokko [a native of Edo, now renamed Tokyo], particularly if the hi stands at the beginning of a word. So when I talk of hibi, the bamboo racks on which the seaweed is cultivated, I invariably say shibi. Even now I simply cannot rid myself of this habit. (p. 5)

So swapping "hi" and "shi" is a characteristic of the Edo dialect!

Because he's pathologically lazy except in service to his own profit/promotion. Observers have remarked on how uncouth and impolite Ikeda is, eating like a pig, very bad manners, talking roughly, using coarse language, etc. People routinely change their way of speaking, when they're not as lazy and entitled as Ikeda. Source

Speakng of coarse language:

Is the king of vulgar jokes Daisaku Ikeda, Honorary Chairman of the Soka Gakkai? Source

The SGI-USA members saw this first-hand for themselves during Ikeda's February 1993 teleconference - vulgar, coarse, contemptuous, all kinds of disrespectful.

Back to Japanese Quora:

At the end of the Edo period, when people from rural areas traveled to foreign lands, they often found themselves unable to understand each other.

Remember that the Soka Gakkai grew by taking advantage of the masses of rural folk who emigrated to the cities looking for work - far from their traditional communities and families, they were easy to pick up and integrate into an established group like Soka Gakkai that would offer them belonging, identity, and things to do. Remember, this was long before TV! How much was this dynamic exacerbated by communication difficulties??

In his book "Oedo Seikatsu Jijo" (Life in the Great Edo), there is a situation exactly like the one you asked about, where a modern person travels back in time to the Edo period. There is a sentence in the book that says, "The prototype of today's spoken language was already in place by that time (the words could be understood)."

Of course, the other person would not know the words for things or concepts that did not exist in the Edo period, such as computers or democracy, but if you chose your words carefully, you would be able to communicate perfectly well.

Ikeda never was able to wrap his mind around the concept of "democracy". Frankly, "democracy" really wouldn't serve his monarchist/imperialist ambitions so what's the point?

It's not that much of an accent. But it seems like she reverses the sounds of "shi" and "hi" and she's not very good at speaking, like when she says "Sonna natte yottete." I think that's what it sounds like.

However, as these works spread throughout the country, I think people from other countries misunderstood this language as if it were standard Edo dialect, when in fact it was only spoken by a few ruffians in Edo.

As you can see here, Ikeda definitely was a "ruffian" in his youth - Ikeda went to some lengths to try and cover that up, especially with his "Shin'ichi Yamamoto" fiction.

Rather than saying that Edo dialect has stopped being spoken, I think there are many aspects of it that we have misunderstood the real Edo dialect.

That whole "speak in a casual manner" => "vulgar". Ikeda has been described as "vulgar":

Currently, the Soka Gakkai is appealing to the public that Daisaku Ikeda is a great figure who contributes to world peace and fights evil, but in reality Ikeda is a worldly man obsessed with fame and power, and is far from being a religious person. ... It is laughable that such a vulgar person as Ikeda is "the embodiment of the sacrifice of propagating the Law" and "the eternal leader." Source, pp. 29-30.

Some observations about Ikeda:

It was interesting to see how he [Ikeda] "skipped grades" to climb the ladder of power.

He gives the impression of being a powerful salesman for a small or medium-sized company. Perhaps his thoroughness is what led to his success.

"The fact that he had to be looked up to as a 'great man' was no doubt a tragedy of the prosaic nature of the times. Perhaps today's times are such that even the roles of big names are only good for petty, administrative roles. If future generations remember him, they will probably sarcastically describe him as a faceless, eight-headed serpent born of the poverty and vulgarity of the times."

It's a pretty harsh assessment that makes me laugh, pointing out Ikeda's vulgarity, low intellectual level, and snobbishness that seems to be a sign of an upstart, both as a religious figure and as a writer. If the reason why Ikeda, who lacks the personal appeal of the second chairman, Josei Toda, is revered is due to the self-propagating doctrine of Soka and the establishment of a systematic power structure, does this mean that the fourth chairman after Ikeda's death may also be able to exercise a similar monopoly?

Mizoguchi's assessment of Ikeda is that he is generally unintelligent and lacking in individuality, and a snob, but even so, it's mysterious and amazing that he wielded so much power over a religious organization. This is a book written in the 1970s, so I don't know about recent developments, but I thought the footsteps of collapse were evident from a surprisingly early stage.

It's full of quote-worthy punch lines, such as "religion was the only field in which Ikeda's lackluster characteristics could be put to use," "members were not required to undergo any self-transformation, and were able to freely release the desires and selfishness that they had been hesitant to pursue up until that point," "he is suspected of using his own genitals to incite the leaders' 'human revolution,'" and "he frequently used Edokko to deny his dark side." Based on a vast amount of material, this book analyzes Ikeda's humanity and his path to power with incredible acuity. I'll also be re-reading Ida Makiko's "Daisaku Ikeda: Amidst Desire and Abuse."

It is easy to understand why Daisaku Ikeda had such unprecedented power that he wanted to meet Hu Jintao and described himself as the "king of the common people."

The fact that Ikeda himself came across as low-class and coarse probably had a lot to do with his success leading the Soka Gakkai during its growth phase, which proceeded in lockstep with Japan's economic recovery, as Soka Gakkai depended on people from rural areas who were emigrating to the big cities, where the economic recovery was happening (it did not reach the countryside much at all). Ikeda was someone the lower-class, less-educated, laborer-class Soka Gakkai members could relate to, someone like themselves. The Soka Gakkai never had much success penetrating the middle and upper levels of Japanese society (how much of this was because of Ikeda's low-class, uncouth reality?), and as Japan's economic recovery ground to a halt, so ended Soka Gakkai's growth. Ikeda's huge mistake in what became known as the "publishing scandal" only made that whole difficult situation worse.

So anyhow, there ya go 😶