Inter-religious understanding does not come from just one conference or one ritual event. It comes from personal relationships lasting over years or decades with followers of many faiths.
Over the years Oomoto representatives have hosted in Kameoka and Ayabe or visited in their home countries numerous persons involved in interfaith activities: religious leaders, directors of cultural institutions and museums, academics, artists, and writers. The faces appearing on these two pages illustrate only a few of the warm friendships which have developed over time. Oomoto sees them as its “Community of Friends”.
Dr. Franck visited Oomoto in January 1975 and wrote a ground-breaking book about Oomoto’s arts activities, An Encounter With Oomoto.
Cardinal Pignedoli was Director of the Vatican Secretariat for Non-Christians. His visit to Oomoto in 1976 paved the way for an Oomoto ritual to be performed at the Vatican in October 1977.
H.E. Dr. Gad El Haq was Sheikh of El Azhar University, the oldest and most prestigious Isamic university, in Cairo, Egypt. The Sheikh El Azhar is ex officio one of the leading authorities on Islamic doctrine.
Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, UK, Victor de Waal arranged for the Noh performance at Canterbury, May 1980.
Abbot of Kozanji Temple and Presbyter of Tendai Buddhism, Mt. Hiei, Kyoto. Abbot Hagami was a leading figure in the Japanese religious world, instrumental in arranging the Mt. Sinai ceremony with President Sadat of Egypt in 1979, the WOREC Conference of 1981, and many other interfaith events.
Professor of Comparative Religion, Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
Director, Cultural Centre of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, New Delhi, India.
Art collector and author living in Kyoto, David Kidd was founder and first director of the Oomoto School of Traditional Japanese Arts.
Director of the Musée Cernuschi in Paris, he arranged for the Oomoto Arts Exhibition of 1972-75.
