Posted Jun 18, 2000, 12:00:00 AM
Masako Yamamoto, wife of the Soka Gakkai Vice President Takamoto, wrote the following letter to Daisaku Ikeda on March 22:
Chairman Daisaku Ikeda, the beautiful teaschings of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism have been in decline in Soka Gakkai as you have destroyed many important 750 year-old teachings. Even the 26 admonitions, which is highly regarded by the followers of the Daishonin, was brought to ruin in dark clouds.
I have come to be convinced that you, Soka Gakkai Chairman Daisaku, are solely responsible for the plight of your failing cult. The leader you hand picked yourself has actually said that it's OK to have a Shinto talisman now! You have sent SGI-USA General Director Danny Nagashima, to the Ebeneezer Baptist Church to kiss the asses of the Christians there, and receive honors from them- including a bronze plaque which now decorates the church wall!
I want to address the police case in Japan, in which you, as a high-ranking Soka Gakkai/Komeito chairman, involved yourself in raping a sincere follower of yours and taking advantage of her good nature.
I was told that you, in an attempt to undermine the the world media coverage of this 7-year-old incident in its publications, brought the case to court. In doing so, you used the sincere donations of Soka gakkai members so that you would not have to appear in court yourself.
Twenty-seven court sessions were held over more than six years. You paid millions of dollars to hide behind lawyers and your puppet judge so that you would not have to appear. Your spoof of the matter was recently revealed by the court, and your dignity as the chairman of Komeito, and president of Soka Gakkai was lost. The image of Soka Gakkai was also horribly tarnished. We feel terribly ashamed. The world's media have covered hundreds of cases of arson, murder, rape and other violent acts committed by you, your political party and your followers. Nothing is more pitiful.
How would you like to be remembered in the history of Soka gakkai? You have heartlessly appealed to a higher court in this case. You are concerned only about yourself and your sex life. We SGI members don't appreciate your putting additional shame on us. I think that this is the time when you should take resolute action and resign. Maybe you should just get it over with and commit hari-kari.
It's unbearable to us that your indecent character will be further exposed to the public like it has in literally thousands of news media reports ove the span of 50 years. We don't want to see our president continue to be ridiculed. You should resign immediately.
I once heard the following story from my husband, Mr. Takimoto, who was the first Vice President of the Soka Gakki gave birth to in the 1970's. It was about the transfer ceremony that took place between the 2nd president Josei Toda, and you. One day toward the end of the life of president Toda, who was very ill, my husband was called to his residence to check on his health.
While my husband was in the waiting room adjacent to where President Josei Toda lay in bed, the atmosphere in the house suddenly changed. A ceremonial golden folding screen was brought into his room, and Nisshin Takano, a senior Nichiren Shoshu priest, and several of his leaders were called in.
Later on, my husband found out that what had happened: You forced everybody to leave the room while you sat alone with president Josei Toda, just as he was trying to talk. 5 minutes later you emerged from the room, stating that president Toda was dead, and he had chosen you as his succussor. You would not let anybody in that room until the body was ice cold.
No senior leader was in attendance to witness your transfer ceremony with the former president. Reports have it that you chose to become president and took the office- -- stole the position -- from another senior leader, 3rd president Hojo, who was to be the 2nd president. You have since stricken president Hojo's name from all SGI publications.
It seems to me that you deeply resented that president Toda did not nominate you as the next president before he died. Your grudge against him prompted you to destroy the hallmarks of his words and guidance one after another. Dark emotions coerced you to destroy even his most profound guidance. Not one of his words are observed in Soka gakkai. Members now are saying that he was a "dupe" and that his guidance was wrong. One SGI member even compatred him to a "kintergardner!"
When I saw a video of you pounding on the table at Santa Monica, in an angry rage, I felt as if you were pounding on the sincere members.
You also destroyed the Santa Monica World Culture Center for "seismic reasons" that you fabricated. You could not offer any convincing reason why the Ikeda Auditorium had to be destroyed, so you left it standing, even though it is attached to the former World Culture center. It is probably because it bears your name.
I wholeheartedly empathize with the following people in conjunction with the Culture center's destruction:
First, how would Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda feel about its destruction? How do all the senior leaders and their family members who made offerings for the construction of the culture center feel about its destruction?
Second, how does the sincere members, who initiated the World Culture center's construction feel?
Third, how does third president President Hojo, who put his life into Soka gakkai, trying to reply to the high expectations that were placed upon him by all these people, feel now?
Foolish as I am, I can never forget seeing you fly into a rage and pound on the table on that video, at the world Culture Center that you have destroyed. I can't resist crying each time I recall that sight.
The sincere members built the World Culture Center with solid concrete to protect the Gohonzon and members from any possible fire or earthquake. The World Culture center was built based upon financial support from 1 million believers' pure hearts. It was the religious edifice of the decade, made with world-renowned materials including Greek marble and $5000 chandeleirs. Not to mention the luxury room that was built for your exclusive comfort.
The Soka Gakkai was initially formed, embraced by the mercy of the 1st president Makigucci, with President Josei Toda as its leader. We Soka Gakkai members felt a great honor to participate in making offerings for the construction of the World culture center.
One day, a number of cartons containing tens of thousands of savings boxes for offerings for the WCC were delivered to our house. These boxes piled up high in the house. Perching on the boxes, a warbler chirped "greedy-cult." I thought that it was a strange omen. I toiled together with fellow SGI members to deliver all those boxes containing millions of dollars to you, chairman Ikeda. Those were days when you were overflowing with cash.
In the days of the former president Josei Toda, it was indeed a undemocatic thing to take a position in the Soka gakkai, since it was based upon an appointment system. However, these days, when we are assigned to a new position, the certificate we receive says, "You are now hereby appointed to the position of--." The wording in the certificate sounds like a lord giving an order to his subject.
When president Josei Toda was in office, it was a great pleasure to visit the SGI kaikans. But nowadays, we don't want to go to kaikans. I don't feel like paying a visit to the kaikans, where leaders always are giving us fake smiles while asking for money.
They always look nervous and give me the impression that they are hiding something. They are always telling us to pray for the high priest to die and for temples to be closed. We do not want to use our sincere prayers for such warped and intolerant ideas. We don't want to sit at meetings where the skits are put on with charactors such as Hitler and other evil people are depicted.
Not only that, the current SGI-USA General Director shows up occasionally at the Ebeneezer Baptrist Church donning Christian preacher ROBES, as he accepts yet another honour in YOUR NAME!!!
Dear SGI members, don't you care that the correct faith of Nichiren Daishonin is being lost?
President Daisaku Ikeda, for the first 10 years while you served as Soka gakkai Komeito chairman, you were deeply involved in litigation against many political groups over the issue of your legitimacy as chairman as well as many scandals involving millions and millions of dollars. You finally resigned your legal position as chairman, but you still command the komeito.
For the last six years, you were involved in the court case over the rape of a young woman. And you have appealed to a higher court on this matter. I have never seen a Soka gakkai president like you, one who is never free from legal complications.
My dear SGI members, this is the time for us to recall Nichiren Daishonin's teaching that we will get the same punishment as slanderers unless we rebuke them. Let's request Soka Gakkai Komeito chairman Daisaku to resign as soon as possible. I don't want to hear about another SGI member dying from an airplane crash, hang glider accident, cancer, etc. or getting beat up by gang bangers simply for trying to help somebody.
Chairman Daisaku, you have built gorgeous mansions all over the world so that you may stay anywhere in comfort and meet with your communist and socialist friends. You jet all over the world to meet with the champions of human rights abuses. You kiss the asses of the most henious tyrants the world will ever know.
You nonchalantly spend $40,000-50,000 for extremely expensive Italian silk suits and Gucci shoes for yourself.
I wonder if Heaven cast such money upon you. No, the money you have been spending for yourself all came from the sincere offerings of lay believers. I urge all Soka Gakkai members to open their eyes and judge things correctly with the sharpened eyes of faith.
My husband, a Vice President of the Soka gakkai, entrusted the funds for the construction of the World Culture center to you, chairman Ikeda, who was then in charge of all Nichiren Shoshu lay societies. Over 1.5 million dollars came up missing. You offered no excuse. You simply smiled smugly.
I must convey my deepest anger and sorrow over your conduct -- that you decided all by yourself to needlessly destroy the orld Culture center, which was built totally through the sincere faith of Soka gakkai members. It was meant to be a great edifice for many centuries to come.
Blessed with an extended life span, thanks to faith in the Daishonin's Buddhism, I am still alive at age 80. All the members of the SGI-Komeito, please take what I wrote here as a sincere old believer's heartfelt cry.
I am ready to sacrifice myself for Buddhism at any time. With this resolution, I wrote this letter to refute the slander of SGI-Komeito chairman Daisaku.
Most respectfully,
masako Takamoto
A former follower of chairman Daisaku Ikeda
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