KENTETSU TAKAMORI is a Pure Land Buddhist teacher born in Japan in 1929. He has lectured throughout Japan and worldwide on Buddhism for more than half a century. He is the author of several best-selling titles in Japanese and the chair of the Buddhist organization Jodo Shinshu Shinrankai.

YOU WERE BORN FOR A REASON: The Real Purpose of Life was the first of his works to be published in English (Ichimannendo Publishing, Inc., 2006). This is a translation of the book Naze ikiru (Ichimannendo Publishing, 2001), which has sold over 600,000 copies to date.

His life has been dedicated to faithfully conveying the teachings of Shinran (1173–1263), the founder of Shin Buddhism (the True Pure Land School).

He lives with his wife and their dog in a small town in Toyama Prefecture overlooking the Japan Sea.