Our Organisation
This site contains a brief description of our organisation’s activities and spiritual practices. As with any other spiritual path, the path of Sukyo Mahikari is very much a personal journey towards God.
Sukyo refers to “the universal laws God established at the time of the Creation so that all things in the universe can prosper eternally”, and Mahikari means “True Light”, the Light of God that purifies the spiritual aspect of all things. Through receiving True Light, people can more easily awaken to the existence of God, God’s Light and the unseen spiritual realm.
As people cultivate a deeper understanding of the universal laws and the divine plan, Sukyo Mahikari believes that more and more people will wish to unite in order to achieve the purpose of the divine plan, which is to establish a civilisation on Earth in which peace and harmony exist for everyone.
The Sukyo Mahikari Structure
The international headquarters of the organisation are located in Takayama, Japan. Regional headquarters are located in Latin America, North America, Australia, Singapore, Europe and Africa. There are Sukyo Mahikari centres in more than seventy-five countries.
Roles within the Organisation
Courses are organised for people wishing to assume responsible roles within the Sukyo Mahikari organisation.
History of Sukyo Mahikari
Sukyo Mahikari has its roots in L. H. Yokoshi Tomo no Kai, an organisation that Mr Kōtama Okada founded on 28 August 1959 to promote Mahikari practice. This was in response to a revelation he received from Creator God on 27 February 1959.
Mr Okada’s heartfelt desire was to help people live in a more God-centred and spiritual way based on the universal principles that God established at the Creation. In this way, people will be able to fulfil God’s prayer for humanity, which is to create a Heaven on Earth, a world of peace and harmony. He said that it is God’s greatest joy to see his children happily co-operating with each other and living fulfilled lives.
Mahikari spread from Tokyo to other parts of Japan. It was then introduced to countries abroad. In 1971, Mahikari was introduced to Europe, and from there it spread to Africa and the Caribbean.
On 13 June 1974, Mr Kōtama Okada appointed his adopted daughter Keishu as the second spiritual leader (oshienushi) in accordance with a revelation from God. Ten days later, on 23 June 1974, Mr Okada passed away.
However, soon afterwards, there was confusion and misunderstanding about the succession within the organisation. Mr Sakae Sekiguchi, a senior director of the Mahikari organisation, went to court to support his claim as the rightful successor to Mr Okada.
On 23 June 1978, Ms Okada announced that she had formally registered Sukyo Mahikari as a religious organisation, with herself as its spiritual leader. She said that her first priority was to construct Suza, the World Shrine (Sekai so Honzan), where Creator God could be enshrined.
In July 1982, the Tokyo High Court recommended that there should be an amicable settlement between Mr Sekiguchi and Ms Okada. The two agreed to respect each other and to not interfere with each other’s activities.
On 3 November 1984, Suza (God’s Throne), the World Shrine, was inaugurated by Ms Keishu Okada in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.
On 3 November 2009, on the occasion of Sukyo Mahikari’s 50th Anniversary Grand Ceremony at Suza, it was announced that Mr Kōō Okada (the acting spiritual leader since 5 October 2002) was now the third spiritual leader (oshienushi).
Within the organisation, Mr Kōtama Okada is usually called Sukuinushisama; Ms Keishu Okada, Seishusama; and Mr Kōō Okada, Oshienushisama.