The distinctions between shakumon and hommon are by no means a settled point, either between the two schools of Tendai and Nichiren or within the Nichiren School itself. In fact, soon after Nichiren’s death, an argument exploded within the school as to whether the shakumon, because of its inferiority, should be discarded and the hommon only retained; or whether both shakumon and hommon ought to be made use of to enhance the Hoke-kyō. The argument finally brought about a split into two schools. The Itchi or Union School harmonized shakumon and hommon by interpreting the former in the light of the latter; and the Shōretsu or Superiority and Inferiority School acknowledged only hommon and discarded shakumon. But the difficulty did not end here, since the Shōretsu School could come to no uniform opinion as to which chapters constituted the hommon.

Nichiren scholars, in their discussions of the relative characteristics of their own school and the Tendai School, concede that both are based on the same Hoke-kyō of pure perfect teaching. But the two schools are said to differ fundamentally in the following point. The Tendai Sect stands pre-eminently on the principle that “all Dharmas are True Form” (sho hōjissō), as taught in the Shakumon part of the Hoke-kyō, and on the philosophical principle of “reason-norm” (ri hō), that “the Trichiliocosm in a Moment of Consciousness” (ichi nen san zen). These two views imply the shakumon-standard (shakumon hon i). The doctrine of the Tendai School may therefore be characterized to be “Shakumon on the Face, hommon behind” (shaku men hon ri). The Nichiren Sect on the contrary considers as more important the concrete fact that “the Original Buddha had really become a Buddha long, long ago” (kuon jitsujō no hombutsu). This view is taught in the hommon part of the Hoke-kyō and implies the hommon-standard (hommon hon i). The doctrine of the Nichiren School may therefore be said to be “hommon on the Face, shakumon behind” (hon men shaku ri). Nichiren scholars conclude that from this it is very clear which of the two schools is the superior and which the inferior—the one standing on the shallow shakumon, the other on the profound hommon! Needless to say, this problem does not even exist for the Tendai Sect, since they acknowledge no difference of degree between shakumon and hommon.