Mokichi Okada
Encyclopedia
Mokichi Okada was the founder of the Church of World Messianity
, in which he is known by the honorific title Meishū-sama (明主様, lit. "Lord of Light"). According to his official biography, Okada was born to a poor family in Tokyo and, after many trials and tribulations, eventually made his fortune in the jewelry business.
Initially a follower of Shinto offshoot Oomoto
, Okada claimed to have received a special revelation from God in 1926, leading him to found a new religion in 1935 to spread the teachings. Okada soon expanded to open a rehabilitation center centering around the healing powers of light, but it was shut down in 1936 as a violation of the Medical Practitioners' Law (医師法違反).
The Sangetsu (山月) school of ikebana
, inspired by Mokichi Okada, was founded in June 1972. The Mokichi Okada Association (MOA) was established in 1980 to continue his work "toward the creation of a new civilization to be undertaken without confining Okada's principles and their implementation within a religious framework" (MOA acquired a status of a legal entity as Limited Liability Intermediary Corporation in 2005, then transferred to one of general Corporation in 2009, officially called MOA International Corporation). Much of Okada's extensive art collection is now housed in the MOA Museum of Art
in Atami, Japan
.
According to the International Nature Farming Research Center in Nagano, Japan, it is based on the theories that:
Church of World Messianity
The Church of World Messianity , abbreviated COWM, is a "new religion" founded in 1935 by Mokichi Okada. The religion's key concept is Johrei, claimed to be a method of channeling divine light into the body of another for the purposes of healing...
, in which he is known by the honorific title Meishū-sama (明主様, lit. "Lord of Light"). According to his official biography, Okada was born to a poor family in Tokyo and, after many trials and tribulations, eventually made his fortune in the jewelry business.
Initially a follower of Shinto offshoot Oomoto
Oomoto
Oomoto also known as Oomoto-kyo , is a sect, often categorised as a new Japanese religion originated from Shinto; it was founded in 1892 by Deguchi Nao...
, Okada claimed to have received a special revelation from God in 1926, leading him to found a new religion in 1935 to spread the teachings. Okada soon expanded to open a rehabilitation center centering around the healing powers of light, but it was shut down in 1936 as a violation of the Medical Practitioners' Law (医師法違反).
The Sangetsu (山月) school of ikebana
Ikebana
is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as .-Etymology:"Ikebana" is from the Japanese and . Possible translations include "giving life to flowers" and "arranging flowers".- Approach :...
, inspired by Mokichi Okada, was founded in June 1972. The Mokichi Okada Association (MOA) was established in 1980 to continue his work "toward the creation of a new civilization to be undertaken without confining Okada's principles and their implementation within a religious framework" (MOA acquired a status of a legal entity as Limited Liability Intermediary Corporation in 2005, then transferred to one of general Corporation in 2009, officially called MOA International Corporation). Much of Okada's extensive art collection is now housed in the MOA Museum of Art
MOA Museum of Art
The is a private museum in the city of Atami, Japan. It was established in 1982 by the Mokichi Okada Association to house the art collection of their founder, multimillionaire and religious leader Mokichi Okada ....
in Atami, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Nature Farming
In 1936, Okada established an agricultural system originally called, "no fertilizer farming" or "Nature Farming". Offshoots such as the Sekai Kyusei Kyo, promoting ‘Kyusei nature farming’, and the Mokichi Okada Association formed after his death to continue promoting the work in Japan and South-East Asia. It is said to be, by the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas, the main ecological farming system in Japan.According to the International Nature Farming Research Center in Nagano, Japan, it is based on the theories that:
- FertilizerFertilizerFertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
s pollute the soil and weaken its power of production - Pests would breakout from the excessive use of fertilizers
- The difference in disease incidence between resistant and susceptible plants is attributed to nutritional conditions inside the body.
- Vegetables and fruits produced by nature farming taste better than those by chemical farmingIndustrial agricultureIndustrial farming is a form of modern farming that refers to the industrialized production of livestock, poultry, fish, and crops. The methods of industrial agriculture are technoscientific, economic, and political...
.