New Year's Message From Gomonshu Kojun Ohtani

Editor’s note: The following message from Monshu Kojun Ohtani was translated from his New Year’s message to the Honganji-ha in Kyoto, Japan.

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As we welcome the New Year, I wish to extend to you my greetings.

First of all, in recent years, natural disasters such as typhoons, heavy rains, earthquakes and large-scale forest fires have occurred frequently in Japan and other parts of the world, causing great damage. 

I would like to express my sincere condolences to those who lost loved ones and convey my sincere sympathy to everyone who was affected by these disasters. I sincerely hope that everyone will be able to return to a sense of peace and normalcy as soon as possible.

Last year was a milestone year, marking 80 years since the end of World War II. In July, I had the precious opportunity to conduct memorial services in Okinawa, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, each location which experienced indescribable destruction in this war. 

I was also given the precious opportunity to listen to the stories of those who experienced the war. Listening to those stories, it made me reflect on the message delivered by then Sokunyo Monshu at the "Memorial Service for All the Victims of the 50th Anniversary of the End of the War" conducted in 1995, at which time he expressed his regret that our organization went against the teachings of our founder and actively cooperated in the war in the name of Buddhism.

I was reminded that I must take to heart the words of Sokunyo Monshu and move forward, carrying out my duties with a renewed determination.

The postwar journey of our organization began with the aim of realizing a peaceful society where all people can live happily while not forgetting how we actively cooperated and participated in the war. 

We must remain mindful of this fact and never repeat the same mistake. Even today, wars and conflicts continue around the world and many precious lives are threatened. 

In such a situation, let us always keep in mind the wish of our founder, Shinran Shonin, and move forward each day guided by his words, “Let there be peace in the world, and may the Buddha-Dharma spread."

January 1, 2026 

OHTANI Kojun 

Monshu 

Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha