Memorial Services for Daisaku Ikeda Held in Tokyo and Across Japan
The memorial at the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo
On January 30, 2024, a memorial for Daisaku Ikeda (1928–2023), Honorary President of the Soka Gakkai and President of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), was conducted at the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo. The ceremony was attended by some 2,600 guests from various sectors, including business, academia, culture and the media, as well as ambassadors and embassy officials from 46 countries and territories.
The
guests were greeted by Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada, General Director
Shigeo Hasegawa and Senior Vice President Hiromasa Ikeda, who expressed their
heartfelt gratitude to the guests attending the ceremony. As a tribute to Mr.
Ikeda, guests placed white carnations in front of his memorial photo, and then
proceeded to view an exhibition introducing his life and achievements.
Guests attending the memorial view the exhibition about Mr. Ikeda’s life and achievements
The
exhibition featured Mr. Ikeda’s encounter with second Soka Gakkai president,
Josei Toda, who became his mentor, his inauguration as the organization’s third
president and how, under his leadership, it became the global Buddhist
organization it is today. It also introduced Mr. Ikeda’s call for the
normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan in 1968, his
dialogues with world leaders and thinkers and the educational and cultural
institutions he founded. Photographs taken by Mr. Ikeda, an avid photographer,
were displayed along with quotes from his writings.
On
the same day, memorial services for Mr. Ikeda were also held at Soka Gakkai
centers in 46 prefectures across Japan, with over 9,000 people in attendance.
[Adapted
from an article in the January 31, 2024, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun,
Soka Gakkai, Japan]
