The propagation of Mokichi okadas activities

The Establishment of MOA
Mokichi Okada strove for the creation of a new civilization that would truly lead humanity as a whole to salvation--a salvation not limited to certain races, nations, or religions. Because of this principle, his activities were inevitably multifarious.

Initially establishing the Japan Kannon Society as the base of his operations, he then led the Society through its evolution into another religious organization, Sekai Meshiya Kyô (now called Sekai Kyûsei Kyô), always seeking practical ways of realizing his ideals. It is primarily through this organization that his legacy has been inherited.

In light of the emphasis that Okada had placed on the importance of life and health as the roots of the new civilization and his practice of healing the sick through Jôrei, Sekai Kyûsei Kyô centered its activities upon Jôrei, concentrating on how the healthy existence of every individual could be created. However, after Okada's passing, his principles and practices gradually came to be entrapped within the framework of a "religion."

Nevertheless, in the latter half of the twentieth century, characterized by increasing uncertainty and confusion, to find a way to save the human race --which is rapidly becoming an endangered species--became a matter of urgency. There has been a global outcry for a new mode of civilization. And now, the health and survival of individuals can no longer be considered apart from the issue of the continued existence of the human race, and indeed of the world itself.

The Mokichi Okada Association (MOA) was founded in 1980 by Teruaki Kawai, the current president of Sekai Kyûsei Kyô. Created at a critical time, the association arose through renewed recognition that Mokichi Okada's principles and practices had as their ultimate goal the creation of a true civilization and the maintenance of the health and survival of the entire human race. In this context, MOA was conceived to function as the base of operations for the realization of these goals.

Activities intended to influence human civilization in its entirety cannot attain total success if engaged solely as a religious undertaking, or if undertaken only by or through a single organization, race, or nation. They will come to fruition only through the cooperation of people who share the desire to safe-guard and nurture each individual and the wish to promote the safety and survival of the human race. Such solidarity can overcome the boundaries of beliefs, creeds, races, nations, and other such differences. Thus, MOA abrogates being a dogmatic, closed society. It conducts its activities through the cooperation not only of members of Sekai Kyûsei Kyô and MOA, but of many other people, including leading figures from all fields and all strata of society, in Japan and overseas--all working together for the future of humankind from a standpoint of mutual respect.

The Establishment of MOA

Mokichi Okada pointed out two basic paths for recreating civilization. The first is to work with the home as the basic unit of civilization; and the second is to construct archetypes for the civilization to be, the presentation of concrete images of the future.

With the above in mind, MOA launched activities in the areas of education, culture, and welfare. Judging from the results of this increased interaction with society, contributing to the welfare of humanity through strengthening the cooperation between people joined together by trust and a common purpose is becoming an increasing reality.

In this age of confusion and change, MOA regards the home as the base of its activities. The steady promotion of grass-roots activities is vital in putting theory into practice; this makes the household the most reliable foundation for such operations. The activities of religious institutions are prone to delineation in terms of within and without, of "insiders" and "outsiders," with outsiders being discouraged to participate and members finding it difficult to direct their efforts externally, as members of society. This very often alienates such organizations from society at large, turning them into isolated and closed entities. Members of households who operate with a spirit of community and regional awareness, however, are easily capable of constructing channels in society. A group of such people, leading ordinary social and family lives, naturally becomes an organization with its doors thrown open to society.

Apart from these grass-roots activities, there are other vital keys to promoting the recreation of society, such as deepening mutual understanding between experts, professionals, and leaders of society, and constructing frameworks for cooperation. Through the establishment of institutions with model facilities, and the clear presentation of the core of Mokichi Okada's principles, such mutual understanding will result in concrete cooperation. The archetypes for the civilized world that Okada had envisioned and had undertaken to construct are institutions capable of fulfilling this role.

The MOA Museum of Art, the central facility at the Atami Zuiunkyô grounds, promotes and coordinates activities relating to art and culture through the MOA Art and Culture Foundation, which has been recognized by the Ministry of Education. The Ohito Experimental Farm, the central organ for MOA Nature Farming, is a place where these activities are unfolding under the auspices of the Nature Farming International Research Foundation. Similarly, the MOA Jôin Headquarters and the MOA Health Science Foundation, both of which are in Tokyo, are the centers for research on and the practice of Jôrei, the medical art of Japan. The Foundation, recognized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, is vital for promoting the activities of the Jôin clinics.

These facilities and institutions are instrumental in the study and presentation of Mokichi Okada's principles. However, their staff members, people with specialized knowledge and talents (for example, medical health care personnel, Jôrei researchers, agricultural instructors, art researchers, persons accredited in flower arrangement and calligraphy), also play vital roles in providing support and instruction to the many others who conduct the regional, grass-roots activities from their homes. Furthermore, these institutions, facilities, and personnel together form the foundation upon which are being built networks of support with other institutions that are working towards a common goal, both within Japan and throughout the world.

The various regional organizations and facilities are agencies responsible for different aspects of MOA's work. These agencies link the centers with the households that carry out regional, grass-roots activities, and coordinate and enrich the supportive framework in regional society, cultivating and fortifying networks between individuals, leaders, and supportive organizations that advocate similar objectives.

The Household: Building a Strong Foundation

Changes in contemporary society have rapidly transformed the environment outside the home, shaking it to its foundations. As a result, in this age of radical change, the home--the basis of day-to-day life and a great determinant of human development--is taking on ever-increasing importance.

Mokichi Okada saw the home and daily life as the stage for promoting the creation of a new civilization, an endeavor on a massive scale. He envisioned the road of initiatives for change beginning in the home, expanding into local communities, and in turn into national and then global undertakings, finally culminating in the realization. of a new civilization worldwide.

MOA operates on this principle, aiming to enhance mutual understanding and trust among people who are concerned about the present condition of society and humanity, and whose main objective is to create a desirable future for humankind, based on a supportive network at the household level. MOA-member households advocating these objectives are called MOA branches: homes embodying Mokichi Okada's principles and carrying out operations on a local basis.

MOA branches are also often involved as members of various local organizations, such as women's groups, art and cultural circles, associations of shop owners, and Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs). These groups bring together people with a variety of skills and enhance our activities at the regional level.

From Household to Community to Nation

Even when family members combine their efforts to expand their activities, there is inevitably a limit to what can be achieved by any single household alone. This limitation makes it difficult for the family's initiatives to take hold as substantial regional movements. To overcome this obstacle, networks to unite the efforts of individual branches and to promote their cooperation as regional units have been established. Through the mutual support that results from the establishment of these branch networks, the effectiveness of each branch is radically increased, enabling the skills and talents of each branch to be expressed to their full potential.

Further, as the activities of each branch increase in richness, in proportion with their growing interaction with society, branch networks become important focal points for identifying the conditions, problems, and plans of the inhabitants of each particular region. Because the people connected by these networks are joined together by a common objective, they can easily serve as human resources capable of restructuring society at the local level, thereby creating a better regional environment.

It is said that at present, given the convergence of the populace in cities, the resulting depopulation in other regions, and the dull uniformity of society, individuality has become so obscured as to be almost non-existent in Japan. In this respect, the operations of branch networks, grounded in grass-roots activities, can be regarded as valuable efforts contributing to the revitalization of local communities

Furthermore, for such movements to be effective within all of society, it becomes important to cooperate with politicians who understand the situation and who can help to coordinate the movement. For the recreation of society to succeed on the regional and national levels, there must be both grass-roots activity on the individual level, and the building of mutual trust with politicians who are totally committed to resolving the difficulties facing us.

For this reason, since the commencement of branch operations in 1989, MOA has been actively supporting those political parties and individual politicians who have shown a clear, public commitment to concrete, positive action relating to food, agriculture, and the environment, all of which are key issues for the future of humanity.

Consequently, the MOA Federation of National, Prefectural, and Local Legislators was set up to form a system of support through which cooperation is possible on the national and local government levels. This is not cooperation in superficial terms, limited to election time, but is deep-rooted cooperation based on a genuine desire to realize the health and welfare of all people and to encourage cultural activities.

Carrying Forward the Work of Mokichi Okada

Promoting Jôrei in the Context of Holistic Medicine
Mokichi Okada defined the true nature of human beings as a combination of spirit and body; and, believing that true medicine is that which takes into account both of these aspects, he propounded his plan to establish Jôin clinics. This was a plan, based on and reflecting cooperation between contemporary Western and traditional Eastern forms of medicine, to create facilities capable of bringing true health to humankind, through Jôrei, the medical art of Japan.

In 1991 MOA established its first accredited Jôin clinic in Tokyo for the research and practice of Jôrei. Since then, the number of Jôin clinics has steadily increased within Japan and abroad. At these clinics, Jôrei experts can work together with medical staff who also uphold Okada's principles. In addition to places where Jôrei is practiced, a Jôin clinic is a facility for providing comprehensive medical care--the purification of body and soul--and for promoting true health through natural foods and an awareness of beauty. The objective of this kind of health care does not end with the treatment of disease, but extends to the goals of attaining richness of body and soul and promoting vitality and the quality of life.

Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, regarded human beings as a composite of body and soul (or spirit); considered disease in connection with a person's environment, daily life, and eating habits; and viewed medical treatment as an adjunct to the person's natural healing power. That such a clear holistic interpretation should be found at the origin of contemporary Western medicine has become a matter of major attention. This natural healing power cannot be understood simply through observation of the human body alone. The body and mind, including the deepest part of the mind, the subconscious, which fosters feelings such as purpose and security, are both deeply involved.

Because the deepening of our faith and gratitude toward nature is an expression of the universal life force and encourages the natural powers of healing, many physicians point out the importance of increasing our awareness of the way that humankind is nurtured by nature. In light of this discovery relating to true health, the initiatives being taken by MOA--bringing art and beauty into society and the world, and thus into everyday life, and teaching that every human being exists for an express mission--take on great significance.

Since Okada's lifetime, many people have regained their physical and mental health through Jôrei treatments. Unfortunately, however, because these experiences were never scientifically validated, they remained virtually unaccepted by society at large. Now however, through the establishment of the Jôin clinics, the means for addressing this long-standing issue are at hand. Along with the practice of holistic medicine centered upon Jôrei, we have initiated scientific evaluation of the clinical results of such treatment. Thus, at such a clinic there is, in addition to those who are skilled at providing Jôrei, a medical staff comprising doctors, nurses, clinical psychologists and counselors, all working together as a team to provide medical consultation and treatment.

The clinic's patients include many who have what can be regarded as ailments of this age, or intractable illnesses, such as atopic dermatitis, heart disease, cancer, and hypertension. Personnel at the clinics are compiling medically validated reports of cures or speedy remissions of such cases. Supported by these factual data, programs for the study of Jôrei, the medical art of Japan, are being initiated in collaboration with various medical institutions.

Another noteworthy development in our activities is the growing number of doctors in various countries in Central and South America who share an interest in our approach. Several have acquired o-hikari amulets in ord erto provide Jôrei treatment themselves; they are recording their results in medical records.

Furthermore, there is great significance in the fact that the natural food movement and art forms such as ikebana are beginning to be recognized f ortheir therapeutic value, for their ability to exert a major influence in establishing true health. This in turn is a great boost to MOA in carrying out its holistic approach to medical care, which, in regarding patients as inseparable composites of body and soul, steps beyond the boundaries of symptomatic therapy that is limited primarily to the treatment of the physical aspects of illness.

In light of the steady increase in the activities, research, and practice centered upon the Jôin clinic in Tokyo, the MOA Jôin Headquarters was established in Tokyo in 1994. The aim of the Headquarters is to actively link Jôin facilities, such as the clinics within Japan and abroad, that are working to propagate awareness of and support for Jôrei, the medical art of Japan, in an effort to realize an ideal system of medical care. In other words, the MOA Jôin Headquarters is an agency for promoting the establishment of holistic medical care that is capable of creating a disease-free world in which the safety of life is guaranteed.

In addition to the attempt to establish scientific evidence through case studies conducted by the Jôin clinics, the MOA Kyushu Life Science Institute was established in 1991 to study the energy emitted during Jôrei. The Institute, using state-of-the-art equipment, conducts scientific analysis of the changes that transpire in the human body and psyche during Jôrei treatment.

The MOA Health and Science Center, recognized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, provides a social trust under which Jôrei, the medical art of Japan, and other aspects of holistic medical care, can operate. The Center extends support to researchers and physicians conducting studies relevant to the health of humankind, organizes symposia on holistic medical care, and undertakes a variety of activities to promote the development of medical care in its true form.

Similarly, branch networks of each region are campaigning to better the health of local inhabitants through providing holistic medical care, primarily using Jôrei, and are working in conjunction with nearby Jôin clinics and local medical personnel. This movement is called the shô-Jôin (small-Jôin) network. Branch network activities also incorporate the natural food and Nature Farming movements, as well as cultural activities like flower arranging and the tea ceremony, which promote physical health and mental fulfillment.

Medical science and health care is at present undergoing a rapid transformation. Even as medical technology is progressing in leaps and bounds, increasing numbers of physicians are seeking alternate approaches to conventional medicine in order to deal with the fundamental causes of illness; they are looking for ways to treat illnesses that plague the elderly and for which there are no definitive forms of treatment, and are seeking solutions to problems such as cancer and AIDS, for which conventional research has come up short.

One significant accomplishment of this movement was the inauguration of the International Academic Board of Comprehensive Medicine in 1993. This organization was promoted by MOA as an entity for systematically reevaluating contemporary medical methods and traditional therapies: a step toward establishing holistic medical care, which attends to both mind and body, as the primary mode of health care for the twenty-first century. The inauguration was attended by Dr. Viktor E. Frankl of Austria, the originator of logotherapy; Dr. Spyros G. Marketos, president of the International Hippocratic Foundation; and Dr. Yujiro Ikemi, professor emeritus, Kyushu University--all actively joining the movement as specialists of note from different parts of the globe.

Advancing Nature Farming and the Natural Food Movement

Safety of life and true health are the basic conditions that the coming civilization needs to fulfill. Without them a bright future for humankind cannot be realized. With this in mind, the quality of the food that we produce is one of the most important issues facing us. Relying upon Mokichi Okada's teachings, MOA has consistently worked toward improving the quality of food products, as is demonstrated by its promotion of Nature Farming.

A point of note with regard to the Nature Farming advocated by Mokichi Okada and MOA is that it was not established simply as an alternative to contemporary agriculture. Rather, it is a method of agriculture based on the universal view that human beings and nature are meant to coexist harmoniously, and that health and prosperity are possible for the human race only by living in accordance with nature's ways. Agriculture founded upon this point of view must, consequently, be compatible with environmental conservation and must lead in turn to the production of crops that are pure and safe, and not harmful to living beings.

Nature Farming is based upon Okada's view of life; that is, that life exists and is maintained through the union of spirit and body, and that a universal life force brings about the creation and growth of all things. Therefore, the material relationship between soil, the food produced therefrom, and human health, is not what is most important. Rather, what is most significant is a philosophy that recognizes that spiritual power is the true basis of the soil's productivity, and that crops grow healthily when this power is imbued in a pure and healthy soil, rendering it full of vitality. In this way, human health is guaranteed through eating foods produced in such soil, drawing from it its intrinsic vital energy.

Because the construction of the model farm started by Okada was not completed immediately, the establishment of techniques for actually implementing MOA Nature Farming was left to the efforts of individual farmers. It was therefore only to be expected that countless difficulties should arise from these circumstances. The solution to this situation, and the point at which Nature Farming began to be recognized as an agricultural method, came about when the Ohito Experimental Farm was established in 1982.

One of the most important keys to promoting MOA Nature Farming lies in facilitating the transition from conventional farming to Nature Farming. This is accomplished by providing clear, technically supported methods that aid in extracting the full potential of the soil, after only a short transitional period, without incurring losses in yield. In addition, a proper evaluation of products from farms in the transitional stages is provided, in order to make their efforts economically viable as soon as possible. Through research into natural compost, which is used to promote the production of living soil, and the use of pest-repellent plants and pests' natural predators to eradicate pests without using chemical insecticides, the Ohito Farm has also steadily developed agricultural technology and know-how designed to safeguard the ecological balance.

As a result, in 1987 MOA published the Standards for Nature Farming Systems and Practices, which, among other functions, details the technological support available for implementing Nature Farming principles and practices. This manual also served as the basis for the Japanese government's Guidelines for Organic Farm Products, and has been a great stimulus to the agricultural industry.

The creation of a system of support through which the Ohito Farm could guide those practicing MOA Nature Farming or those wishing to incorporate the method with full confidence was completed with the establishment of the Nature Farming Research Institute at the Ohito Farm in 1990. This Institute features the most up-to-date analytical equipment for use in biological and chemical studies of soil, including studies on microorganisms active in soil functions. Other valuable studies include those on the use of natural substances for the control of pests, an inescapable aspect of agriculture, and the comparative nutritional analysis of crops produced in healthy soil. These all provide scientific backing for the assertion that produce from healthy soil provides human beings with sound health.

One particularly noteworthy activity of the Institute is that of soil analysis. The soil from farms that are practicing MOA Nature Farming, or farms considering the adoption of Nature Farming, is analyzed, and individualized guidance on ways to improve the constitution of each particular soil type is then provided. This service has led to improvements in product quality and quantity, and has become highly regarded, not only by the agricultural industry in Japan, but by governments active in the implementation of organic farming in various parts of the world.

Paralleling the growing activities of the Ohito Farm, has been the formation of producers' cooperatives aimed at propagating Nature Farming. These commenced in 1987, and now three hundred of them are operating in Japan. Participation in these producers' cooperatives is not limited either to producers who practice Nature Farming or to members of MOA, but includes principal figures in regional farming society and consumers alike. The activities of these cooperatives are gradually leading to the systematization of the natural food and Nature Farming movement through a multi-dimensional support structure. In 1994, the producers' cooperatives themselves joined together to form the Japan Federation of MOA Producers' Cooperatives, commencing their activities as a national support network.

One significant consequence of the natural food and agriculture movement, particularly in light of the philosophy upon which it is based (including the ultimate aim of creating a new civilization), is that this movement has captured the hearts of the younger generation. As a result, it has rekindled hope in those who had been anticipating the downfall of the agricultural industry due to a shortage of successors; and, by contributing to the rejuvenation of villages and towns, it has provided a brighter outlook for many rural areas suffering from decreased population.

Food and agricultural movements must be founded upon a basis of trust between producers, consumers, and the distributors who serve these two groups. These movements must also take into account the demands of a more advanced civilization that agriculture should not be an industry which views the production of crops as merely a profit-making activity.

These food and agricultural movements increase popular awareness of food as being not simply an object or a piece of merchandise, but as a product nurtured by the producers' love. This in turn cultivates a gratitude for produce, which is seen as material blessings nurtured by the power of nature inherent in the soil, which is appreciated as vital for the life and health of humankind. Modest but steady initiatives that emphasize gratitude form an important starting point for the reevaluation of agricultural methods and distribution systems that are caught up in commercialism, with profit-making as their sole concern. We must encourage all these areas of the food and agriculture industry to recognize anew their fundamental significance for civilization in terms of their responsibility to contribute to the health and survival of humankind. It is equally important that we create distribution systems that support the food and agriculture industry, and that fulfill their original mission of serving as a channel between producers and consumers. In this way we can overcome base commercialism and strive to implement sound management within all our food and agriculture operations.

Of course, such a transformation is not a simple matter and will only be realized through the revaluation of the true significance of agriculture in every sector and strata of society. At present, MOA's food and agriculture operation is comprised of 11,600 consumer groups and 225 outlets. MOA has undertaken to establish an exemplary operation that links food and agriculture to local distribution networks in a mutually beneficial manner, promoting direct interaction between producers and consumers. The MOA food and agriculture movement is highly esteemed because it upholds a methodology befitting a philosophy concerned with nature and humankind. This respect is evident in the cooperative agreements for Nature Farming practice that have recently been made between various countries in the world.

In 1991, the World Sustainable Agriculture Association (WSAA) was established with the purpose of bringing cooperative efforts to fruition on an international scale. This foundation, which is headquartered in the United States, brings together leading figures in the agricultural industry from all over the world. Interestingly, one organization involved is the Rodale Institute, established by J.I. Rodale, a pioneer in the research and propagation of sustainable agriculture, and a man with whom Okada corresponded some forty years ago. The WSAA operates as an NGO, registered with the United Nations, and propagates its activities through 58 bases of operation in 40 countries.

The impetus behind the establishment of the WSAA is to be found in a lecture given by Teruaki Kawai, the president of MOA, at the International Agriculture Meeting in Hawaii, in 1990. This gathering of many leading figures in the agricultural industry was cosponsored by MOA and the Pacific Culture Center (PCC), which was established to promote the prosperity of the Pacific Rim countries. President Kawai took this opportunity to expound the principle that nature keeps alive and nurtures the human race, and that to regard nature and human beings as one is a traditional Japanese idea. He explained that it was this positing of nature and human beings in the same dimension that led Mokichi Okada to see the universe and nature itself as living entities and to advocate Nature Farming as a means for making the most of the soil's intrinsic power.

President Kawai's plea captured the sympathy and approval of the participants, and led to the birth of the global organization WSAA, based at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York. Its goal is to free agriculture from commercialism, and to promote agriculture as an endeavor based upon a philosophy that regards nature, humankind, and civilization as one.

An important force supporting the establishment of the WSAA was the enthusiasm of overseas representatives, who were deeply impressed after inspecting the Ohito Farm, where they witnessed a substantial level of technological achievement, and after visiting farms that actually practiced Nature Farming in Japan. Seeing farmers in undertakings that embodied Mokichi Okada's principles, and witnessing the actual results of their work, helped to strengthen the representatives' faith in natural farming principles.

Bringing Art and Beauty into Society

Promoting spiritual development through art
The purification of the human spirit through appreciation of natural beauty, such as scenery and flowers, or beautiful works of art, can play a very significant role in stemming environmental destruction and restoring beauty in the world. Okada's vision for a world-class museum of art in Atami included a facility that would not only offer superior works of art to the public, but would also serve as a place where leading figures from various sectors of our global society could gather together to discuss contemporary issues and launch concrete initiatives. The MOA Museum of Art, designed and completed with this idea in mind, is a comprehensive cultural facility, containing a Noh theater--Noh being a classic, cultural art of Japanese--and a room designed for performing the tea ceremony. Since the museum opened, more than ten million people have visited it; because of the high quality of its exhibits, it has been hailed as one of the foremost private art museums in the world.

The Noh theater is designed to function as a multi-purpose hall, has facilities for simultaneous language interpretation, and can accommodate international congresses. It has served as the site for many symposia and lectures, and as a meeting place for many authorities and leaders of world-renown research in the fields of agriculture and medicine. In this way, it is fulfilling its intended role in the creation of the coming civilization--as a fountain which gives birth to global organizations who share a common aim of establishing agricultural and medical systems capable of guaranteeing safety of life for the human race in the twenty-first century.

The MOA Art and Culture Foundation, established in 1982, is the base of operations for the MOA Museum of Art. To date, its primary function has been to manage the Museum's exhibits. However, it is now undergoing a transition so as to be able to join in the regional activities of MOA branches and to instigate various forms of social action. It is thus abandoning its old character of passively awaiting the arrival of the public on its doorstep.

The first step in this transformation was the staging throughout Japan of exhibitions of the works of art in its possession, including a replica of the historically important Golden Tea Room built by Shogun Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Through such exhibitions, the Foundation is carrying out activities both locally and internationally, strengthening ties not only with other museums, but also with local people, building up regional cooperative networks in art- and culture-related circles. This is in keeping with the Foundation's basic objectives of promoting the awareness and availability of art and deepening international understanding through artistic and cultural activities.

The second initiative was the popularization of the bontemae tea ceremo ny, which manifests in daily life the sense of beauty intrinsic to the ceremony. Mokichi Okada regarded the tea ceremony as a comprehensive art form, combining two aspects of traditional Japanese consciousness: beauty and awareness of nature. Regarding the tea ceremony as a vital element in Japanese art and culture, he created a ceremonial tea house, the Sangetsuan at Shinsenkyô in Hakone. Through these efforts, Okada hoped to promote further exchanges between Eastern and Western civilizations by introducing the spirit of the tea ceremony to the world.

During the summers when Okada resided at Shinsenkyô, he personally supervised the selection of scrolls and ornaments for the alcoves, in addition to arranging flowers for guests and enjoying the arrangements in their company. MOA has inherited this attitude from Okada; and, selecting the bontemae format as suitable for these times, is continuing to popularize it. Bontemae and flower arranging play principal roles in th e movement to promote art and culture, a movement that builds honest interpersonal relationships and cultivates the spirit necessary to establish an artistically rich society.

The third undertaking is the staging of MOA National Children's Art Exhibitions These have become international initiatives, in cooperation with MOA operations in foreign countries, and are recognized as a valid form of cultural exchange. Promoting children's interest in beauty, and at the same time nurturing an international frame of mind, can be regarded as a movement with great significance in terms of human development, and also one that has a particular appeal.

Purifying the world through the beauty of flowers

MOA Sangetsu activities were started in 1972 as an undertaking based upon Mokichi Okada's wishes and on his underlying perception of nature and life. MOA Sangetsu is not merely a school of flower arranging, but is a movement which, together with bontemae, strives to create beautiful environments within the home and in society at large, in order to eliminate savagery from the human heart and to develop a culturally advanced society. MOA Sangetsu is therefore not limited to the classroom, but incorporates group activities, promoted by the branches, including the provision of flower arrangements for the community. Such arrangements are given to a wide variety of places, including train stations, government and municipal offices, and schools. The arrangements provided for schools have elicited a particularly good response.

The deterioration of the educational system in Japan has been noted for a long time. Amidst the confusion and bewilderment rampant in modern society, teachers, families, and even entire communities seem to have lost sight of the very basis of education. The practice of providing flower arrangements to schools was begun with the hope of soothing children's souls, even partially, within the school setting, and encouraging appreciation of beautiful things. This simple and modest approach appears to have been effective in making children aware of the preciousness of life and of the value and power of beauty.

In one case, for example, the violence that was wracking a school subsided as a result of a flower project, and some emotional warmth was introduced into the brutal and restless atmosphere of the school. Even one success has a pervasive effect, serving to alter the consciousness of parents and teachers, and to show the value of even slow but steady progress in this initiative.

Furthermore, the effect of the vital energy emanated by the beauty of flowers has also drawn interest in the field of medical care. In this regard, a variety of medical facilities have reported that physical and mental sufferings have been abated, or that the condition of children with emotional problems has been improved, through contact with flowers.

MOA Sangetsu is in a state of transition from the first stage of its operations--establishing a firm foundation--to the second stage: comprehensively introducing art and beauty into society and the world. In order to achieve this end, MOA Sangetsu activities will henceforth be coordinated by the MOA Art and Culture Foundation.

Creating and Expanding Models of a New Civilization

Mokichi Okada saw the civilized world as it was meant to be--a world of beauty--where everything is elevated to the level of an art form. He realized this concept in the beautiful paradises of Hakone and Atami, which serve as archetypes, or models, of such a world. These facilities were not designed merely as objects to be appreciated, but were visualized as a base from which to launch global operations for creating the new civilization.

Since its establishment, MOA has increasingly made efforts to realize these goals, completing the main facility, the MOA Museum of Art at Zuiunkyô in Atami, and the research plantation for Nature Farming at Izu, Ohito, in 1982. These are to be focal points of operations for securing the universal safety of life. The successful completion of these facilities was followed by the establishment of the Jôin clinic in Tokyo, in 1991, and subsequently, in response to the substantial developments in Jôin activities, by the founding of the MOA Jôin Headquarters in 1994.

By providing visual representations of Mokichi Okada's philosophy, these facilities help to deepen our understanding of his concepts, in addition to forming the hub of MOA and Sekai Kyûsei Kyô activities. They are the points from which to strengthen networks in Japan and across the world. In this way, we are joining together farsighted pioneers in various parts of the world who harbor a deepening sense of the emerging global crisis. Directing their efforts to establishing the coming civilization, they are contributing to the realization of Mokichi Okada's wishes--that people should cooperate in globally promoting the attainment of a new civilization.

In order to maximize the effectiveness of these efforts, both in Japan and internationally, it is imperative to bring together people with specialized knowledge and technical expertise. This is as important as the formation of clear ideological convictions regarding the basic issues relevant to the future: nature, humanity, and civilization. In fact, the request most often encountered each time that serious consideration is given to establishing links with a particular country or institutions is for the help and cooperation of such capable professionals.

In response to these requests, MOA has instituted schools for MOA Nature Farming, for Jôrei, the medical art of Japan, and for cultural activities. We are engaged in nurturing people who are capable of becoming great assets in the future. Graduates from the MOA schools are starting to assume central roles in various projects being undertaken by MOA.

Building Ideal Communities

MOA branches, active since 1989, have been cooperating with local communities through the three basic schemes implemented by Mokichi Okada: Jôrei, the medical art of Japan, the comprehensive form of medical care; the natural food and agriculture movement, grounded in Nature Farming; and bringing beauty into society and the world, through the MOA Museum of Art, its touring exhibitions, and MOA Sangetsu.

With the participation of forward-thinking people in various fields--doctors and other medical personnel, farmers, agricultural leaders, educators, and artists--a variety of projects have been instigated at the community level. And because the participants have all been in sympathy with Mokichi Okada's ideas, the momentum of the movement has received a boost.

Within this framework, the producers' cooperatives, involving primarily those producers practicing Nature Farming in rural areas, have drawn attention and praise from local governments for the cooperatives' valuable efforts in rejuvenating the gradually declining villages and towns in the regions where they operate. We are starting to see examples in Japan of entire communities becoming involved with MOA Nature Farming and successfully rejuvenating their towns through its practice.Mokichi Okada said that Jôin clinics, Nature Farming producers' cooperatives, art museums, and culture halls are the most important facilities in regional society. When city planners make full use of such facilities and institutions, cities will naturally be founded on the basis of security and safety of life. Artistic activities and the creation of beauty will become popular and will be backed by an advanced cultural philosophy; cities that incorporate these facilities and activities will form the backbone of the civilization to be.

How, then, should the blueprints for such cities actually be created? Development must occur not merely to increase the material wealth of the community, but primarily to stem environmental destruction and pollution. This kind of development does not run counter to the protection of nature; rather, it enables human beings to live in a natural and well-balanced social environment. To achieve such an end, local inhabitants and government bodies must join together in common undertakings.

Mokichi Okada created a paradise of beauty in the town of Atami. He constructed a cultural facility that functions primarily as a museum, but from which advanced cultural programs can be initiated. He also set in motion the construction of a holistic medical-care clinic and a farm on which to grow food that is pure and full of vital energy. These were efforts aimed at elevating the environmentally blessed town of Atami to the level of an international city of culture, a city to function as a hub for the creation of the new civilization.

MOA will continue its efforts to develop the city into an ideal form, building upon cooperation with the authorities of Atami City and thecity's populace, both of which are becoming aware of MOA's endeavors. The concrete results of MOA's efforts can be seen in the form of the MOA Museum of Art, the Ohito Farm, and other such facilities, each of which contributes to the creation of a regional society imbued with the breath of advanced culture and art, and in harmony with the environment. We believe that the further development of Okada's plan for Atami will serve as a model for future city planning in Japan, and eventually for the world at large.