Opening
With the gates of Fuji Sanctuary open from 9am, participants and guests began arriving early, visiting various parts of the sanctuary before the ceremony began. The central plaza housed a number of booths, including one offering “Inori Cards,” featuring passages from the writings of Masahisa Goi and Masami Saionji (the Founder and Chairperson of host organization Byakko Shinko Kai), and one where participants could learn about regenerative agriculture and sample wild herb tea. Volunteer guides offered tours of Fuji Sanctuary, and another booth offered peace-themed crafts for sale. A new addition to the SOPP this year was the inclusion of food trucks run by local vendors, where participants could purchase freshly made food and drinks.
By noon, participants were seated in the large outdoor Prayer Field, and the ceremony began with a welcoming address from Byakko Deputy Chairperson Yuka Saionji, after which Byakko President Tomohiko Naya and Chairperson Masami Saionji gave their opening remarks.
Opening Remarks by Yuka Saionji
Thank you so much for being here today. This event has now reached its 22nd year, and it’s truly because of each and every one of you.
On this milestone, I’d like to share a concept that has stayed with me, and it’s from the Japanese culture of ‘shuhari’—the Japanese tradition of tea ceremony and martial arts—a philosophy of growth that has guided practitioners for centuries. ‘Shu’ means to protect the form, ‘ha’ means to break the form, and ‘ri’ means to leave the form.
Looking back, these past twenty years have been our ‘shu’—a time to carefully and faithfully build what we stand for. And now, we find ourselves at the threshold of ‘ha.’ This is not a rejection of what has come before; rather, it’s precisely because of these past twenty years that we can now move on to the next step. What lies beyond ‘shuhari’ is a freedom—not the freedom to do anything, but the freedom of having twenty years of dedication quietly living within us, and of becoming who we truly are.
We are still on the journey through ‘ha’ at this moment, but I believe that what we can see beyond ‘shuhari’ is oneness, without any borders, and that we can all live as our true selves, [at one] with the source [of our life].
Since our twentieth anniversary, the SOPP has had the theme of ‘musubi,’ which means to tie a knot and create connection within ourselves and with the source—with each religion, each country, and each tradition. We honor them and send our prayers, and that is what we hope to do today as well.
Lastly, we cannot hold the SOPP without the wonderful prayer leaders who have agreed to join us and offer their prayers, as well as the artists who perform, our guests, and all of the participants who are here, praying and offering your love to the world. Thank you all so much.
Welcoming address
Tomohiko Naya, President of Byakko Shinko Kai
Distinguished religious leaders, honored guests, dear members, and friends in prayer, thank you all very much for joining us today for the Symphony of Peace Prayers, held today at the Fuji Sanctuary for the first time in seven years.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the religious leaders present today for leading your precious prayers for peace, and we offer our profound respect for your devoted service as spiritual guides for so many people. In particular, it is our great honor to welcome His Excellency Archbishop Francisco Escalante Molina, who will lead the Christian prayer for SOPP.
We would also like to express our sincere appreciation to our distinguished guests from various fields who have long supported the Symphony of Peace Prayers, as well as to the members of the local community present here today, for your warm and continuing support of our activities.
In today’s world, where global conditions remain uncertain and complex, we believe that the Symphony of Peace Prayers is entering a new era—an era in which it can serve as a model for building a peaceful and harmonious world through the awakening of the sacred spirit within each individual. In such a time, we are ever more assured that prayer holds the power to guide humanity toward a new era of consciousness.
Together with all of you present here today, we offer our heartfelt prayers for peace to every nation and region of the world, to all people, and to the great natural world. We believe that these united prayers are themselves an expression of world peace. We are also united as one with those joining us through YouTube and with participants in the Global Link Ceremony around the world. We firmly believe that today’s prayers will become a true power guiding humanity toward peace.
In closing, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to all those who have offered messages of support and encouragement for this occasion. Thank you very much.
Welcoming Address
Masami Saionji, Chairperson of Byakko Shinko Kai
Thank you everyone for coming here in this hot weather. I deeply thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your prayers and offerings, and I feel your hearts so much. Being here, all the history comes back to me—all the prayers that we have been doing together in this field.
I will be 85 next month. It’s hard for me to walk sometimes. My body is changing, and I sometimes feel that I’ll be going back to Goi Sensei sooner or later. It will be so sad for me to part with you, but it also makes me feel joy in my heart.
I also want to say thank you so much to all of our prayer colleagues, who have been offering your prayers—in hot weather like this, and also in the rain and in the snow. No matter what the conditions, you have been steadfast in your dedication to prayer and your contribution to peace. May we all pray again today as well, for the day to come of a world without boundaries—no discrimination, no hatred—and for all humanity to live by its true nature. The time, I feel, is almost coming, because of your work and your prayers.
I feel that you all have fulfilled your life’s missions, because you have continued offering prayers. I am honored to have prayer colleagues like you. May all humanity become one in unity and equality. Through prayer, let us work together for that day.
Lastly, I would like to offer my gratitude to the prayer leaders, to the taiko performer, to all the special guests who have come here today, and to all the participants, who have come all this way in the hot weather. My heart is filled with your love and is full of joy. Each one of you is such an important being on earth. Please be well, and thank you so much.