About Soka University

We would like to introduce Founding Spirit of Soka University.

Be the highest seat of learning for humanistic education
Be the highest seat of learning for humanistic education

The founder stated that the true mission of Soka University is to create value and give back to humanity, and called on students to "be creative people."
Education at universities should never be limited to imparting specialized knowledge. The greatest delusion of modern people is mistaking knowledge for wisdom, and what is needed are people who can apply their knowledge to solve problems in an ever-changing world, while freely exercising their wisdom. From this perspective, Soka University aims to provide "human education," and to foster creative individuals who, based on a rich humanity, can sincerely tackle the individual problems facing humanity and exercise their wisdom.

Be the cradle of a new culture
Be the cradle of a new culture

Universities that were established in medieval Europe developed scholastic philosophy based on Christianity and played a major role in creating the Renaissance (the revival of humanity). In the modern era, in order to create a new global culture, a philosophy that once again integrates and properly positions all academic disciplines, reason, emotion, etc. is required. The basis of this philosophy is "human beings," and what is required is nothing other than creative human beings who are truly "cultured" and global citizens.
A global citizen can be described as a person of wisdom, courage, and compassion. Courage to respect, understand, and use racial, ethnic, and cultural differences as fuel for growth. Compassion to empathize with and show solidarity with people who are suffering in faraway places. Wisdom wells up without limit from such courage and compassion. Soka University aims to be the cradle of the construction of a new global culture based on the solidarity of global citizens, that is, creative human beings.

Be a fortress that protects peace for humanity.
Be a fortress for the peace of humankind

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda were subjected to harsh repression for their bold resistance to militarism during World War II, and Makiguchi died in prison. After his release from prison, Toda carried on Makiguchi's will for peace, and in 1957 he issued the "Declaration for the Abolition of Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs." To realize this philosophy of peace, our founder has engaged in dialogue with many intellectuals around the world and opened up exchanges between people. The pursuit of peace is the soul of Soka education.
Makiguchi pointed out that the "humanitarian competition" is the path humanity should follow in the future. It is not a military competition, nor an economic competition, but a competition to see how best to bring happiness to humanity. What is needed now is nothing other than the development of creative individuals who will take on this humanitarian competition. Soka University aims to be a fortress of peace that develops open dialogue with all people around the world.

Origin

In 1930, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, the first president of Soka Gakkai, published The System of Soka Education (Volume 1). "Soka" means the creation of value. The center of that value is none other than life. The focus of Soka education is to nurture people who continue to challenge themselves toward the "greater good" of peace that protects the dignity of life and who never give up creating value no matter what difficulties they face - that is, to cultivate such personalities, or "creative human beings."

Makiguchi's thoroughgoing philosophy of the dignity of life was passed on to the second president, Josei Toda, and then to the third president Daisaku Ikeda, who inherited Makiguchi's will, and founded Soka University in 1971 to realize the ideals of Soka education.

Guidelines

On the opening day of the school, the founder

What is the purpose of cultivating wisdom? Don't forget that.
Only through hardship and mission can the value of life be found

He gave the students this guideline: "Creative people are born from the hard work of sincerely pursuing academic studies, without forgetting the mission of world peace and the happiness of the people. This is Soka University."

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Soka University's mission statement.

Soka University Mission Statement

In 1930, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi published The System of Soka Education (Volume 1). "Soka" means the creation of value. The center of that value is none other than life. The focus of Soka education is to nurture people who continue to challenge themselves toward the "greater good" of peace that protects the dignity of life and who never give up creating value no matter what difficulties they face - in other words, to develop "creative human beings."

Makiguchi's profound philosophy of respecting the dignity of life was passed on to Josei Toda, and Daisaku Ikeda, who inherited Founding Spirit, founded Soka University in 1971 to realize the ideals of Soka education.

Be the highest seat of learning for humanistic education
Be the cradle of a new culture
Be a fortress that protects peace for humanity.

We have shown three of these:

Be the highest seat of learning for humanistic education

The founder stated that the true mission of Soka University is to create value and give back to humanity, and called on students to "be creative people."
Education at universities should never be limited to imparting specialized knowledge. The greatest delusion of modern people is mistaking knowledge for wisdom, and what is needed are people who can apply their knowledge to solve problems in an ever-changing world, while freely exercising their wisdom. From this perspective, Soka University aims to provide "human education," and to foster creative individuals who, based on a rich humanity, can sincerely tackle the individual problems facing humanity and exercise their wisdom.

Be the cradle of a new culture

Universities that were established in medieval Europe developed scholastic philosophy based on Christianity and played a major role in creating the Renaissance (the revival of humanity). In the modern era, in order to create a new global culture, a philosophy that once again integrates and properly positions all academic disciplines, reason, emotion, etc. is required. The basis of this philosophy is "human beings," and what is required is nothing other than creative human beings who are truly "cultured" and global citizens.
A global citizen can be described as a person of wisdom, courage, and compassion. Courage to respect, understand, and use racial, ethnic, and cultural differences as fuel for growth. Compassion to empathize with and show solidarity with people who are suffering in faraway places. Wisdom wells up without limit from such courage and compassion. Soka University aims to be the cradle of the construction of a new global culture based on the solidarity of global citizens, that is, creative human beings.

Be a fortress that protects peace for humanity.

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda were subjected to harsh repression for their bold resistance to militarism during World War II, and Makiguchi died in prison. After his release from prison, Toda carried on Makiguchi's will for peace, and in 1957 he issued the "Declaration for the Abolition of Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs." To realize this philosophy of peace, our founder has engaged in dialogue with many intellectuals around the world and opened up exchanges between people. The pursuit of peace is the soul of Soka education.
Mr. Makiguchi pointed out that the "humanitarian competition" is the path humanity should follow in the future. It is not a military competition, nor an economic competition, but a competition to see how best to bring happiness to humanity. What is needed now is nothing other than the development of creative individuals who will take on this humanitarian competition. Soka University aims to be a fortress of peace that develops open dialogue with all people around the world.
On the opening day of the school, the founder

What is the purpose of cultivating wisdom? Don't forget that.
Only through hardship and mission can the value of life be found

He gave the students this guideline: "Creative people are born from the hard work of sincerely pursuing academic studies, without forgetting the mission of world peace and the happiness of the people. This is Soka University."

Soka University Education Mission Statement

Soka Integrated Education is made up of schools ranging from university to kindergarten that belong to the Soka Gakuen (established in 1967) and Soka University (established in 1971), which were both founded by Daisaku Ikeda with the aim of building happiness for humanity and world peace.

The number of students (8,700) and pupils (5,200) enrolled in Soka University, Soka University Graduate School, Soka Women’s College College, Soka High School, Kansai Soka High School, Soka Junior High School, Kansai Soka Junior High School, Tokyo Soka Elementary School, Kansai Soka Elementary School and Sapporo Soka Kindergarten is approximately 14,000, and if we add the 8,500 who belong to the Soka University Distance Learning Division, 22,500 people are studying in the Soka Integrated Education. In addition, there are Soka Kindergartens in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Korea, Soka Gakuen in Brazil, and Soka University and Graduate School in America, which are all locally incorporated, forming a global network.

The founding principles of each school, as outlined by the founder, Daisaku Ikeda, are the fundamental guidelines for each school's education and will never change. Each school adheres to "humanism based on the absolute dignity of life" and aims to nurture "talented individuals with the intellect and character to create value in life and society" who aim to contribute to others while establishing themselves.
The founding principles of this school originated from the "Soka Education Theory" of Soka Gakkai's first president, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, and were realized through the educational practices of the second president, Josei Toda, and by Daisaku Ikeda, who realised all of the educational vision of the school.

Soka Integrated Education is based primarily on "human education" that aims to realize "lifelong happiness" for students. The purpose of Soka Education is human happiness, and to create people who build happiness for themselves and others. "Human education" that respects the personality and individuality of each individual and helps them realize their limitless potential is a requirement of the times. The school has formed a group of schools that are centered on students, with teachers and students respecting each other.

Secondly, the school aims to produce talent who are committed to the idea of peace and can play an active role in the world, and to "foster global citizens." In other words, the school believes that the prerequisites for becoming a global citizen are "talented people who possess courage, compassion, and wisdom," as is the motto and motto of each school. Through collaboration and exchange with overseas institutions, the school aims to deepen intercultural understanding, raise interest in "peace," "human rights," and "the environment" so that students can contribute to the international community, and specifically to enhance "language education," "information education," and "reading." Each school has programs for these issues that correspond to their respective developmental stages.

Thirdly, we aim to develop "creative people." In other words, we aim to produce talented people who can create the values that society needs and present healthy values no matter how difficult the situation. To that end, we place emphasis on liberal arts education, educating students to gain a deep understanding of the relationship between nature, society, and humans, and to acquire the ability to discover and solve "problems" on their own.

Soka University's integrated education is a community built by students, faculty, and staff who agree with the founding principles set forth by Daisaku Ikeda. In order to send out into society those who embody Soka University's ideals of peace, culture, and education, each school works closely together and has a recommendation-based admission system to ensure that the integrated education is effective.

In order to ensure that Soka University's integrated education continues to develop and be enriched in the future, an institution has been established to continually review various areas, such as educational programs, school management, and connecting education, and the school continues to make constant reforms in order to become a model case for integrated education not only in Japan but also on a global scale.

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Soka University was founded on April 2, 1971 with three faculties and four departments by Daisaku Ikeda, who inherited the ideals of Soka education from his predecessor, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, and his mentor, Josei Toda. It has now expanded to eight faculties, ten departments, six graduate schools, and two Professional Graduate School.

June 1964	Plans for establishing Soka University announced
April 1971	Soka University opens (Faculty of Economics, Law, and Faculty of Letters)
April 1975	Master's programs in Economics, Law and Graduate School of Letters opened at the Graduate School
April 1976	Faculty of Education, Distance Learning Division (Faculty of Economics and Faculty of Law), and Special Course opened
April 1977	Doctoral programs in the Graduate Schools of Economics, Law, and Graduate School of Letters were established.
April 1982	Distance Learning Division Faculty of Education opened
April 1985	Soka Women’s College (Business Administration and English Departments) opened
April 1986	Education Major opened in the Graduate School Graduate School of Letters
February 1987	Soka University Los Angeles Branch opens (now Soka University of America)
April 1988	Faculty of Letters
April 1989	Doctoral program in Education Major opened in the Graduate School Graduate School of Letters
April 1990	Faculty of Letters
March 1991	Ikeda Auditorium completed
April 1991	Faculty of Engineering (Department of Information Systems and Department of Bioengineering) opened
April 1992	Graduate Graduate School of Letters opens Humanities Major
April 1994	Doctoral program Humanities Major opened at the Graduate School Graduate School of Letters
April 1995	Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Information Systems Science
April 1997	Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Information Systems Science
May 1999	Central Tower completed
May 2001	Soka University of America (SUA) Orange County campus opens
April 2003	The Faculty of Engineering established the Department of Environmental Symbiosis Engineering, which was renamed the Department of Life and Information Engineering and Department of Information Systems Engineering.
April 2004	Professional Graduate School of Law (Law School) opened Soka Women’s College College changes its name to "Modern Business Department" and "English Communication Department"
April 2007	Faculty of Letters was reorganized into one department and seven majors under Department of Human Studies. The Graduate School of Engineering opened the Environmental Engineering for Symbiosis Major, which was renamed Information Systems Science Major and the Department of Life Sciences and Engineering.
April 2008	Professional Graduate School of Education (Graduate School of Teacher Education) opened
April 2009	Graduate School Graduate School of Letters International Language Education Major established
April 2009	Completion of Gymnasium
April 2010	Global Citizenship Programme (GCP) launched
April 2011	Faculty of Letters was reorganized into one department and eight majors.
April 2012	Faculty of Letters was reorganized into one department, 11 majors, and one specialization.
September 2012	Selected for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Global Human Resource Development Promotion Project"
April 2013	Faculty of Nursing established Department of Nursing
September 2013	Global Square completed
April 2014	Faculty of International Liberal Arts established Department of International Liberal Arts
September 2014	Selected for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Top Global University Creation Support Program"
September 2014	Selected for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Acceleration Program for Rebuilding University Education (AP)"
April 2015	The Faculty of Engineering was renamed the Faculty of Science and Engineering, and Department of Science and Engineering for Sustainable Innovation was established.
April 2017	Takiyama International Dormitory (for boys) and Manyo International Dormitory (for girls) completed
April 2018	Graduate School Graduate School of International Peace Studies Division of International Peace Studies established Department Department of Human Studies established Faculty of Letters Distance Learning Division Soka Women’s College College reduces its two departments to one and opens Department of Global Business Studies.
April 2020	The Graduate School of Engineering was renamed the "Graduate School of Science and Engineering." The Department of Bioinformatics Engineering was reorganized into Biosciences Major.
April 2022	Graduate School of Education, Education Major established

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This page summarizes the symbols of Soka University: the emblem, logo, and statement.

emblem

"A symbol of wisdom and soaring high spirits"

Our school's emblem, a "symbol of wisdom and flight," features a pen in the center and phoenix wings on either side.
The pen represents wisdom, and the wings of the phoenix signify soaring into the world.

Logo

statement

"Discover your potential" is Soka University's statement.
It conveys the meaning of being a university that unlocks the hidden potential of each and every student.

Branding Color

PANTONE: 2728CDIC (approximate color): C-267
Process colors (approximate colors): C100 M75 Y0 K0
RGB: R50 G60 B153
Web-safe color: #323c99
Marking film (3M)
Reflective type: JS-6625XL
Transmissive type: TP-3632XL

School Colors

Soka University's school colors are red for courage, yellow for mercy, and blue for wisdom.

Student song

Lyricist: Hiroshi Oki
Composer: Shinichi Kawakami

On the hill of azaleas where red flowers bloom
A white butterfly is dancing with joy over there
The campus is wide and filled with the scent of cherry blossoms.
Young people gather together in a green forest
A fierce blue storm blows through the sky
The white school building stands tall and dignified.
The secret thoughts in my heart as I take up my pen
For whom should I learn the ways of humanity?

If you go to the castle ruins where mulberries are ripening
I can't sink into a dream of prosperity and decline
Thinking of my parents, I look far away
A faint light leaks out here and there
When I look up, I see Venus and her wonderful light.
Burning in my heart is a heart of justice
The falling veil covers the earthworks.
For whom was this fortress of peace built?

Purple floats in the Musashino sky
Breaking the silence, the morning sun rises
If you stand up and realize that you are a student
Fuji in the distance, over the green mountains and the ocean
To you who pursues brave ideals
The peak of Mt. Fuji is dyed pure white and rises
As I walk the glorious path, I ask myself,
For whom do I seek the truth of life?

Playback of student songs (RealAudio format 424KB) Playback of student songs (Midi format 2.6KB)

50th anniversary symbol

As we approach our 50th anniversary in 2021, we have now decided on a symbol mark, which we solicited as part of our commemorative activities. This symbol mark is made up of the "statue of an angel and a printer" engraved with the words "What is the purpose of cultivating wisdom?" in the school colors of blue, yellow, and red, and expresses our "pledge" for the next 50 years as we aim to be the highest educational institution for human education.

Use of the 50th anniversary symbol mark

The period for using the symbol mark ended at the end of March 2022.

■Precautions for use

Do not use in a way that damages the credibility or dignity of our university.
It will not be used for commercial purposes unless approved by the university.

■ Prohibitions regarding use

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