Yoshikazu Okada

Yoshikazu Okada
岡田 良一
Personal life
Born	Yoshikazu Okada (1901-02-27)27 February 1901 Minato, Tokyo
Died	23 June 1974(1974-06-23) (aged 73) Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Children	Keishu Okada (岡田恵珠)
Known for	Founding the Mahikari movement
Other names	Kōtama Okada
Religious life
Religion	Mahikari

Yoshikazu Okada (岡田 良一; born February 27, 1901, Minato, Tokyo; died June 23, 1974), also known as Kōtama Okada (岡田 光玉), was the founder of the Mahikari new religious movement in Japan (Shinshūkyō).

Biography

Yoshikazu Okada was born on February 27, 1901 in the Aoyama area of Tokyo's Minato Ward. He was born into a wealthy family as the son of Inasaburo, a major general in the Imperial Japanese Army. Okada, who studied with Prince Chichibu (Yasuhito) and others who came from prominent Japanese families, graduated from the Japanese Army Officer Training School in 1922 and was commissioned a lieutenant in the Japanese Imperial Guard. After serving in military campaigns in China and Indochina, Okada retired from the army in 1941 due to a back injury with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Originally a follower of Sekai Kyūsei Kyō, Yoshikazu Okada established L. H. Yokoshi no Tomo in 1959, and in 1963, registered a religious organisation under the name "Sekai Mahikari Bunmei Kyodan." He assumed the name of "Kōtama" ("Sphere of Light") in accordance with a divine revelation.

Legacy

In 1974, after Okada's death, there were court hearings held over eight years. After an amicable settlement was reached (wakai), Sakae Sekiguchi assumed the eadership of Sekai Mahikari Bunmei Kyodan (now known outisde Japan as the World Divine Light Organization), and Keishu Okada established Sukyo Mahikari.

See also

• New religious movement
• Religions of Japan