- Ikeda Research Institute for Soka Education Top Page
- About the Institute
- Greetings from the Director
Greetings from the Director
Greetings from the Director
Conveying Soka University's founding spirit to future generations, sharing the ideas and practices of Soka Education with the world
Ikeda Research Institute for Soka Education (IRISE)
Director：Junichi Kanzaka（Faculty of Economics Professor）
Director：Junichi Kanzaka（Faculty of Economics Professor）
The Soka Education Research Institute was renamed the “Ikeda Research Institute for Soka Education (IRISE)” and made a fresh start from April 2020. The mission of the institute is to convey Soka University’s founding spirit to future generations, and to share the ideals and practices of Soka Education with the world.
To date, as a center for the study of the ideals and practices of Soka Education, we have organized, collected, and preserved publications and documents related to Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda, the progenitors of Soka Education, as well as Soka University Founder Daisaku Ikeda.
Further, faculty members of the institute have overseen the university subject courses related to Soka Education, in which they examine, together with students, the ideals and founding spirit of Soka Education from an academic perspective. Traditionally, at Soka University, the founding spirit has been passed down through the interaction between faculty members and the student body, as well as in the relationships between seniors and juniors. Based on this spirit, many students and graduates are taking action to contribute to society. At the same time, I feel that it is necessary to discuss the founding spirit and the philosophy of Soka Education from a more academic perspective. Building on these traditions, I hope each student will find his or her own way of life.
I also believe it is necessary to share widely the ideal of global citizenship that has been cultivated within Soka educational institutions. Therefore, from the 2020 academic year, in addition to the Materials Subcommittee that collects, organizes, and stores research materials, and the Research and Education Subcommittee that promotes the systematization of Soka Education and publicizes research results, a third subcommittee will be established. The International Subcommittee will collaborate with research institutions around the world to promote international research on Soka Education.
We have consistently practiced Soka Education with the aim of developing global citizens who can transcend the limits of narrow-minded nationalism. I think this is relevant to the educational ideals of global citizenship that are at the heart of the SDGs. As more societies look inward, I feel it is important that, in accordance with the Founder's strong belief, Soka University fosters global citizens possessing a firm sense of solidarity developed through understanding the difficulties of people in distant places. To that end, IRISE will promote activities that widely inform the world about the significance of the ideals and practices of global citizenship embedded in Soka Education, while deepening collaboration with researchers and educators both within and outside Japan.
To date, as a center for the study of the ideals and practices of Soka Education, we have organized, collected, and preserved publications and documents related to Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda, the progenitors of Soka Education, as well as Soka University Founder Daisaku Ikeda.
Further, faculty members of the institute have overseen the university subject courses related to Soka Education, in which they examine, together with students, the ideals and founding spirit of Soka Education from an academic perspective. Traditionally, at Soka University, the founding spirit has been passed down through the interaction between faculty members and the student body, as well as in the relationships between seniors and juniors. Based on this spirit, many students and graduates are taking action to contribute to society. At the same time, I feel that it is necessary to discuss the founding spirit and the philosophy of Soka Education from a more academic perspective. Building on these traditions, I hope each student will find his or her own way of life.
I also believe it is necessary to share widely the ideal of global citizenship that has been cultivated within Soka educational institutions. Therefore, from the 2020 academic year, in addition to the Materials Subcommittee that collects, organizes, and stores research materials, and the Research and Education Subcommittee that promotes the systematization of Soka Education and publicizes research results, a third subcommittee will be established. The International Subcommittee will collaborate with research institutions around the world to promote international research on Soka Education.
We have consistently practiced Soka Education with the aim of developing global citizens who can transcend the limits of narrow-minded nationalism. I think this is relevant to the educational ideals of global citizenship that are at the heart of the SDGs. As more societies look inward, I feel it is important that, in accordance with the Founder's strong belief, Soka University fosters global citizens possessing a firm sense of solidarity developed through understanding the difficulties of people in distant places. To that end, IRISE will promote activities that widely inform the world about the significance of the ideals and practices of global citizenship embedded in Soka Education, while deepening collaboration with researchers and educators both within and outside Japan.