Finding Shin'ichi Yamamoto

The following is an excerpt from the Human Revolution where President Ikeda had been asked by a schoolmate to attend a Youth Meeting. Before entering the meeting, they had heard a "husky but spirited voice." This was the voice of Josei Toda. He was finishing a lecture on “Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land” when the youth arrived. At the meeting’s end, Daisaku Ikeda, who was 19 at the time, had asked three questions of Toda, all which he answered with clarity and conviction.

Although the young Daisaku did not fully understand this feeling he had after this encounter with Toda, it led him to decide to try Nichiren Buddhism. The scene begins after the meeting while Sensei is speaking to his schoolmates:


Yamamoto said to them, "Goethe, whom we read together yesterday says that one must not walk simply to reach a destination. Each step must be a destination in itself and have its own meaning and value. I now strongly feel what he meant by those words. Tonight, I have had a glimpse into the world of Buddhism. I am going to try to find out what it is like—I strongly feel this way."

The two young men kept silent.

Conversion—it felt to him like being restricted to entering an unknown world. He was overwhelmed with mixed feelings and an obscure anxiety. But the shock he received that night was indescribable.

He did not care about the formalities of conversion. The philosophy of Bergson melted away into a remote world of ideology. But, strangely enough, he felt very close to Josei Toda.

Sunday, August 24, ten days later, Shin'ichi Yamamoto received the Gohonzon. He could not conceal his complex feelings. He was used to thinking over matters seriously and devotedly, but he did not have a stout constitution. It worried him. He had to fight disease everyday, and therefore he must have been anxious as to whether he could devote himself to the practice of Buddhism and religious reformation throughout his life (p.234).


As we know, Sensei overcame his anxiety toward embracing Buddhism, and became the catalyst to spread this humanistic philosophy to over 190 different countries and territories. He also overcame his bout with tuberculosis and has become healthy. What if Sensei's schoolmate had not asked him to go to this "youth gathering"? We have no organization to speak of.

During this month of August, the 60th anniversary of Sensei encountering this Buddhism and Josei Toda, let's spare no effort in finding the Shin'ichi Yamamoto of the United States.

Kimmy, Nathan and Vinessa