The 1^st Seven Bells – 1930 -1979

The 1^st Bell (1930-37)

The Soka Kyoiku Gakkai transition from educational reformation to religious reformation.
. Nov. 18,1930 – Foundation of the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai (Value-Creation Education Society)
.1937 – Inaugural Ceremony for the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai

The 2^nd Bell (1937-44)

The Soka Gakkai makes it clear that its goal is kosen-rufu, as it confronts militarism head-on.
. Nov. 18, 1944 – First Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi dies a martyr in prison for standing up to the military government.

The 3^rd Bell (1944-51)

Second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda rebuilds the Soka Kyoku Gakkai as the Soka Gakkai.
. July 3, 1945 – Jose Toda released from prison
. Aug.24, 1947 – Daisaku Ikeda joins the Soka Gakkai.
. May 3, 1951 – Josei Toda is inaugurated as second Soka Gakkai President

The 4^th Bell (1951-58)

The Soka Gakkai starts its phase of rapid growth.
. Sept. 8, 1957 – Josei toda makes his "Declaration for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons."
. Dec. 25, 1957 – President Toda Achieves his goal of reaching a membership of 750,000 households.
. March 16, 1958 – President Toda holds a ceremony to pass on the responsibility for achieving kosen-rufu to the youth.
. April 12, 1958 – President Toda dies.

The 5^th Bell (1958-65)

The Soka Gakkai sets its membership goal as 3 million.
. May 3, 1960 – Daisaku Ikeda is inaugurated as the third Soka Gakkai president.
. Oct 2, 1960 – President Ikeda arrives in Hawaii, his first stop in his travels for worldwide kosen-rufu.
. Nov. 27, 1962 – The Soka Gakkai achieves its membership goal of 3 million households.

The 6^th Bell (1965-72)

The Soka Gakkai sets its membership goal as 6 million.
. Jan 1, 1965 – The serialization of President Ikeda’s novel ‘The Human Revolution’ begins in the Seikyo Shimbun, the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper.
. April 8, 1968 – The first entrance ceremony is held for the Soka Schools (junior high and high school).
. Jan 28, 1970 – The Soka Gakkai achieves a membership of 7 ,550,000 households.
. April 2, 1971 – Soka University, Japan opens..

The 7^th Bell (1972-79)

The Soka Gakkai begins its full-scale worldwide kosen-rufu movement as the SGI.
. Jan 26,1975 – The SGI is founded on the island of Guam.
. April 24, 1979 – President Ikeda resigns as Soka Gakkai president to protect the organization when various anti-Soka Gakkai parties incite a conflict between the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood and the organization.