Nov 18, 1930System of Value-Creating Pedagogy Published, Soka Kyoiku Gakkai Founded
On November 18, 1930, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944) published the first volume of his four-volume Soka kyoiku taikei (The System of Value-Creating Pedagogy) expounding the educational practice and philosophy he had developed over his long career as a teacher and school principle. Makiguchi deplored Japan's competitive, rote-learning-based education system. He believed that the lifelong happiness and development of children should be the primary focus of education and that education should provide children with the keys to "unlock the storehouse of knowledge" on their own.
The publication date of Makiguchi's pedagogy has come to be regarded as the founding date of the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai (Value-Creation Education Society), the association founded by Makiguchi and his protégé, Josei Toda (1900-58) and the forerunner of today's Soka Gakkai. The group was initially one of educators experimenting with progressive educational methods. Later, following the growing influence of Nichiren Buddhism on Makiguchi's thought, it diversified into a broader social movement of individuals pursuing personal development and social reformation through the practice of Nichiren Buddhism.