History

Bussho-Gonenkai was founded on October 30th, 1950. At the start of the organization, the two founders, Kaichi Sekiguchi and his wife Tomino Sekiguchi, vowed to the gods that they would never abuse the Lotus Sutra by using the teaching to satisfy any selfish desires.
Kaichi Sekiguchi held the first position as president and devoted himself to the mission of establishing a solid foundation for the organization, which included the starting of the annual pilgrimages to Ise Shrine and Mt. Minobu. In 1961, Tomino Sekiguchi became the second president. Our organization grew and many district churches were subsequently built throughout Japan. In 1986, Taiwan became the first overseas country to have a Bussho-Gonenkai assembly hall. Together, the first and the second president initiated the Youth Division on August 28th, 1960 and its Student Section on April 29th, 1967 in order to guide young members to become Bussho-Gonenkai's successors, as well as our leaders in the future. Noritaka Sekiguchi, the son of the two founders, is the third and current president. Taking over the tradition and essence of Bussho-Gonenkai from his parents, he decided to expand this teaching more widely by providing direct guidance and advice to members all over the world. He has also been vitalizing the organization by encouraging the younger generation to take more responsibility and initiative in the activities of Bussho-Gonenkai. From Japan to other countries all over the world, the teaching has been spreading and currently, the total number of members is over 1.8 million.
October 30th, 2005 marked Bussho-Gonenkai's 55th anniversary. The ceremony was held at Saitama Super Arena where more than 30,000 members from around the world joined together to celebrate the occasion and to share their joy and appreciation. It was broadcasted live to the district churches including Taiwan. The main theme for the ceremony was "Pass it on - Passing　on the True Teaching Makes a Difference in Society." All the members of Bussho-Gonenkai renewed their oath to continue the efforts to pass on the teaching of the Lotus Sutra for the peace and prosperity of the world.