This is another in a series of daily articles concerning Kishio Satomi's book, "Japanese Civilization; Its Significance and Realization; Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles," which details the foundations of Chigaku Tanaka's interpretation of Nichiren Buddhism and Japan's role in the early 20th century.

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In Kishio Satomi’s presentation of Nichirenism, and by extension his father Chigaku Tanaka’s view,  several concepts distinguish it from more traditional Nichiren theology. As discussed earlier, one aspect is the idea that Nichiren was greatly disturbed by the exile of three former emperors following the Shokyu War. Another aspect is Satomi’s emphasis on Nichiren seeing himself as a reincarnation of Jogyo, Viśiṣṭacāritra in Sanskrit, one of four leaders of the Bodhisattvas in Chapter 15, The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground.

In the following quote summarizing the five areas of Nichiren’s criticism of Buddhism of his day, Nichiren being Honge Jogyo is an important demonstration of the source of Nichiren’s insight.

The criticism of Nichirenism is what is called “Five Critical Principles.” Nichiren attained an enlightenment after a long research spread over twenty years, and systematized the Five Critical Principles as the result of his four careful perusals of all the Buddhist Scriptures. He agreed with Tendai’s critical doctrine, “Five Epochs and Eight Doctrines” to a certain extent, but he deepened and widened the method from his unique point of view (which is the subject of this work), and established the perfect criticism on the authority of his conviction of Honge Jogyo by his religious practice of the Hokekyo.

His criticism, when observing both the general effect and the minute details of Buddhism, has five aspects, explained as follows, according to the suggestion by Chiō Yamakawa of the Kokuchukai:

1. Comparative study of Buddhist doctrines.
2. Psychological research into the people’s capacity for Buddhism.
3. Sociological study of the times.
4. State-ethnical study of religious influence.
5. Evolutionistic study of Buddhism.

He was actuated by the following phrase of the Hokekyo, and he established this critical doctrine at Izu when he was exiled there by the Hojos government. It says:

“He will, after Buddha’s Death, unravel (or know) the origin and orders, and he will preach the law as it is according to the real signification of the Buddhist Scriptures ” (Yamakawa’s Japanese translation, p. 567; cf. Kern, p. 369).

Nichiren writes in his article, “Analogue of Wise and Foolish,” “First of all, doctrine, capacity, the times, the country and retrocession and progress (or Backward and Forward) of religious distribution must be evident in order to propagate Buddhism and to benefit mankind ” (Shōgu Mondō-shō, Works, p. 223 ; cf. pp. 262-263, p. 1383).

How wonderful it is that so thorough a system for the study of religion has been established by him seven hundred years ago.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p14-16

In my reading of Nichiren’s letters I have found just one place where he says outright that he is Honge Jogyo. That occurs in Sandai Hiho Honjo-ji, The Transmission of the Three Great Secret Dharmas, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2:

These three great secret dharmas are certainly what I, Nichiren, at the head of the group of bodhisattvas emerged from underground received from Lord Śākyamuni Buddha orally more than 2,000 years ago. Therefore, what I practice today are the “actual” three great secret dharmas revealed in “The Life Span of the Buddha” chapter, which are exactly the same as what was transmitted on Mt. Sacred Eagle without a shred of difference.

This letter says a number of things that are unique to this letter and thus has generated a good deal of controversy. I will discuss that letter in a post July 10 entitled Transmission of the Three Great Secret Laws

More common among Nichiren’s letters are statements like this from Honzon Mondō Shō, Questions and Answers on the Honzon, he writes:

Nobody has ever propagated this honzon in the world (Jambudvīpa) in more than 2,230 years since Śākyamuni Buddha expounded on it. Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai in China and Dengyō in Japan roughly knew about it, but did not at all propagate it. Today, in the Latter Age of Degeneration, it should be widespread. The Lotus Sūtra, states that Bodhisattvas Superior Practice (Viśiṣṭacaritra) and Limitless Practice (Anantacāritra) will appear in the world to spread it, but they have not yet done that. I, Nichiren, am not as great a man as those bodhisattvas, yet I have roughly understood it. So, as a forerunner, until those bodhisattvas appearing from underground emerge, I more or less propagated this sūtra and became the spear point of the passage that prophecies about the “time after My extinction” in the “Teacher of the Dharma” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra. It is my hope to transfer my merits to my parents, my teacher and all the people in the world.

That’s not to say it is somehow radical to consider Nichiren a manifestation of Honge Jogyo. Rev. Igarashi of the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church has often referred to this. During the 2021 Oeshiki Service memorializing the death of Nichiren, Rev. Igarashi said that the memorial service for Nichiren is different than the ones we hold for our ancestors. The difference, he explained, is that we know where Nichiren went after he died. He returned to his existence as Honge Jogyo.

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This is another in a series of daily articles concerning Kishio Satomi's book, "Japanese Civilization; Its Significance and Realization; Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles," which details the foundations of Chigaku Tanaka's interpretation of Nichiren Buddhism and Japan's role in the early 20th century.

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Senchu Murano, in his introduction to Bruno Petzold’s book, Buddhist Prophet Nichiren–A Lotus In The Sun, mentions that Kishio Satomi’s description of Nichiren’s life incorporates legends into the life story of Nichiren, but, Murano adds, these legends “do not adversely affect his outline of Nichiren Buddhism.”

Nichiren started for Kamakura on missionary work and he founded a cell at Matsbagayats of Nagoe in Kamakura. He was looking out for a good opportunity there.

At the outset, he was used to going out to preach his new doctrine on one of the crossroads named Komachi, which was one of the gayest places in Kamakura. Sometimes he preached the truth of the Hokekyo, sometimes he denounced Buddhist fallacies, and sometimes he would criticize politics, etc. A crowd of people always surrounded him. Most of them turned persecutors on the spot, while some took advantage of the extraordinary instruction. He was now hated by almost all the citizens. He was stoned, he was beaten with sticks, he was abused every day whenever he appeared before the public.

At that time people were panic-stricken by famines, comets, fearful epidemics and earthquakes, etc., which followed one another incessantly. The miserable condition was such that people could hardly bear to look at it. Nichiren pondered over what might be the root of these calamities, so he went to the library of the Zisso temple not very far from Kamakura in order to reread all the Scriptures.

He wrote an essay in order to get his idea into shape and entitled it “Rissho Ankoku Ron.” It is written in a flowery style with care for rhetoric and much more dialogue in the original than in the following translation. The title means “The Establishment of Righteousness for the Security of the Country.” (The Japanese Emperor conferred an honorable title on Nichiren as The Great Master Risshō on the thirteenth of October in the eleventh year of Taisho, A.D. 1922). [Rissho Ankoku Ron] begins thus:

“A visitor came forth unto me bewailing that: From a few years ago to this very day, there have been calamities and catastrophes in heaven and in earth, famines and plagues accompanied with misery throughout the land. Horses and cattle are dying on the roadsides, and the skeletons are scattered on the road; more than one-half of the population have died, and there is no one who does not mourn it” (Works, p. 1).

Out of compassion, not only for the sake of the people who were suffering as a result of these calamities, but also in consequence of the superstitious practices to which they resorted, Nichiren turned the question over in his mind and exclaimed: What are the causes of these evils, and how can they be remedied? After examining All the Scriptures, especially the significant letters of those Scriptures, viz. the Konkōmyokyo (Śuvarṇa Prabhāsa), Daishukkyo, Ninnōkyo, Yakushikyo (Bhesajyaguru-sūtra), etc., he considered the causes of these calamities. As a result, he reached the final conclusion that these calamities were caused by the people’s negligence of the righteousness of the Hokekyo. Thereupon he described with the authority of the Scriptures what he thought, in other words he gave his ardent warnings in his powerful letters. The calamities are nothing but a great warning from heaven to human beings concerning their adhesion to heresy; so he believed. Thus, he sent this essay to the Hōjōs Government, and also laid it before the public. He prophesied in this book. According to it, if the Government and the nation would not turn to the Truth of the Hokekyo, the country would experience foreign invasions and internal disturbances (Works, p. 19). He presented this essay to the Government authorities on the 16th day in the seventh month of 1260. But most of the authorities of the Government were the believers or converts of the Zen or Nenbuts Sects, and they were influenced by some other priests who were opponents of Nichiren. The Government ignored his warning and said nothing openly about it, while they tacitly permitted the people’s plot of attack on Nichiren’s life; not only the common people, but even men of honor and high position joined together.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p127-130

Satomi offers some (for me) new perspectives on the players in the drama around Nichiren’s first exile.

When he dispatched [Rissho Ankoku Ron] letter to Hei no Saemon, the course to be pursued by the government towards Nichiren had already been decided upon. Probably soon after reading this letter Hei no Saemon in person set off to seize Nichiren, and he was in command of about three hundred armed soldiers under Shōbō’s guidance, who was one of Nichiren’s disciples, and whom we may compare with Judas who betrayed Christ. All of a sudden, the troops broke into Nichiren’s hut and destroyed whatever came within their reach (Works, pp. 529-30, 394). Nichiren did not show the least agitation, but exclaimed in a loud voice:

” How strange is the madness of Hei no Saemon! Behold! You are now going to let the Pillar of Japan fall” (Works, p. 394).

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p147

This “Judas” plays an important role in Nichiren’s telling of the events:

At that moment, Shō-bō, a ranking vassal of Saemonnojō, rushed at me, snatched the fifth fascicle of the Lotus Sūtra from my bosom, beat my face with it three times, and tore it to pieces.

Shuju Onfurumai Gosho, Reminscences: from Tatsunokuchi to Minobu, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Disciples, Volume 5, Page 1

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This is another in a series of daily articles concerning Kishio Satomi's book, "Japanese Civilization; Its Significance and Realization; Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles," which details the foundations of Chigaku Tanaka's interpretation of Nichiren Buddhism and Japan's role in the early 20th century.

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Kishio Satomi holds that Nichiren, a Tendai priest by training, launched his crusade as an effort to restore Dengyo’s Tendai teaching of the importance of the Hokekyo – the Lotus Sutra.

Through his long and thorough researches he at last arrived at his climax, viz. that the Hokekyo was the sole ultimate adoration for the people. The Great Master Dengyo, the founder of Hiei, was the right master of the Hokekyo, none the less his successors took the wrong way at that time, or I should say, the Great Masters Jikaku and Chisho, who were Dengyo’s disciples, adopted Shingon-secularism, which they mixed with the doctrine of the Hokekyo. They proclaimed that the theories of the Hokekyo and Shingon-mysticism were quite one and the same, but that the latter was superior to the former in a practical sense. Nichiren saw the greatest fallacy therein, and denounced these two masters’ views to the public when an academical council was held in Hiei. …

Thus it is clearly evident [to Nichiren] that at that time the school of Dengyo very much deviated from Dengyo’s right view. This fact once disappointed [Nichiren] when he saw the light, but he immediately resolved to resuscitate the right teaching of Dengyo and begin the movement of the Hokekyo. He visited Dengyo’s grave on the hill and mourned over his soul, at the loss of his right teaching. Nichiren left Hiei for his native village, where his parents and his old master were still alive awaiting their loving boy and disciple.

Now, [Nichiren] feels it incumbent upon him to say something about his learning, and from the conclusion he had drawn it must be most faithful and strong advice which, though it might sound harsh to the people’s ears, must be uttered. It is also written in the Hokekyo, that in consequence of those who will propagate the Law in the beginning of the Latter Law against all the sects and all people, many dreadful persecutions shall threaten him. And Nichiren knew it too clearly; but he was a man. He fell into mental agony concerning “to be persecuted” or “not to be persecuted.” He thought and thought night and day, and at last resolved on denouncement, while all the neighbors welcomed him, expecting to hear graceful sermons about the Amita Buddhism.

Nichiren retired for a week to a quiet room in the forest, near the monastery of Kiyosumi. As soon as he had prepared himself there Nichiren left the forest house at dawn and climbed the summit of the hill which commands the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean.

Motionless he stood looking Eastward; a loud voice broke forth from his lips, saying, “Namu Myōhōrengekyō, Adoration to the Perfect Truth of the Lotus!” When the golden disc of the sun began to break, it was to heaven and earth that Nichiren’s proclamation of his new religion was made, calling the all-illuminating sun to witness. This happened at dawn of the 28th day of April 1253.

After this proclamation to the universe, he got his new name of Nichiren, which means “Sun-Lotus,” suggested by the Hokekyo (see Works, pp. 609, 1054, 845). Nichiren began to descend the hill in an extreme ecstasy and came back among the people. At noon of the same day he preached for the first time his unique religion based on the Hokekyo, in a service room facing south, Alas! quite contrary to the hearers’ expectation, Nichiren denounced all the wrong Buddhism in the presence of his parents and friends, his old master and the neighbors. Thereupon their prodigious astonishment turned into persecution. Nichiren was banished forever from his old master’s monastery, while only his parents among all who heard him were believers.

He thought, at this time, of one of the stanzas of “Exertion” in the Hokekyo. It runs:

“One will have to bear frowning looks, repeated disavowal (or concealment), expulsion from the monasteries, many and manifold abuses ” (Kern, p. 261 ; Yamakawa, p. 392).

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p123-126

This idea that Nichiren wanted to restore Dengyo’s teaching was directly disputed in Bruno Petzold’s book, Buddhist Prophet Nichiren–A Lotus In The Sun, in which he examined Nichiren’s doctrine from the Tendai perspective.

Petzold wrote:

A point of interest here is the leniency Nichiren displays in dealing with Dengyō Daishi, in view of the fact that Tendai Daishi’s doctrine was so altered in its transplantation to Japan. Dengyō added the Shingon teaching, giving the impetus to the further development of his school in the direction of mikkyō or secret teaching. He added Dharma Daishi’s Zen and Endon Kai transmission to proper Tendai, and gave to Hieizan a generous hospitality to the Amida Belief. These actions displayed his wish to make his Tendai Sect a synthesis of all strains of the One Vehicle Teaching. To this harmonizing tendency, that enlarged more and more the circle of the One Vehicle and showed the most conciliatory spirit to varied teaching, was opposed Nichiren’s tendency of narrowing the One Vehicle to exclude anything that was not harmonious with his “practical” and original doctrine. Of course, a harmonizing tendency had already dominated the pure Hokke En teaching of Tendai Daishi, since he used other sūtras and śāstras as well as the Hoke-kyō. Nichiren bases himself solely on the Hoke-kyō, and still his tolerance of these two Tendai teachers did not break. Therefore, it would be wrong to state that Nichiren’s intention was to purge Dengyō Daishi’s teaching of all “later additions,” or to restore Tendai Daishi’s doctrine to its pristine purity. Neither of these could have been Nichiren’s aim. Since he considered himself as having a much deeper comprehension of the Hoke-kyō than these two founders, and since the time had arrived for propagating this new view, he resolved to devote himself entirely to this mission alone. Certainly he respected Tendai Daishi and Dengyō Daishi as the originators of the Hokke teaching, but he never meant to acquiesce to their doctrine. He charged himself instead with the propagation of the supreme truth of the Hoke-kyō, a truth that had not been anticipated by his two predecessors.

Petzold, Buddhist Prophet Nichiren , p 109

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