Nikkyo Niwano (born 1906) was president of Rissho Kosei-kai and one of the most important religious leaders of modern Japan.

President Nikkyo Niwano of Rissho Kosei-kai, a Japanese lay Buddhist organization, received two international awards in the late 1970s: the Albert Schweitzer (United States) and the Templeton (England). Both were given in recognition of his leadership in religion, marking him as one of the most important religious leaders in Asia and the world. This was quite an accomplishment for a man who only had a primary school education (but became a lifetime student) and whose sect of Japanese Buddhism was related to Nichiren Buddhism (often noted as the most nationalistic and narrow of Buddhist groups). In addition, his involvement in international concerns did not begin until the late 1960s. His life was a testament to overcoming obstacles to achieve greatness.

Born in the snow country of northern Japan on...