Buddhist ‘peace fort’ welcomes visitors

Story and Photos by Reynaldo Cantù

Many monuments have risen from the proverbial ashes of Okinawa’s wartime past, but only one was revamped from a missile silo as a symbol of hope. The Fortress of Peace offers a glimpse of this hope through the eyes of one of Japan’s most prominent religious groups.

The Mace B site under the command of the 498th Tactical Missile Group based on Kadena was decommissioned in 1969. The property was eventually purchased by the Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai International to serve as a site for its new training center.

However, the new owners soon realized that the hardened concrete silos were indestructible. Nonetheless, the Soka Gakkai Okinawa Training Center was built there in 1977. The group’s president at the time, Daisaku Ikeda, later decided to change the original facility into a “world base for peace” and the project was completed in 1991.

While the place is a religious center, visitors are allowed to tour the grounds and a converted launch tube. Drawings created by civilians who survived World War II line the incline. The artworks convey the raw emotion of the cruelty of the battle that native Okinawans suffered.

To get there, head north on Highway 58 and turn right at the first light past the Razzan Sea Park Resort Hotel. Follow the road approximately three hundred meters; the entrance is on the left.