Daisaku Ikeda has authored or co-authored over 100 books. As considerable as his literary achievements are on their own terms, they are, in a broader sense, a reflection of his energetic engagement and accomplishment as a philosopher, an active proponent of peace and an educator. These are roles which President Ikeda has pursued amidst his responsibilities as founding president and leader of the Soka Gakkai International, one of the largest, most engaged, and diverse humanistic movements in the world today.
President Ikeda’s body of work–he has in some years composed over a thousand poems alone–includes dialogues, essays, peace proposals, university lectures, poetry, children’s literature, and articles. “Writing is as precious to me as life itself,” he says. “My only wish is to provide a glimmer of hope, to light the torch of courage, for as many readers as possible.”
President Ikeda has also engaged in dialogues on the pressing issues facing the modern world with leading thinkers, activists, and leaders in a variety of fields, including Linus Pauling, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ba Jin, and Hazel Henderson, among others. “Choosing dialogue is itself the triumph of peace and humanity,” he writes. “That is why I have met, as one human being to another, with all kinds of people, transcending differences of nationality, ethnicity, religion, ideology, generation, gender and social position.”
Another of President Ikeda’s literary focuses has been literature for young children–a genre in which he first honed his writing talents as editor of a children’s magazine while in his early twenties. President Ikeda’s children’s stories have been translated into numerous languages, having been introduced to the world outside Japan through the talents of acclaimed artists such as British illustrator of children’s literature Brian Wildsmith. Several have been made into animated films and applauded for their positive influence on young viewers.