January 2012

President-designate Niwano Meets with Members in Disaster Areas

President-designate Kosho Niwano went to Rikuzentakata City and Ofunato City, both in Iwate Prefecture, on January 26 and visited members' homes and had exchanges with members who had suffered from the earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. The two cities are on the Pacific coast and were heavily damaged by the massive tsunami. It was the president-designate's third visit to disaster areas in the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan.

On the morning of January 26, guided by Rev. Katsukuni Kobayashi, minister of the Kamaishi Dharma Center, the president-designate visited a member couple who had lost their home to the tsunami and were staying in a temporary housing unit in Rikuzentakata City. After paying homage at their home Buddhist altar, Rev. Niwano talked with the couple and other members living in temporary housing units. Reflecting on the months spent in a refugee center and a temporary housing unit, one member said, "Members of our Dharma center presented us with a kotatsu heater, a fever thermometer, a nail clipper, a hand mirror, and other daily necessities. Their kindness filled me with emotion, because we had nothing after the disaster." Rev. Niwano expressed sympathy to the members who told her of their plights, and pledged to support them as a fellow Sangha member.

Rev. Niwano then visited a community facility in the city. She addressed some 30 members gathered there, saying that the Sangha throughout the country was eager to support all members affected by the disaster. She then listened to the accounts of six members.

In the afternoon, she visited the site of the Ofunato Dharma Center, which was destroyed by the tsunami. She then visited the house of an area leader, where she met with some 50 members. The area leader's house had served as a temporary Dharma center since the disaster. Referring to a snowman that stood before the entrance to welcome members, the president-designate said she was impressed by the members' considerations for others and that her heart had been with the afflicted members since the disaster. Ten members then described their lives since the disaster.

Near the site of the Ofunato Dharma Center, Rev. Niwano also visited a member's house damaged by the tsunami and met with some 50 members there. Fifteen of them described their experiences of the disaster and their efforts to relieve one another's sufferings and rebuild their community. With tears in her eyes, Rev. Niwano said, "My heart is filled with emotion by your accounts, and I believe Founder Niwano would be pleased if he were here."

During her trip to the Tohoku region, she also visited the Hachinohe Dharma Center in Aomori Prefecture (January 25), the Kesennuma training hall of the Ishinomaki Dharma Center in Miyagi Prefecture (January 26), and the Hanamaki Dharma Center in Iwate Prefecture (January 27). Rev. Ken'ichiro Nakamura, director of the General Secretariat of Rissho Kosei-kai, and Rev. Waichi Hoshina, head of the Social Ministry Group, accompanied her.

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