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Excerpt from “Daisaku Ikeda and America: The Reception and Transmission of Nichiren Buddhism” (Excerpted from Soka Faith Studies III) Daisaku Ikeda delivered his first university lecture overseas on April 1, 1974, at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In fact, exactly eleven years earlier, on April 1, 1963, the historian Arnold J. Toynbee had given a lecture at the same university. During a lecture that ran just over fifty minutes, Arnold J. Toynbee surveyed five t

Introduction On April 1, 2019, Mikio Matsuoka established the Institute of Soka Faith Studies with the aim of exploring “Soka Faith Studies.” In this paper, I will first clarify the significance of the Institute of Soka Faith Studies and then, in order to further invigorate its activities, present my own understanding of what “Soka Faith Studies” entails. Regarding the Institute of Soka Faith Studies, Mikio Matsuoka states on its official website that it is a research institu

A Theory of Scholarship Based on Faith as Articulated by the Three Presidents of the Soka Gakkai In this essay, I would like to present my reflections, from the standpoint of a research fellow, on the faith-based scholarship of the Soka Gakkai as explored by the Institute of Soka Faith Studies. The Institute is a research body dedicated to investigating a theory of scholarship grounded in faith as established by the three presidents of the Soka Gakkai. The first president, Ts

Congratulations on the inauguration of the Institute of Soka Faith Studies. With Director Mikio Matsuoka, I have engaged in numerous dialogues from the perspectives of Buddhism and Christianity, including the Daisanbunmei Publishing project Speaking about the Soka Gakkai. Director Matsuoka always takes Daisaku Ikeda as his point of departure. Without relativizing faith from a purely academic standpoint, he lives out the fundamental commitment that he, as a disciple, must upho

Reductionism in modern science has led to the specialization of academic disciplines. The humanities, which seek to explore human beings, have likewise become differentiated into specialized fields such as philosophy, linguistics, anthropology, and religious studies. Each of these fields examines particular phenomena manifested in human beings, such as logic, language, culture, and religion. However, if one seeks to investigate the essence of the human being as an integrated

The Institute of Soka Faith Studies has released a special interview video, “What Is a World Religion?” with Masaru Sato. In this video, Masaru Sato—author, former diplomat, and a prolific voice in the fields of religion and international politics—speaks about Soka Faith Studies III: On World Religion, published in November 2025. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including the theologian Hromádka and President Ikeda; the contents of Soka Faith Studies III; why t

An interview with author Masaru Sato, commemorating the publication of Soka Faith Studies III: On World Religion (Daisanbunmei Publishing), has been released on Daisanbunmei Publishing’s YouTube channel. Soka Faith Studies III includes Sato’s special lecture delivered at the Fourth Faith Studies Research Conference, “The Crisis of Nuclear War and East–West Dialogue: The Case of Hromádka.” Video: https://youtu.be/uT8gS6pD-Es

On Thursday, November 27, ahead of the Fifth Faith Studies Research Conference, we interviewed the author Masaru Sato on the conference’s theme, “On Human Revolution.” We also asked him for his impressions of Soka Faith Studies III: On World Religion (Daisanbunmei Publishing).

On Sunday, November 30, the Fifth Faith Studies Research Conference, hosted by the Institute of Soka Faith Studies, was held. This year, under the theme “On Human Revolution,” the conference featured research presentations by the Institute’s research fellows, together with special lectures by invited guests: the author Masayuki Maehara, and Hiroshi Kainuma, Associate Professor at the Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, the University of Tokyo. In the post-event qu

A review of Soka Faith Studies III (published in Japanese in November 2025) has appeared on Daisanbunmei Web. The book is a collection of papers based on the Faith Studies Research Conference commemorating the fifth anniversary of the founding of the Institute of Soka Faith Studies, and contains nine papers centered on the theme of world religion. Read the review here (external site, in Japanese): https://www.d3b.jp/npcolumn/22598

Our new book Soka Faith Studies III: On World Religion (published in Japanese), edited and authored by the Institute, was featured in Chugai Nippo, a Japanese newspaper on religions, on November 14, 2025. The book is a collection of papers based on the Faith Studies Research Conference commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Institute’s founding, and contains nine papers centered on the theme of world religion.

The third volume of Soka Faith Studies—the book series that brings together the Institute’s research results and the presentations given at its research conferences with outside experts—will go on sale on Friday, November 14 (published in Japanese). This third volume takes “On World Religion” as its theme, examining the history of the term “world religion” and how it has been defined. Looking back on how Soka Gakkai International (SGI), as it advances along the path of becomi

In November 2024, the Institute of Soka Faith Studies launched its official YouTube channel. The channel will mainly feature lectures and other content from the Faith Studies Research Conferences hosted by the Institute. Visit the channel here (in Japanese).

On Saturday, September 28, 2024, a research conference was held on the theme “On World Religion,” welcoming as guests Masaru Sato (author and visiting professor at Doshisha University), Tatsuo Haya (professor emeritus of Soka University and scholar of Buddhism), and Yasuyuki Aoki (standing advisor of Gakken Inc. and former president of Asahi Shimbun Publications). In addition to presentations by four research fellows, including Overseas Research Fellow Andy Nagashima, the con

First Faith Studies Research Conference: “The Enlightenment and Religion.” On Friday, September 6, 2019, a research conference was held on the theme “The Enlightenment and Religion,” with the author Masaru Sato as guest lecturer. A lively discussion unfolded, interwoven with paper presentations. This content is covered in Chapter 2 of Soka Faith Studies I. Second Faith Studies Research Conference: “Reason and Faith.” On Tuesday, June 30, 2020, a research conference on the the

On Tuesday, February 23, 2021, the Institute’s research fellows held the memorable First Soka Faith Studies Seminar online, discussing the principles of Soka Faith Studies. On Saturday, March 13, 2021, the research fellows held the Second Soka Faith Studies Seminar online, discussing the principles of Soka Faith Studies. On Saturday, March 27, 2021, the Third Soka Faith Studies Seminar was held online, welcoming Hiroshi Ichikawa, professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo,

Kenichi Miura, Research Fellow of the Institute, delivered the first public lecture, titled “An Introduction to Soka Faith Studies,” at the Daisaku Ikeda Thought Study Group (now the Daisaku Ikeda Research Society), established within the Institute of Oriental Thought at Higashi Nippon International University.

A review of Soka Faith Studies II: On Nichiren Daishonin was published on Daisanbunmei Web, the web magazine operated by Daisanbunmei Publishing. The reviewer is the writer Ayumu Hombo. It can be read at the following link (in Japanese): Book Review — Soka Faith Studies II: On Nichiren Daishonin: Considering the Soka Gakkai’s View of Nichiren as the Buddha of the Latter Day A review of Mikio Matsuoka’s A Study of the Thought of the Soka Gakkai, Vol. 1 was also published on Da

On Monday, November 4, 2019, a dialogue was held between the Buddhist scholar Fumihiko Sueki and Mikio Matsuoka, Director of the Institute of Soka Faith Studies.

On Tuesday, March 12, 2019, the opening ceremony of the Institute of Soka Faith Studies was held. The ceremony began with an address by the Director, Mikio Matsuoka, followed by congratulatory speeches from the invited guests, including the author Masaru Sato.