is a roman à clef by Daisaku Ikeda published between 1964 and 1995 in a newspaper belonging to his buddhist organization, Soka Gakkai. It chronicles the efforts of Jōsei Toda, the second president of the Soka Gakkai, to construct this Buddhist organization upon his release from Sugamo Prison at the end of World War II.
The Human Revolution is not a history book. It is inspired by epic novels, like Romance of the Three Kingdoms (in Chinese Sanguozhi, in Japanese Sangokushi), and the style of French romantics like Victor Hugo or Romain Rolland. It is said to provide an "epic novelized history of the Soka Gakkai", with novelized treatments of the reality.
Though, The Human Revolution is considered by members as the Gakkai’s “correct history” (tadashii rekishi). It is also used as a rite of passage for recruits, who have to read it entirely and "produce evidence of results (seiseki), either by converting one household to Soka Gakkai or securing one new subscription to Seikyō shinbun", explains scholar Levi McLaughlin; "The Gakkai thus regards mastery of the organization’s history, represented as Ike- da’s literary biography, as the true test of faithful adherence."
The novel was self-published and printed in 30 volumes. It has sold millions of copies to Soka Gakkai's members,[1] [2] and it's translated into several langages.
It also inspired two movies directed by Toshio Masuda.[3]
Ikeda followed The Human Revolution with another series of books titled The New Human Revolution. These volumes began with Ikeda's trip to organize the Soka Gakkai in the United States and Brazil in 1960, several months after he succeeded Toda as president. The New Human Revolution, completed on August 6, 2018 by Ikeda at the age of 90, consists of 30 volumes.[4]