There is a new Shintaido website which has been created for the Taimyo Network for World Peace. Below is Ito Sensei’s introduction to this new site:
December 7 and December 10 will be here soon. December 7, 1941, is when the Japanese navy attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and December 10, 1937, is when the Japanese army in China invaded Nanjing in China (the « Nanjing massacre »). The truth about Nanjing, especially about the number of people killed, is fiercely debated even within Japan. However, there is no question that more than 60 years ago, the leaders of Japan took the country in the wrong direction. The Imperial Army and Navy invaded China, Korea, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and Indonesia at the sacrifice of millions of lives.
Imperial Japan and the Japanese people before and during World War II were highly idealistic. The tragedy of that war shows that no matter how high their ideals, nations and people can cause terrible destruction to their neighbors and themselves if they think only about their own benefit.
I will be in meditation from December 7 to December 10 to reflect on my responsibility as a Japanese for the shameful behavior of my country in the past, to do everything that I can to prevent such terrible things from happening again, and to pray that leaders around the world will avoid such terrible mistakes in the future. I invite you to join me!
For further information about my action, please visit « the Taimyo Network for the World Peace at http://www.taimyo.net/!
H. F. Ito
