The President of Seicho-No-Ie, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, passed away quietly at his Presidential Residence in Tokyo, Japan on October 28th at 10:21 p.m. (JST). He was 89 years old. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to him for all the love and kindness he gave through the teachings and his life, and I sincerely hope that he will continue to guide the Seicho-No-Ie Humanity Enlightenment Movement-International Peace by Faith Movement from the Spiritual World. Rev. Seicho, thank you very much for leading us so long.
Rev. Seicho collapsed suddenly during the February 20, 2005 Group Spiritual Training Seminar held at the Seicho-No-Ie Main Temple in Nagasaki, Japan. He was taken to the Japanese Red Cross Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Hospital, and, after a period of hospitalization, was taken back to his home in Tokyo to convalesce. Throughout his convalescence, Rev. Seicho continued to write articles for the Seicho-No-Ie magazines. The last article he was to write was entitled, “About True Love” which was published in April of this year in the three magazines for propagation. The date, January 10, 2008, is indicated at the end of the article.
Rev. Seicho Taniguchi assumed the responsibilities of the second President of Seicho-No-Ie in 1985, following the death of the Seicho-No-Ie Founder, Masaharu Taniguchi, and for the next 23 years—globally, from the end of the 20th Century and into the 21st Century, and in Japan, during the turbulent years from the Showa Era into the Heisei Era—he continued as the center of the Seicho-No-Ie movement worldwide to teach and communicate the eternal and indestructible teachings of the Truth. Especially during the 46 years between September 1948 and March 1994 during which time the Seicho-No-Ie Public Lecture Meetings were conducted by him, Rev. Seicho traveled throughout Japan to all of the Missionary Areas, disseminating the Truth and realizing a countless number of healings and saving many. He also traveled abroad visiting Hawaii, the North and South American continents in 1956, Brazil in 1970 and North and South America in 1977, and along with spreading and sharing the teaching of the oneness of all religions all over the world, he brought salvation and gave encouragement to many members living overseas.
In reforming the organizational movement within Japan, he created a system whereby the women’s organization, the White Dove Association, was able to show tremendous growth. He made reforms in the Brotherhood Reader’s Association, a bottom-level organizational unit, which was managed and operated in such a way that men were using women, making it difficult to bring about a Movement that brought out the unique characteristics of women. This reform made it possible for female members to become independent and engage in a Movement with their own unique characteristics and the Movement expanded greatly. Additionally, through his having positioned the Regional Lecturer’s Society as the “blood of the organization,” he clearly defined the relationship between the three-party system of the Brotherhood Association, White Dove Association and Youth and Young Adults Association” and “the teachings.” Moreover, Rev. Seicho sensed the harm and danger of involving the Movement deeply in the politics of the 1970’s, and in 1983, by deciding to bring the activities of the political organization, the Seicho-No-Ie Political Alliance, to a halt, he established the foundation of the Seicho-No-Ie “faith Movement” of today.
In addition to his writings, lectures and organizational management, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi contributed greatly to the growth and development of the Seicho-No-Ie Movement. That is through the lyrics and music he wrote and composed. Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi wrote the lyrics to many wonderful Seicho-No-Ie hymns; however he did not compose music. Rev. Seicho played the violin, piano, and organ, and also composed music. About a third of the Seicho-No-Ie hymns today are Rev. Seicho’s compositions. More specifically, of the 68 hymns that are included in the “New Edition, Seicho-No-Ie Hymn Lyrics” published in 2003, 20 are pieces with lyrics by Rev. Seicho, and of those 20, 15 were hymns that he also composed. Rev. Seicho’s compositions were not caught up in form, but were filled with religious originality that deeply moved those who sang them. I feel this can be said not only about his lyrics but also about the musical composition themselves.
In addition to music, Rev. Seicho was also interested in photography and Japanese calligraphy. Particularly when it comes to photographs, there are many he took during his travels to different areas in Japan he went to in order to speak at the Public Lecture meetings. He used them on the covers of the books he authored, and are also left to us enjoy in collection of photographs, “Seicho Taniguchi Collection of Photographs: Taken for Some Reason or Another” (Published 1991 by Sekai Seiten Fukyuu Kyoukai). He also was responsible for the cover photograph of the “Words of Light” daily calendar that is published each year. The cover of the “2009 Issue” is the last of his published photographs. This photograph was taken last Fall when he went outside of his library in his wheelchair and focused his lens in the direction of the bamboo thicket and took one shot of the foliage in the autumn colors.
Masanobu Taniguchi
Rev. Seicho collapsed suddenly during the February 20, 2005 Group Spiritual Training Seminar held at the Seicho-No-Ie Main Temple in Nagasaki, Japan. He was taken to the Japanese Red Cross Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Hospital, and, after a period of hospitalization, was taken back to his home in Tokyo to convalesce. Throughout his convalescence, Rev. Seicho continued to write articles for the Seicho-No-Ie magazines. The last article he was to write was entitled, “About True Love” which was published in April of this year in the three magazines for propagation. The date, January 10, 2008, is indicated at the end of the article.
Rev. Seicho Taniguchi assumed the responsibilities of the second President of Seicho-No-Ie in 1985, following the death of the Seicho-No-Ie Founder, Masaharu Taniguchi, and for the next 23 years—globally, from the end of the 20th Century and into the 21st Century, and in Japan, during the turbulent years from the Showa Era into the Heisei Era—he continued as the center of the Seicho-No-Ie movement worldwide to teach and communicate the eternal and indestructible teachings of the Truth. Especially during the 46 years between September 1948 and March 1994 during which time the Seicho-No-Ie Public Lecture Meetings were conducted by him, Rev. Seicho traveled throughout Japan to all of the Missionary Areas, disseminating the Truth and realizing a countless number of healings and saving many. He also traveled abroad visiting Hawaii, the North and South American continents in 1956, Brazil in 1970 and North and South America in 1977, and along with spreading and sharing the teaching of the oneness of all religions all over the world, he brought salvation and gave encouragement to many members living overseas.
In reforming the organizational movement within Japan, he created a system whereby the women’s organization, the White Dove Association, was able to show tremendous growth. He made reforms in the Brotherhood Reader’s Association, a bottom-level organizational unit, which was managed and operated in such a way that men were using women, making it difficult to bring about a Movement that brought out the unique characteristics of women. This reform made it possible for female members to become independent and engage in a Movement with their own unique characteristics and the Movement expanded greatly. Additionally, through his having positioned the Regional Lecturer’s Society as the “blood of the organization,” he clearly defined the relationship between the three-party system of the Brotherhood Association, White Dove Association and Youth and Young Adults Association” and “the teachings.” Moreover, Rev. Seicho sensed the harm and danger of involving the Movement deeply in the politics of the 1970’s, and in 1983, by deciding to bring the activities of the political organization, the Seicho-No-Ie Political Alliance, to a halt, he established the foundation of the Seicho-No-Ie “faith Movement” of today.
In addition to his writings, lectures and organizational management, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi contributed greatly to the growth and development of the Seicho-No-Ie Movement. That is through the lyrics and music he wrote and composed. Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi wrote the lyrics to many wonderful Seicho-No-Ie hymns; however he did not compose music. Rev. Seicho played the violin, piano, and organ, and also composed music. About a third of the Seicho-No-Ie hymns today are Rev. Seicho’s compositions. More specifically, of the 68 hymns that are included in the “New Edition, Seicho-No-Ie Hymn Lyrics” published in 2003, 20 are pieces with lyrics by Rev. Seicho, and of those 20, 15 were hymns that he also composed. Rev. Seicho’s compositions were not caught up in form, but were filled with religious originality that deeply moved those who sang them. I feel this can be said not only about his lyrics but also about the musical composition themselves.
In addition to music, Rev. Seicho was also interested in photography and Japanese calligraphy. Particularly when it comes to photographs, there are many he took during his travels to different areas in Japan he went to in order to speak at the Public Lecture meetings. He used them on the covers of the books he authored, and are also left to us enjoy in collection of photographs, “Seicho Taniguchi Collection of Photographs: Taken for Some Reason or Another” (Published 1991 by Sekai Seiten Fukyuu Kyoukai). He also was responsible for the cover photograph of the “Words of Light” daily calendar that is published each year. The cover of the “2009 Issue” is the last of his published photographs. This photograph was taken last Fall when he went outside of his library in his wheelchair and focused his lens in the direction of the bamboo thicket and took one shot of the foliage in the autumn colors.
Masanobu Taniguchi
