Ryuho Okawa

Ryuho Okawa (大川 隆法, Ōkawa Ryūhō, born Takashi Nakagawa[1] on July 7, 1956 in Tokushima Prefecture) is the CEO and founder of the Happy Science religious organization and the Happiness Realization Party in Japan.[2]

Ryuho Okawa

Happy Science Shoshinkan(temple) in Sydney, Australia
Native name 大川 隆法
Born Takashi Nakagawa[1]
(1956-07-07) July 7, 1956
Yoshinogawa City, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan
Nationality Japanese
Alma mater University of Tokyo, City University of New York
Organization Happy Science, Happiness Realization Party, Happy Science Academy, Happy Science University
Title Founder and CEO of the Happy Science religious organization and the Happiness Realization Party [2]
Spouse(s) Shio Okawa
Children Hiroshi Okawa, Sayaka Okawa, Masaki Okawa, Yuta Okawa, Arisa Okawa
Awards Guinness World Records as “the most books written(52) in one year by an individual” (2011), The film "The Mystical Laws" was awarded the Remi Special Jury Award 2013 at the 46th WorldFest Houston International Film Festival[3]
Website Ryuho Okawa official website

Life and career

After graduating from the University of Tokyo, he joined a Tokyo-based trading house. While working at its New York headquarters on the 40th floor of the 1 World Trade Center from 1982-1983, he studied finance at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Just as he got promoted, he resigned his business career and started Happy Science on October 6, 1986.

Happy Science is one of many Japanese new religions, or shinshūkyō, which are looked upon as "controversial" by the mainstream press and public.[4] According to The Japan Times, "for many, the Happies smell suspiciously like a cult".[5] Even though Happy Science protested against Aum Shinrikyo before the 1995 Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, comparisons have been drawn between the two groups[5] and they often clashed in the media during the 1990s.[6]

Since the founding of Happy Science, Okawa has reportedly published over 2000 books[7] most of which are transcripts of his video recorded lectures[8] with 10 films based on his teachings: The Laws of the Sun, The Laws of Eternity, The Golden Laws, The Terrifying Revelations of Nostradamus, Hermes - Winds of Love, The Rebirth of Buddha, The Mystical Laws, The Final Judgement, The Laws of the Universe, and I'm Fine My Angel.[2] The three books The Laws of the Sun, The Golden Laws, and The Laws of Eternity(a.k.a. The Nine Dimensions) are the trilogy of books that contain the core teachings of Happy Science.　

He was married to Kyoko Okawa (大川 きょう子, Ōkawa Kyōko), former leader of the Happiness Realization Party and self-proclaimed "reborn Aphrodite and bodhisattva of wisdom and intellect",[5] but it was reported in February 2011 that they had divorced.[9][10] Happy Science announced that she had been permanently expelled for allegedly causing great personal and administrative damage to the organization, libeling the organization in various newspapers, and besmirching the name of Lord El Cantare.[11]

He is now married to Shio Okawa, who is believed by members of Happy Science to be the incarnation of the goddess Gaia.[12]

Okawa was the target of a failed assassination attempt by Aum Shinrikyo in January 1995 using VX agent.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 Trevor A s t l e y, The Transformation of a Recent Japanese New Religion: Okawa Ryuho and Kofuku no Kagaku; Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1995 22/3-4; http://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/publications/jjrs/pdf/454.pdf
  2. 1 2 3 大川隆法ご紹介 [Profile of Ryuho Okawa]. Happy Science (in Japanese). Japan: IRH Press. Archived from the original on 24 August 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  3. ↑ "REMI WINNERS - WORLDFEST HOUSTON". Retrieved 2016-02-13.
  4. ↑ Muhumza, Rodney (July 10, 2012). "Happy Science, Controversial Religion From Japan, Succeeds In Uganda". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 McNeill, David (4 August 2009), "Party offers a third way: happiness", The Japan Times, retrieved 6 August 2009
  6. ↑ Religion and Social Crisis in Japan. Understanding Japanese Society through the Aum Affair. Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan.
  7. ↑ "Books | HAPPY SCIENCE Official Website". HAPPY SCIENCE Official Website. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
  8. ↑ Saint-Guily, Sylla (3 October 2012). "Happy Science Is the Laziest Cult Ever". Vice. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  9. ↑ Shūkan Bunshun 3 February 2011, p. 140–43
  10. ↑ Shūkan Shinchō 3 February 2011, pp.136–37
  11. ↑ 幸福の科学が大川きょう子氏を永久追放 [Happy Science permanently expels Kyoko Okawa]. The Liberty Web (in Japanese). IRH Press Co., Ltd. February 22, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  12. ↑ Okawa, Ryuho Okawa & Shio (2014-11-21). In Love with the Sun: Spiritual Messages from Goddess Gaia. IRH Press Company Limited. ISBN 9781941779262.
  13. ↑ Danzig, Richard, Marc Sageman, Terrance Leighton, Lloyd Hough, Hidemi Yuki, Rui Kotani and Zachary M. Hosford, "Aum Shinrikyo: Insights Into How Terrorists Develop Biological and Chemical Weapons", Center for a New American Security, July 2011.
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