Ryuho Okawa

Ryuho Okawa (大川 隆法; Ōkawa Ryūhō; born Takashi Nakagawa (中川 隆; Nakagawa Takashi) on July 7, 1956 in Yoshinogawa, Tokushima Prefecture) is the CEO and founder of the Happy Science religious organization and the Happiness Realization Party in Japan. He is also chairman of two companies affiliated with the organization, Newster Production and ARI Production.[1]

Ryuho Okawa
President of Happiness Realization Party
Assumed office
March 23, 2009
Preceded byPosition established
Master of Happy Science
Assumed office
October 6, 1986
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
Born
Takashi Nakagawa (中川 隆)

(1956-07-07) July 7, 1956
Yoshinogawa, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan
CitizenshipJapanese
Alma materTokyo University, New York City University
OccupationReligious leader
Political activist
Websitehttps://ryuho-okawa.org/

His organization has been widely criticised as a cult.[2][3][4] Adherents of the religion worship Okawa, who claims to be the reincarnation of "El Cantare" and of a number of other beings, including Hermes and Gautama Buddha.[5]

Life and career

After graduating from the University of Tokyo, he joined a Tokyo-based trading house. While working at its New York headquarters in 1982-1983, he studied finance at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. In 1986, he resigned his business career and started Happy Science.

Since the founding of Happy Science, Okawa has reportedly published over 500 books,[6] most of which are transcripts of his video recorded lectures.[7] There are 15 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, I'm Fine My Angel, The World We Live In, and Daybreak.[1] The three books The Laws of the Sun, The Golden Laws, and The Laws of Eternity (a.k.a. The Nine Dimensions) contain the core teachings of Happy Science.

He was married to Kyoko Okawa (大川 きょう子, Ōkawa Kyōko, née Kimura), former leader of the Happiness Realization Party and self-proclaimed "reborn Aphrodite and bodhisattva of wisdom and intellect",[6] but it was reported in February 2011 that they had divorced.[8][9] 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.[10] Together they have 5 children. Their oldest child, Hiroshi Okawa, has since renounced his father, stating "I believe what my father does is complete nonsense."[5] In an interview with Shūkan Bunshun on 28th February 2019, Hiroshi said he left Happy Science because he felt pressured by his father to marry the actress Fumika Shimizu, and his refusal to do so had angered his father.[11][12] Happy Science has denied the accusations of trying to marry Hiroshi and Fumika to each other.

He is now married to Shio Okawa (大川 紫央 Okawa Shio, née Kondo), who is believed by members of Happy Science to be the incarnation of the goddess Gaia.[13]

Okawa was the target of an assassination attempt by rival cult Aum Shinrikyo in 1995 using VX agent.[5][14][15]

See also

References
  1. 大川隆法ご紹介 [Profile of Ryuho Okawa]. Happy Science (in Japanese). Japan: IRH Press.
  2. Musasizi, Simon (21 June 2012). "Clerics call for probe into Happy Science". The Observer. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
  3. "Happy Science, a new cult offers celebrity guide to heaven". The Jakarta Post. 22 July 2012. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012.
  4. Donnelly, Beau (2 November 2015). "Blooming 'Happy Science' religion channels Disney, Gandhi, Jesus and Thatcher". The Age. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  5. Kestenbaum, Sam (16 April 2020). "Inside the Fringe Japanese Religion That Claims It Can Cure Covid-19". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 March 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  6. McNeill, David (4 August 2009), "Party offers a third way: happiness", The Japan Times, retrieved 6 August 2009
  7. Saint-Guily, Sylla (3 October 2012). "Happy Science Is the Laziest Cult Ever". Vice. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015.
  8. Shūkan Bunshun 3 February 2011, p. 140–43
  9. Shūkan Shinchō 3 February 2011, pp.136–37
  10. 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.
  11. "大川隆法長男が語る「『幸福の科学』決別の理由は清水富美加との"結婚強制"」". Bunshun. Archived from the original on 20 February 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  12. "価格.com - 「大川宏洋」に関連する情報 | テレビ紹介情報". kakaku.com. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  13. Okawa, Ryuho Okawa & Shio (2014-11-21). In Love with the Sun: Spiritual Messages from Goddess Gaia. IRH Press Company Limited. ISBN 9781941779262.
  14. "Chronology of Aum Shinrikyo's CBQ Activities" (PDF). Monterey Institute of International Studies. June 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-04-11. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  15. Astley, Trevor (1995). "The Transformation of a Recent Japanese New Religion: Ōkawa Ryūhō and Kōfuku no Kagaku". Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. 22 (3/4): 343–380. doi:10.18874/jjrs.22.3-4.1995.343-380. ISSN 0304-1042. JSTOR 30234459.
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