On August 15, the 11th Assembly of Prayer for Peace was conducted at the Peace Memorial Hall in Mabuni, Okinawa, with the participation of approximately 600 representatives from 14 religious organizations including Tenrikyo. This assembly, held annually since 1991, pays tribute to the memory of war victims and prays for the realization of everlasting peace.
Tenri Seminary Principal Yoshikazu Terada attended the assembly as the representative of Director-in-Chief of Administrative Affairs Masahiko Iburi. The assembly was also attended by some 80 Tenrikyo followers in Okinawa including church head ministers and their spouses.
After prayers had been offered by the various religious groups, Okinawa Governor Keiichi Inamine addressed the gathering. Reflecting on the fierce and tragic battle that had decimated the island of Okinawa 56 years ago and cost Okinawa 220,000 lives, he made a strong appeal for world peace.
Six children then made a pledge on behalf of all Okinawan school children. They said: “True peace begins when human beings trust one another, practice tolerance, and learn to care for all life and even nature itself. Our highest hope is that people all over the world will be able to set aside their religious and ideological differences in order to join together in praying for peace and harmony, for we believe that those prayers will have the strength to reach out and influence all humankind. Today, having given deep thought to the tragedies of war and the preciousness of each and every human life, we who are gathered here today are presently engaged in praying for world peace. Though war and strife seem to continue without end, even in this 21st century, we children in Okinawa are determined to keep doing whatever we can to bring peace to the world.” This was followed by a minute of silent prayer, offerings of flowers, messages for peace, and a closing ceremony.
The proceedings were covered by local television stations. Interviews with religious leaders, which were conducted just prior to the ceremony, were broadcast live on television. Okinawa Diocese Superintendent Kunizo Yamaguchi, who was interviewed as a representative of Tenrikyo, said: “Humanity is meant to coexist in harmony through mutual help. Those of us in Okinawa feel that we have a responsibility to share that message with the world. To ensure that the lives destroyed by wars will not have been lost in vain, we are resolved to set aside our religious differences and let go of our petty egos so that we may call out to the world in unison, with our minds as one.”
The Okinawa Diocese chapters of the Young Men’s Association and the Students Association, as well as the younger members of the Women’s Association, took charge of preparing the venue prior to the assembly and engaged in clean-up hinokishin around the premises of the Peace Memorial Hall.