Perfect Liberty’s path to the present

Spiritual Father – the first steps

The first steps on the path that eventually led to Perfect Liberty were taken by Reverend Tokumitsu Kanada (1863–1919). His teaching is about what this world consists, the principles of the formation of the universe and elucidating great nature and by doing so he could explain clearly what human beings are and how God expected them to live.

He just sought and taught the Truth and always believed that everything in life is here to teach us. From birth he had unusual psychic abilities such as taking others’ pain and suffering upon his own body and then passing it on to God. He saved many thousands of people during his lifetime by means that can only be described as miraculous. Also his deep spiritual abilities and understanding were far beyond the realm of normal human comprehension. Furthermore, he lived with a “no-thought” state of mind knowing nothing, but when he needed to know something it came to him and often what came to him could never be understood through normal human intellectual pondering.

Around 1916, at age 53, he established his own religious order. It was the beginning step of what would eventually lead to the development of the Church of Perfect Liberty. Reverend Tokumiutsu Kanada is called the Spiritual Father of Perfect Liberty.

First Founder – inspiration and struggle

Tokuharu Miki (1871-1938) met Reverend Kanada in 1912. At that meeting Reverend Kanada miraculously and instantly cured Tokuharu Miki’s asthma that he had suffered from for many years. The profound teaching and acts of this pure and humble man inspired Tokuharu Miki to become a disciple.

Shortly before his death Reverend Kanada had something very important to tell Tokuharu Miki: “Please plant a sakaki tree at the place where I die and protect it as a Himorogi (sacred tree). By doing this you will meet a person with Makoto (heart and sincerity) who will complete my teachings.”

In 1924, after five years caring for, protecting and praying at the tree during a time of immense hardship, it was Tokuharu Miki himself who reached enlightenment and completed the teachings. He also received many of the unusual abilities that Reverend Kanada had possessed and as promised, he  established a new religious organisation under the Shinto sect, as was required at the time.

In 1931 he renamed it Hito-no-michi  (The Way of Humankind) and established it as an independent religion. As Hito-no-michi spread rapidly through Japan, Korea, China and South-East Asia, Japan’s military government was becoming more repressive. The government hated Hito-no-michi and on the day after the ceremony for the succession of the Second Founder it set its sights on this spiritual order.

In April 1937 Japan’s military government disbanded Hito-no-michi. Tokuharu Miki was arrested and tortured. He became so weak they released him. He died soon after as the government’s harassment of Hito-no-michi went on. Tokuharu Miki is called the First Founder of Perfect Liberty.

Second Founder – trials and harmony

Tokuchika Miki (1900-1983) was born on April 8; Buddha’s birthday. It was an auspicious start. Like his father the First Founder, he was a follower of the Spiritual Father.

When the Spiritual Father established his religious order Tokuchika Miki became a reverend, he was only 16. He succeeded the First Founder in 1936 just before Japan’s military government began its campaigns against Hito-no-michi. As soon as he assumed the position of “Oshieoya” after doing his life and death oath with God to take full responsibility for this sacred position, he himself had the same abilities that his father the First Founder had, such as being able to take the pain and suffering of others on his own body which he could then pass on to God.

From 1939 World War II spread its darkness across the world, yet in Imperial Japan Hito-no-michi persisted by operating underground.

In 1945 Tokuchika Miki was imprisoned for “disrespecting the Japanese emperor”, but the end of the war and the defeat of the Empire of Japan brought Tokuchika Miki’s release.

Soon after the world-engulfing conflict ended and spurred by the enthusiasm of Hito-no-michi members he Tokuchika Miki established a movement called Perfect Liberty in Tosu City, Saga Prefecture. Tokuchika Miki later became a campaigner for religious cooperation and had three meetings on advancing world peace with the Catholic Pope.

In 1953, he established Perfect Liberty’s headquarters in Tondabayashi, Osaka Prefecture. In 1958 after more than five years of prayers to God Tokuchika Miki received the sacred word “Oyashikiri” and the sacred “Oyashikiri Prayer” that concentrates all the energy of Perfect Liberty to save people.

Later Tokuchika Miki broadened Perfect Liberty’s activities to include education, science, computing, arts, sports and publishing. In 1970 he supervised the construction of the PL Peace Tower – a monument for world peace that is dedicated to all who have died in war from the beginning of human history. Tokuchika Miki is called the Second Founder. From Reverend Kanada to the First and Second Founder all have been extraordinarily dedicated men giving their lives in their persistent effort to work for world peace, teaching us how to live more enjoyable lives in harmony with others.

The Interim Leader

Takahito Miki (1957- present) took over the leadership of PL following Reverend Tokuchika Miki’s death in 1983.

Timeline

• 774AD – Zen Buddhist Priest Kukai born
• 835 – Kukai dies
• 1863 – Spiritual Father Tokumitsu Kanada born
• 1871 – First Founder Tokuharu Miki born
• 1900 – Second Founder Tokuchika Miki born
• 1912 – First Founder meets the Spiritual Father, and has his asthma cured
• 1916 – The Spiritual Father establishes his religious order, the First Founder and Second Founder become ministers
• 1919 – The Spiritual Father dies, First Founder acts in accord with the Spiritual Father’s will and plants a sacred tree at the site of his death
• 1924 – First Founder achieves enlightenment and establishes his own religious order
• 1931 – First Founder renames his sect Hito-no-michi and makes it an independent religion. Membership spreads across Asia and grows to over 1 million
• September 27, 1936 – Second Founder succeeds First Founder
• September 28, 1936 – Japan’s military government begins its repression of Hito-no-michi
• April 1937 – Japan’s military government orders Hito-no-michi to disband; arrests, tortures and starves First Founder
• July 6, 1938 – First Founder dies
• May 11, 1945 – Second Founder imprisoned on false charges of disrespecting the emperor
• October 9, 1945 – The Second Founder’s charges were declared null and he is released. With the Hito-no-michi ministers they decide to start a movement. It’s decided the movement will be called “Perfect Liberty”.
• September 29, 1946 – Second Founder establishes Perfect Liberty in Tosu City
• 1947 – Second Founder receives 21 Perfect Liberty precepts from God
• 1953 – Construction of the Perfect Liberty headquarters in Tondabayashi begins
• May 1958 – Second Founder receives the sacred word Oyashikiri and the sacred prayer
• 1958 – The Perfect Liberty headquarters in Brazil is established
• 1958-onward – Second Founder broadens the scope of Perfect Liberty activities
• 1960 – Second Founder visits 33 countries to spread the Perfect Liberty message
• 1970 – Second Founder supervises the construction of the PL Peace Tower
• February 2, 1983 – Second Founder dies
• 2010 – 600 churches in 10 countries, over 1.2 million members