Shin’ichi encouraged members with every fibre of his being, considering each of his encounters to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

On September 13, 1968, Shin’ichi Yamamoto flew from Tokyo to Asahikawa in Hokkaido. A small group of local leaders were on hand to greet Shin’ichi’s party at the airport. Knowing how everyone felt, they wanted to ask Shin’ichi to meet with them. But they held back, not wishing to add to his already hectic schedule.

To their surprise, however, Shin’ichi said: “The members are gathered somewhere, waiting for me to come, aren’t they? Let’s go and encourage them!” Jujo and the others from Tokyo did not look happy. They knew that if President Yamamoto were to meet with the members, it would take time away from his work, which in turn would keep him up late and cut into his sleep.

As a matter of fact, Shin’ichi had been feeling under the weather for the past week or so, and he was still running a fever. Even so, receiving an injection from his doctor, he had attended the opening of the athletic field at the Soka Junior and Senior High Schools on September 6, and spoken for more than 70 minutes at the student division general meeting on the 8th, making his proposal for the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China. Then, on the 12th, on the eve of his trip to Hokkaido, he had conducted a dialogue with the director and staff of the American Ballet Theatre, which was giving a series of performances in Japan at the invitation of the Min-On Concert Association. It had indeed been an intense couple of weeks.

Well aware of this, the leaders were hoping that Shin’ichi could get as much rest as possible in Asahikawa. But Shin’ichi enthusiastically headed to the temple where the members were gathered, saying: “I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back to Asahikawa, so I don’t want to miss this chance to encourage them.”

He always maintained the attitude that “now is the last moment”. That is why he encouraged members with every fibre of his being, considering each of his encounters to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. His wholehearted sincerity would thus profoundly touch the lives of those he met, filling them with courage and hope.