Soka

Soka is a name that can refer to several related places and organizations in Japan and abroad. It is commonly associated with locations in the Tokyo metropolitan region and with a Buddhist movement that has built a network of educational and cultural institutions.

Soka, commonly written 草加市 in Japanese, is a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, located within the Greater Tokyo Area. It functions as a residential and commercial community with local industry and services, and it is connected to neighboring municipalities by Japan’s rail and road networks.

Soka Gakkai is a global lay Buddhist organization based on Nichiren Buddhism. It was founded in Japan in 1930 by Tsunesaburō Makiguchi and Jōsei Toda and later led by Daisaku Ikeda. The organization emphasizes personal empowerment, peace, education, and cultural activities, and it operates schools, universities, publishing ventures, and cultural programs around the world.

Soka University in Japan is a private university in Hachiōji, Tokyo. Established in 1971 by Soka Gakkai, it offers undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences and places emphasis on international understanding, humanistic education, and global engagement.

Soka University of America is a private liberal arts college in Aliso Viejo, California. Founded in 2001 by Soka Gakkai, it provides a cross-cultural undergraduate education with a global focus, drawing students from many countries and emphasizing intercultural dialogue and civic responsibility.

Taken together, the name Soka appears in municipal, educational, and religious contexts, linking a Japanese city with a network of institutions founded or influenced by the Soka Gakkai organization.