Oshienushi (Spiritual Head)

Kōtama Okada was born on February 27, 1901. Following in his father’s footsteps, he entered the military academy and spent a part of his adult life as a military officer. Serving as a regimental standard bearer, he fell from his horse and injured his spine during practice for an equestrian display. He later suffered from caries of the vertebrae. Told that he only had three more years to live, he decided to dedicate the rest of his life in service to God and others. During air raids in 1945, he lost all his assets, including four companies, one of which was an aircraft manufacturing company. Although faced with enormous debts, he was miraculously able to repay them in a relatively short period of time. He felt obligated to repay the blessings he had received. It was around this time that he received a revelation: “Rise. Your name shall be Kōtama. Raise your hand. Severe times are approaching.” At the age of 58, he set out to spread the teachings of the universal principles and raise his hand to radiate Light to people who were suffering. Thus, the foundation for Sukyo Mahikari was established.

Keishu Okada was the daughter of the founder, Kōtama Okada. She became his first disciple and served as his main assistant once the organisation was established. On June 13, 1974, ten days before he passed away, the founder received a revelation referring to the succession of his missions and the spiritual leadership of the organisation. Immediately following her succession to her father’s missions, Keishu Okada commenced preparations for the construction of Suza—a shrine for the Creator. The special inauguration ceremony of Suza was held in November 1984, fulfilling a covenant between the Creator and the founder, Kōtama Okada. Furthermore, Keishu Okada oversaw the construction of Hikaru Shinden (a shrine dedicated to the founder), the Hikaru Museum, and the Sukyo Mahikari Youth Centre. The construction of these four holy sites established a spiritual foundation for realising a better world.

Kōō Okada was born in Tokyo in 1947 and became a practitioner of the Light at sixteen years of age. From the time he was a university student, he became closely involved in youth education, pioneering the formation of the Mahikari Youth Group, in which he would later play a leading role. In 1970, he was admitted to the inaugural class of the Staff Training Institute, becoming a disciple of the founder and first oshienushi, Kōtama Okada. Kōō Okada subsequently trained under the direct guidance of the second oshienushi, Keishu Okada, and in 2009, he was appointed as the third oshienushi. Succeeding to the will of the founder and the second oshienushi, Kōō Okada is presently working on promoting interreligious (interfaith) cooperation that transcends the barriers of religion and religious denomination. He has also been undertaking activities throughout the world to contribute to the realization of world peace. In 2017, he was awarded the National Order of the Southern Cross by the Federative Republic of Brazil. From 2018, he served as the chairperson of the Federation of New Religious Organizations of Japan over four years. In 2019, he served as the chairperson of the Japanese Association of Religious Organizations for the year, and, as a representative of of the religious communities of Japan, he met with Pope Francis on his papal visit to Japan. The organization is engaged in initiatives to promote the purification and restoration of the natural environment. These initiatives include ongoing tree-planting activities across Africa and the generation of energy from renewable energy resources, such as hydroelectric, solar and wood-based biomass, in Takayama, Japan. In 2020, the Second Shrine, Aiwakan, was constructed. Thus, a steadfast spiritual foundation to eternally worship the Creator, Su God, has been established in the land of Hidama.