, or Nirwana Association, is a Japanese new religious movement founded in 1929. The number of adherents exceeded 200,000 in the 1990s. It is a syncretic movement, with influences drawing from traditional Shinto and Shingon Buddhist teachings. Its central deity is Gochi Nyorai (Mahāvairocana). Gedatsu is the Japanese term for moksha or enlightenment. Gedatsu-kai is a non-sectarian study, having no firm affiliation with any existing religious groups. Founder and family Gedatsu-kai was established by Seiken Okano (born Eizo Okano) in 1929. Okano was born in what is now Kitamoto, Saitama in 1881. Okano fell ill in 1925 with pneumonia, and upon recovering, expressed greater interest in religion. He visited Shinto and Buddhist shrines and temples, eventually associating himself with practitioners of those faiths. In 1929, he was believed to have had a divine revelation, urging him to further his religious exploration; Okano founded Gedatsu-kai later that year. He dedicated the rest of his life to guiding others to the same spiritual awakening he had received. In 1948, Okano died, and was given the title "Gedatsu Kongō Sonja" within the Church. Church members refer to him as "Kongō Sama" or "Sonja," and pay homage to him regularly through prayer. His successor (referred to as Hoshu, or Dharma successor) is the late Abbot Seiho Okano, an affiliate of the revisionist lobby Nippon Kaigi, and the Chairman of the board of directors is Bishop Teruo Okano. Reverend Naoya Okano is affiliated with the Gedatsu Church of America. History Ine Kenyu Kiyota was a student of Seiken Okano, and was given the mission to spread Gedatsu-kai to the United States. Kiyota brought Gedatsu-Kai to California during the late 1930s. Upon the beginning of World War II, Kiyota, along with the Japanese and Japanese American populace in the United States, were forced into relocation camps. Kiyota refused to pledge loyalty to the United States in protest of the internment, and was sent to the Tule Lake Camp. Kiyota spent her time in Tule Lake practicing Gedatsu-kai, and spreading the teachings of Seiken Okano. Upon being released from Tule Lake, Kiyota founded the first branch of the Gedatsu Church of America in San Francisco. After Okano's death in 1948, management of church affairs was passed to Bishop Takeo Kishida. In 1950, Kishida moved to the United States, passing church operations to individual congregations in the Tokyo area. Kishida purchased 20 acres of farmland in Sacramento, California,