The Human Revolution (人間革命, Ningen Kakumei) is a roman à clef written by Daisaku Ikeda when he was the leader of the Soka Gakkai buddhist organization. It was published between 1964 and 1995 in a newspaper belonging to the Buddhist organization, the Seikyo Shimbun. The book chronicles the life of Jōsei Toda, the second president of the Soka Gakkai, after 1945.
Novelised history
In The Human Revolution', a narrator named Shin'ichi Yamamoto tells the story of the Soka Gakkai between 1945 and the beginning of the 1960s.
The book is inspired by epic novels, like Romance of the Three Kingdoms (in Chinese Sanguozhi, in Japanese Sangokushi), and the style of French romantics like Victor Hugo or Romain Rolland. It is said to provide an "epic novelized history of the Soka Gakkai".
30 volumes
The novel was self-published by the Soka Gakkai and printed in 30 volumes. It has sold millions of copies to Soka Gakkai's members.
It also inspired two movies directed by Toshio Masuda.
Ikeda followed The Human Revolution with another series of books titled The New Human Revolution. These volumes began with Ikeda's trip to organize the Soka Gakkai in the United States and Brazil in 1960, several months after he succeeded Toda as president. The New Human Revolution, completed on August 6, 2018 by Ikeda at the age of 90, consists of 30 volumes.
Selected works
- The Human Revolution (The Human Revolution, #1–12), abridged two-book set, Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 2008; ISBN 0-915678-77-2
- The Human Revolution (The Human Revolution, #1–6 with foreword by Arnold Toynbee), Weatherhill, Inc. edition, publishing years 1972–1999.
- The New Human Revolution (30 volumes), Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 1995–.
Film adaptations
- Ningen Kakumei (The Human Revolution), a 1973 Tōhō production, starring Tetsurō Tamba and directed by Toshio Masuda. It grossed ¥1,193,200,000 at the Japanese box office.
- Zoku Ningen Kakumei (The Human Revolution Continues), a 1976 Tōhō production, starring Tetsurō Tamba and directed by Toshio Masuda. It grossed ¥1,607,000,000 at the Japanese box office.
References
External links
- The Human Revolution at IMDb
- The Human Revolution (OVA) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
