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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For Kishio Satomi, individual salvation was of little use. Saving the world requires entire countries to act.

[A]ccording to Nichiren, if religion really wants to redeem the world, it must religionize the country. … He thought that the state is the unit of the world, and that the individual could never be the unit of the world. In other words, it is useless to uphold the fallacy that if religion instructs individuals one by one, the world, will, naturally, sooner or later, become religionized. On the contrary, let us suppose that the state has the conviction of true morality, and of politics, education and diplomacy, or that everything has been done morally; then the individual who belongs to the state is, as it were, a snake in a narrow and straight bamboo-tube. It may seem like bondage, nevertheless such a right bondage must be welcomed. Is the so-called free will surely free? Man cannot live without being to a certain extent in bondage, though one may be proud to live and decide everything by one’s own free will, for free will, too, is a sort of bondage. … Hence the country that is moral must take up as her mission the task of the guardianship and espousal of truth, morality and righteousness with all her accumulated power. However religionized a man may be, if the country is not made just, then even the man of righteousness is liable to be obliged to commit a crime in an emergency for the sake of a nation’s covetous disposition. … Nichiren, therefore, examined the essence of the various countries and he decided Japan as being the typical moral country. According to Nichiren, Japan is distinctly the typical country based on strict morality, consequently the mission of Japan consists in setting an example of the moral country to the world. Therefore, he says :

“The first and great Supreme Being shall be established in this country ” (Works, p. 104).

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p108-110

Masaharu Anesaki, wrote “Nichiren, The Buddhist Prophet”  in 1916. Satomi felt  Anesaki held a very wrong view of Nichiren’s relationship to Japan and the world. Satomi wrote:

[On the question of Japan and the world, Masaharu] Anesaki gives the following explanation:

“In this latter sense, Japan meant for him the whole world ” (Anesaki, ” Nichiren, the Buddhist Prophet.” Harvard University Press, p.98).

But this appears to be incorrect because the character of “the World” does not mean here the world in the usual sense, but it means “the World Benefit,” namely one of the Four Siddhānta, the Four Instructive Methods (Shi-shits-dan). In other words, this is a special technical term, the full name is “The Completion of the world with the benefit of delight” (Sekai Shits-dan Kangi no Yaku). Hence, “the World is Japan” means “Japan has the mission to propagate the law of the Hokekyo and thereby redeem the world.”

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p110-111

And Satomi considered the idea of Japan forcing redemption on other countries something Nichiren would endorse.

It is evident that [Nichiren] proclaims the necessity of subjecting all countries to one moral law, approving, of course, the pluralistic existence of all countries. But it is totally different from the Utopian’s fancy, because of his positive adoption of all material forces.

Therefore the commandment of his religion is recognized by the act of keeping and practicing the Hokekyo for his own sake and at the same time for the sake of humankind. Consequently, the vow and its practice are the essential elements in his religion. In order to keep the law bodily means that in daily life we must be determined to do anything. Rich men shall protect the law by means of their wealth and learned men shall extend the law by means of their knowledge and wisdom, etc. All the accumulated power of human civilization must make it a duty to help to realize the law on the earth. In an emergency, we shall be martyrs to the law. In short, we must keep the law for dear life and then the sincerity and signification of life will be realized. Such being the case with individuals, the country, too, must be established on righteousness. The country is, indeed, an organ for the realization of the moral law of security with all her accumulated powers. When the country attains to such conviction that it becomes the highest organ for the protection of righteousness, and that it can sacrifice itself whenever it is obliged to do so for the sake of the law, then the ideal World will be realized before our very eyes. …

To realize this ideal we are expected to have absolute faith even at the risk of our lives. Although persecution, innumerable difficulties and troubles might be our lot we could go through fire and water if our faith were strong and true.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p112-113

One can understand how such sentiment encouraged those who sought to make Japan a world power through conquest in Asia. And, as I’ll show later in discussing Japanese Lotus Millennialism: From Militant Nationalism to Contemporary Peace Movements,” these same teachings of Nichiren empower the modern peace movement in Japan.

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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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In considering Kishio Satomi’s ideas regarding Nichirenism it is important to put his 1923 book in historical perspective. By the 1920s, the Japanese had reformed their country’s government, social structure, educational system, and more. They were the first non-Western people to industrialize. They had won two foreign wars and acquired territories overseas. But these successes provided little comfort to government leaders. Leaders were increasingly uneasy about Japan’s future. (Source)

For Satomi, military might was necessary to secure the ideal Buddhist land.

[Protecting the Right Law is] apparent in the Hokekyo. It says in Chapter XIV:

“It is a case, Mañjuśrī (Japanese, Monju or Monjushiri), similar to that of a King (Tenrinjo-o; Skt. Chakravarti-raja), a ruler of armies, who by force has conquered his own Kingdom, whereupon other Kings, his adversaries, wage war against him. That ruler of armies has soldiers of various descriptions to fight with various enemies. As the King sees those soldiers fighting, he is delighted with their gallantry, enraptured, and in his delight and rapture he makes to his soldiers several donations, such as villages and village ground, towns and grounds of a town ; garments and head-gear ; hand-ornaments, necklaces, gold threads, ear-rings, strings of pearls, bullion, gold, gems, pearls, lapis lazuli, conch-shells, stones(?), corals ; he, moreover, gives elephants, horses, cars, foot soldiers, male and female slaves, vehicles and litters ” (Kern, p. 274 ; Yamakawa, p. 415).

Therefore, Nichiren proclaims :

“Know ye, that when these Bodhisattvas act in accordance with the positive instruction, they will appear as wise kings and attack foolish kings in order to instruct them; when they will act negatively then will they appear as priests and propagate and keep the right law ” (Works, p. 103).

In that relation did Nichiren acknowledge military force, he accordingly wrote an instruction to one of his great supporters, Shijo Kingo, who was a typical Japanese warrior:

“Prefer the art of war to any other art, even any branch connected therewith shall be rooted in the Law of the Hokekyo ” (Works, p. 907).

Of course in this connection it is not his intention to interfere with anything relating to the substance itself, but it is mentioned for the fundamental enlightenment of all existence. In this relation Buddha makes the suggestions:

“All the pluralistic laws which are preached in several instances, do not contradict nor contravene Suchness by their signification. Even the moral books in the world or political words or industry or the like may be explained to the people, they shall all comply with the right law” (Yamakawa, pp. 539-40 ; there are no equivalent lines in Kern).

Hereupon Nichiren emancipated the ordinal conception of religion into the broadest sense, which is the synthetic creation. The moral books in the above quotation, imply philosophy, ethics, literature or the like; political words mean legislation, the judicature and administration, and industry means agriculture, commerce and the manufacturing industry, etc. Nichiren gave this instruction to his disciples:

“The priests among my disciples shall be the Masters to the Emperors or the ex-Emperors, and the laymen shall take seats in the Ministry; and thus in the future, all the nations in the world shall adore this law” (Works, p. 583).

He goes on to say :

“In brief, my religion is the law path” (Works, p. 391).

Therefore, for Nichiren, the professional practice of religion is not only the method, but verily also the justification and purification of our daily lives at every turn. Keeping this in mind, read the following instruction of Nichiren to Shijo Kingo:

“Consider your daily works in your Lord’s service as being the practice of the Hokekyo” (Works, p, 893).

Thus, he established the religious method of the synthetic creation, and he decided that the country should be the unit of the worldly salvation.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p106-108

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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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In Satomi’s Nichirenism the “Holy Altar” is not only the key to the enlightenment of the country, but of the world.

[Nichiren] beheld the signification of the relation between the Hokekyo and Nichiren himself through the fact of the wonderful combination of Japan. According to him, the world must be united as bretheren, namely as a moral world, and in the future the Holy Altar of the Hokekyo, especially the Honmon centric commandment, shall be established in Japan. He says in one of his significant essays, “On the Three Great Secret Laws” (San dai Hihō Shō):

“At a certain future time, when the state law will unite with the Buddhist law and the Buddhist law harmonizes with the state law, and both sovereign and subjects will keep sincerely the Three Secret Laws, then will be realized such a golden age in the degeneration of the Latter Law, as it was in olden times under the rule of King Utoku. Thus the Holy Altar will be established with Imperial Sanction or the like at a place like the excellent paradise of Vulture Peak. We must only prepare and await the advent of the time. There is no other law or commandment which is practicable, only this one. This Holy Altar is not only the sanctuary for all nations of three countries (India, China and Japan) and the whole world, but even the great deities, Brahma and Indra, have to descend in order to initiate into the perfect truth of the Hokekyo ” (Works, pp. 240-41).

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p111-112

Western ideas about separating matters of religion from affairs of government are foreign to Nichiren’s thinking, according to Satomi.

In the religious sense, the unification of the world or the salvation of the world is impossible unless the religion and the country assimilate. Nichiren, there fore, determined the country as the unit of salvation of the world as far as method is concerned. He says:

“Hearken! the country will prosper with the moral law, and the law is precious when practiced by man. If the country be ruined and human beings collapse, who would worship the Buddha, who would believe the law? First of all, therefore, pray for the security of the country and afterwards establish the Buddhist Law” (Works, p. 13).

This is a paragraph in his important essay, “Rissho Ankoku-ron” or “An Essay on the Establishment of Righteousness and Security of the Country.” He discoursed on the relation between the country and religion in this essay and sent it to the Hojos Government at an early date as an intimation of his religious movement; but this thought fully developed by degrees and eventually the doctrine of the Holy Altar was founded. There is no doubt that Nichiren thus thought of the country as the most concrete basis on which to propagate religion.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p102-103

For Satomi’s Nichirenism, religion is necessary in all aspects of material life.

Religion is intended to redeem living beings and their environment. Therefore, religion must purify the whole concrete life of man in order to religionize all individuals and the world. If religion does not in any sense concern material life, but merely spiritual life, then is religious influence almost in vain. A belief which purposely eliminates material affairs from the religious field is not only a misunderstanding of the essential meaning of religion, but is a very wrong view of human life. The true religious Empire can be established in the material world which is purified with spiritual signification. Nichiren’s doctrine of the Holy Altar is, indeed, an enlightenment of religion with material purification.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p104

Satomi explains that the faithful must reconstruct the country so that it may exist “hand in hand with righteousness.”

According to Nichiren, in the degenerate days of the Latter Law, there is no Buddhist commandment outside of our vow for the reconstruction of the country and the realization of the Heavenly Paradise in the world. Even the so-called virtuous sage, if he does not embrace this great and strong vow, in other words only enjoys virtue individually, such a sage is pretty useless.

Although a man be imperfect, let him carry out Buddha’s task with the strong vow for the realization of Buddha’s Kingdom, with preaching or with economical power or with knowledge of sciences and with all sorts of such things. We can find the true significance of religion, of commandment, of human life therein.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p105

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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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Another focus of Kishio Satomi’s Nichirenism that distinguishes it from traditional Nichiren Shu is its focus on the Three Great Secret Laws and, in particular, what it calls the “Holy See.”

Nichiren Shu doctrine describes the Three Great Secret Dharmas as the Gohonzon, the Daimoku and the Kaidan, or Precept Platform. Here’s Satomi’s summary:

The Three Great Secret Laws are the three aspects of his religion, and they emanated from the One Law which is indicated by the Sacred Title of the Hokekyo. Each of the Three is the independent principle on the one hand, and again each of them is the essential moment of the One Law on the other hand, that is to say something like Hegel’s “aufgehobenes Moment.”

It is the three aspects of reality in the sense of the observance of Law; it is the three expressions of the principle of typical personality in the significance of Buddha; it is the three principles of the modes of our lives in the significance of being. Let us reduce the three aspects, then it will be the One Law, and vice versa. From another point of view, the Sacred Title is the religious subject which indicates the Self, containing He. The Supreme Being of the three is the religious object in which the religious subject exists, in other words, it is the He which contains our Selves therein. The Holy See of the three is the concrete realization of the religion.

The Sacred Title is the law of awakening of the individual, the Holy See is the principle of idealization of the country, and the Supreme Being is the harmonious manifestation of the world.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p66-67

In Satomi’s Nichirenism, the Holy Altar has special importance:

It is absolutely useless to seek the ideal world under the name of paradise after completing this life. Of course, we believe in an after-life as well as a past life in a religious sense. But we cannot demonstrate the past nor the after-life, therefore the after-life is possible only as a religious postulation. In short, we must apprehend the meaning of past and future in the very present, hence the present centric consistentism through the three lives, viz. the past, present and future. In respect thereof we shall have a full explanation and idea of Nichiren by our understanding of the doctrine of the Holy See.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p90

And later:

The third important thought in Nichirenism is the Holy Altar (or the Holy See). Nichiren founded his most concrete idea of his religious practice on this doctrine. As I have stated above, the Sacred Title was mentioned for the instruction of individuals, the Supreme Being was for the world or universe, and, from this point of view, this Holy Altar is the key to the enlightenment of the country. Moreover, this Holy Altar, in a sense, is the connection between the Sacred Title and the Supreme Being; namely the Holy Altar shows the concrete method of entering the Supreme Being, and how to adore the Sacred Title, the essential law of Buddhism.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p94-95

This discussion of the Three Great Secret Laws or Dharmas is based on a single letter by Nichiren, Sandai Hiho Honjo-ji, The Transmission of the Three Great Secret Dharmas. The letter appears in the Doctrine 2 volume of the Writings of Nichiren Shōnin. The fact that this concept of Three Great Secret Dharmas is addressed only once in all of Nichiren’s writings has prompted controversy.

From 2000 to 2001, Rev. Gyokai Sekido wrote a series of articles for Nichiren Shu News about the advances in the study of Nichiren’s doctrines over the years. In discussing this letter he writes:

Nichiren Shonin’s “The Transmission of the Three Great Secret Dharmas” written in the fourth year of the Koan Era (1281) preaches the doctrine of the Three Great Secret Dharmas (the honzon, daimoku, and kaidan based on the doctrine revealed in the essential section: hommon of the Lotus Sutra), especially the establishment of the kaidan of the hommon.

The authenticity of this document, however, has often been questioned from ancient times. Utilizing the latest computer technology, Professors Zuiei Ito and Masakatsu Murakami, of Rissho University and Ministry of Education Center for the Study of Mathematical Principle respectively, tried to see if they could find the answer to this problem.

All sentences of Nichiren’s writings were divided up into grammatical units (such as nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, postpositional particles, prefixes, suffixes and conjunctions), to be analyzed by a computer in order to find out the characteristic use of the parts of speech in Nichiren’s writings and its yearly changes.

Then they compared it against what is found in similar analysis of the “Transmission of the Three Great Secret Dharmas.” Beginning the project in 1975, this Ito-Murakami group reported its tentative conclusion in 1980 saying that the “Transmission of the Three Great Secret Dharmas” is probably genuine. Their final conclusion in 1991 declared, “The writing is genuine,” creating a stir in the study of Nichiren’s writings.

Professor Ken’ichi Kammuri of Rissho University, however, has a strong doubt about the validity of handling words in the basic documents.

How Study on Nichiren Buddhism Has Made Progress in the 20th Century, p19-20

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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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Nichiren’s position as the leader of the Bodhisattvas from Underground, the Eternal Buddha’s original followers, is made explicit in Satomi Kishio’s explanation of Nichirenism.

If ever Japan produced a religious man worthy of the name, Nichiren was the man. He felt convinced that he was the incarnation of Honge Jogyo (Skt. Viśiṣṭacāritra) throughout the experiences and practices of his religious life. Now the so-called Honge Jogyo is the man who was foretold by Buddha Shakyamuni (Skt. Śākyamuni) in the Hokekyo or Myō-hō-renge-kyō (Skt. Saddharma-puṇḍarīka-sūtra), and it is my duty to offer my tribute of respect to the Hokekyo itself.

It is, of course, an established fact that the Hokekyo is the highest development of Buddhism. If the Hokekyo is not contained in Buddhism, then, even though there exist therein seven thousand Scriptures, all these books are but contradictory teachings. Therefore when a man desires to make a study of Buddhism, it is absolutely necessary for him to learn the position of the Hokekyo in all Buddhist Scriptures.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p29-30

Satomi points out that Nichiren chose his name – Sun Lotus – in part from the Lotus Sutra’s description of the Bodhisattvas from Underground and thus identified himself with Honge Jogyo:

The latter part of the verses in [Chapter 21: The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas] runs as follows:

“He will, after the complete extinction of Tathagata, know the origin and orders, and he will preach the law as it is according to the real signification of Buddha’s Scriptures. Just as the light of the sun and moon does shine into darkness and dimness on the earth, so does this person expel ignorance (or gloom) from all beings.”

It must be noted firstly that the term “keep,” which is used in the above quotation, means not only mouth and mind, but the reading of the Hokekyo with body and life or flesh and blood, i.e. the practice. The Japanese technical term “Juji” is the equivalent. And secondly, that by “the Sun,” as above, and “the lotus” in the following eulogy of Honge Jogyo’s character [in Chapter 15: The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground]: “Those who have well learned the way of Bodohisattovas purify themselves from the evil law of the world, just as the lotus does in the water.” (Yamakawa, p. 450 ; Kern, p. 296). Nichiren was suggested, and got his name “Nichiren” when he left Hiei monastery and made his first denouncement at Kiyosumi in 1253 ; for “Nichi” means the Sun and “ren” means “the lotus.”

Thus, the Scripture and Buddha Himself were entrusted to Honge Jogyo.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p48-49

For Satomi, Nichiren systemized his religion while in exile in Sado, working from his role as Honge Jogyo.

[Nichiren] finished “Opening the Eyes” in two volumes, amidst snowy winds in the desert [of Sado Island]. … The following year, 1273, was the most important year to him. He had explained his own personality and mission, so now his systematized philosophy of religion must be the next course to follow. Early in the year, he wrote “The Heritage of Buddha’s Introspective Religion ” (Hokkeshū Naishō Buppō Kechimyaku, Works, pp. 294-301), which he clearly laid down as follows:

“The heritage of my religion can adopt Tendai’s view of Heritage mainly, but from the true introspective point of view, only the Buddha Shakyamuni and Honge Jogyo are the ancestors.”

According to this, it is certain that Nichiren’s heritage of Buddhism is derived from the Buddha Shakyamuni’s introspection directly through the medium of the conception of Honge Jogyo’s personality. In April, he wrote an essay, “The Spiritual Introspection of the Supreme Being, Revealed for the First Time in the Fifth Five Hundredth Year after the Tathagata’s Death,” which is the chief work among the important works. His doctrine, the Fivefold Three Divisions were set down in this essay. All aspects of his doctrine and thoughts are strictly united here, so it is said that this essay is indeed the fundamental one concerning Nichirenism. And it must be noted by readers that nobody will understand this essay fully unless he reads the whole works carefully in order to get preparatory knowledge for the essay, and also the Hokekyo as the fundamental article for this single essay. We can read and understand well any other Buddhist articles if we know certain technical terms in general and have an idea of Buddhism, but it must be admitted that this essay needs deeper knowledge than knowledge of Buddhism in general. Therefore when we read it we must include his whole works as its interpretation.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p166-167

Satomi saw Nichiren’s awareness of his relationship to Honge Jogyo reached its fullest extent in Minobu.

As regards his conviction of Honge Jogyo, it attained perfect maturity [at Minobu]. The following are a few of the examples:

“Already the great Bodhisattva out of the earth has appeared, so that the great Law which the Buddha made over to him, summing up the salient points of His Laws shall be in evidence ” (Works, p. 325).

“I, Nichiren, am the greatest practitioner of the Hokekyo in the world ” (Works, p. 119).

“I, Nichiren am the greatest sage in the world” (Works, p. 513).

Moreover, he wrote clearly identifying himself as the Honge Jogyo in one of the representations of the Supreme Being which he diagrammatized in the mountains of Minobu; it runs as follows:

“In the beginning of the Fifth Five Hundred Period the Bodhisattva Honge Jogyo appeared and propagated this Law for the first time.”

Thus his conviction was, now, expressed perfectly and there is no more doubt that his firm conviction of being the prophesied man in the beginning of the Fifth Five Hundred Period, was firmly realized. He wrote “On the Three Great Secret Laws” in 1281, and in it he tried to make suggestions rather concretely concerning the Holy Altar.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p181-182

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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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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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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 is explicit in his linkage of the Shokyu War and Nichiren’s growing Buddhist philosophy.

As years rolled on, this infant prodigy became distinct from all others, and when he became twelve years of age reason was beginning to bud in his mind.

He gave vent to his great doubt concerning the contradictory facts of the country with regard to the most important things. What were they? According to one of his extant autographical manuscripts, he harbored two serious doubts, the one was about religion and the other about the Shokyu War, with reference to the Japanese National Principles and history. He writes in one of his letters:

“As you know, I studied diligently from my boyhood, and I prayed to the Bodhisattva Kokuzō since I was twelve years of age in order that I should be made the wisest man in Japan. But, for certain reasons, I cannot write about it minutely yet ” (Works (the Ryogonkaku Edition), Second Series, p. 88; the manuscripts in Nichiren’s own handwriting are extant. Cf. Works, p. 1543).

Buddha’s true teaching must be one, though there exist thousands of different doctrines with pious imposition; however, Buddhism in general was contradictory at that time. Nichiren, first of all very much questioned such Buddhism. In the second place, he could not neglect the Shokyu War, which had happened one year before his birth. Why was the Sovereign’s army beaten by the Hōjō’s? And why do not people doubt such a topsy-turvy, a mere subject like Hōjō Yoshitoki daring to expel the three ex-Emperors to islands? Without doubt, Nichiren wanted to solve these marvelous questions, so he made up his mind to go to the Buddhist Monastery to enable him to get at the root of such phenomena. He says:

“The seven sects of Mahayanism sing their own praises as follows: Our Sect is the important essence of the whole Buddhism, etc. People say: We, common people, can be satisfied with any master or priest by believing him. It might be the best way to revere and believe any priest; but my, Nichiren’s, doubt has not been dispelled. Although every individual tries to get ahead of all others, yet the Sovereign must be one; if two Kings co-exist in one country there cannot be peace; if there are two masters in one home, then family dissensions will break out. It is not otherwise in Buddhism. Apart from what it is, one Scripture must be the great King of all the Buddhist Scriptures. Nevertheless, the ten Sects and the seven sects, all of them, still discuss the problem and each one individually claims to be the great King of Buddhism, just as in the case of a people being in a state of confusion under seven or ten kings. I was once at sixes and sevens and harbored a doubt on this point to solve the problem ” (Works, p. 154).

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p120-121

These quotes from Nichiren fail to convey the message Satomi is trying promote. This happens in the book more often than expected. In my reading of Nichiren’s writings I don’t recall explicit statements that the defeat of the three ex-emperors was a catastrophe. In fact, there are examples of exactly the opposite.

In Kangyō Hachiman-shō, Remonstration with Bodhisattva Hachiman, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 277, Nichiren writes:

Ex-Emperor Gotoba, however, was the ruler in name only; he was a liar, wicked and dishonest. On the contrary, Shogunal Regent Hōjō Yoshitoki was a subject in name, but he was worthy of a great ruler without double-talk, in whom the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman vowed to reside.

And in Shuju Onfurumai Gosho, Reminiscences: from Tatsunokuchi to Minobu, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Disciples, Volume 5, Pages 33, he says:

The prosperity of the Hōjō clan is due to ex-Emperor Gotoba as well as Wada Yoshimori, who both tried to destroy the Hōjōs. If not for them, how could the Hōjōs hold onto their hegemony and rule over Japan? Therefore, we should say that they, who planned to subjugate the Hōjōs, were the prime allies of the Hōjō clan.

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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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In describing Nichiren’s times, Kishio Satomi views two overlapping events as forging Nichiren’s ambition. First was the general religious situation:

[L]et us state the circumstances which happened surrounding Nichiren’s birth.

Nichiren was born in 1222. Japan had a most significant time historically just then, alike politically, religiously and socially.

Some seven hundred years had elapsed since Buddhism had been introduced into Japan, and it had been totally Japanesed at that time. There were several sects, several schools, numerous priests and scholars, thousands of temples: it seemed as if they were showing the glorious day of Buddhism. From an historical point of view of Buddhist doctrine, this time was the age of the general Mahayana Buddhism, while the Hinayana Buddhism was decaying. It was the beginning of the Latter Law, and by this time all Buddhist sects had fully developed.

The so-called Six sects of the old capital were, of course, in their prime soon after Buddhism was introduced into the country. Instead of them, the mixed sect, the Tendai-Shingon Secret Sect took their place, and soon after the famous battle age of Japanese Buddhism came about. During the Kamakura period of Japanese history, especially as regards religion, the people’s religious consciousness and ideas ripened into maturity, and thus many sects were established in succession after the battles between the two clans, the Minamotos and Tairas (or Genji and Heike). In particular the Zen and Nenbuts sects, as the new rising religions, were welcomed among the people, while the Shingon Sect was in favor at Court. Further, Ryōnin, Honen, Eisai and Shinran, etc., founded their own sects.

From about the middle of the Fanciful Law to Nichiren’s establishment of his religion, many sects came into existence as abundantly as mushrooms after rain, but no sect has been founded since Nichiren established the Hokekyo centric religion. At any rate, the circumstances of his day thus, in a sense, were at the time of the religious climax, and all the sects asserted themselves as the right Buddhism.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p117-118

This is standard fare for Nichiren biographies. Satomi, however, adds another element influencing Nichiren, the historic defeat and exile of three former Emperors.

Court-nobles for a long time had indulged in every luxury and lost their actual power by degrees, while the military clans esteemed and fostered real ability more than titles of honor which were but empty titles.

The [the miliary clan of the] Minamotos had been holding the real power of politics prior to Nichiren’s birth, and they established the central government at Kamakura, far from [the empereor’s court in] the western capital Kyoto. The military clan’s government was already on a secure foundation, although the Hōjōs took the place of the Minamotos when [Nichiren] was born. The Hōjōs stuck to real ability and enforced strict modesty. They thus seized the political power of the country and consequently they were apt to interfere with the Court and Court-nobles. It had the effect of the ex-Emperor Gotoba wanting to wage war against the Hōjōs Government in order to recover political power. As soon as an urgent message was sent to the Hōjōs Government, Hōjō Yoshitoki, the Shikken (the highest representative of the Government), sent an army against the Court troops. Unfortunately the Court troops were defeated and the Hōjōs’ army made a raid on the Court’s territory. Hereupon Hōjō Yoshitoki usurped the Court and expelled three ex-Emperors to far islands remote from each other. Yoshitoki set one of H.I.H. princes on the throne who was in no way concerned with the war.

Such a terrible event, indeed, never before occurred and never must occur again in Japan, where the relation and task between sovereign and subject are strictly distinguished on the understanding and faith of the Japanese National Principles. It was in the third year of Shokyu, the 1881st year after the Accession of the Emperor Jimmu, that is to say, 1221st year of the Christian Era. Hence the Shokyu War.

[Nichiren] was born on the 16th of the second month of the fourth year of Shokyu, which is just one year later than the Shokyu War.

Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p118-119

It is the embarrassment of the defeat of the former emperors that Satomi believes underlay Nichiren’s criticism of the Kamakura military government of his day. For Satomi’s father, Chigaku Tanaka, the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which saw the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the return of the Emperor to power, announced the age Nichiren foresaw, the age in which Japan would lead the world in the propagation of the Lotus Sutra and thus reveal the Eternal Buddha’s Pure Land.

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