Etai Yamada

The Most Venerable Etai Yamada (1900 – 1999) was the 253rd head priest of the Japanese Tendai school Mahayana Buddhism.

In 1986, Yamada was invited by Pope John Paul II to be one of the few non-Christian religious leaders to attend the World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, Italy. In 1987, he held a religious summit meeting on Mount Hiei near Kyoto. This event has been held annually to the present day, inviting religious leaders to gather to pray for worldwide peace and reconciliation.

Yamada received the Niwano Peace Prize in 1989.