It was in the summer of 1990, the year of the 700th anniversary of the establishment of the Head Temple, that the Soka Gakkai launched its attack on the priesthood. At a communication conference between the priesthood and Gakkai, held in July of 1990, the High Priest asked Ikeda about the attendance at the Ushitora Gongyo (ceremony of believers who were at the Head Temple on pilgrimages.) He also inquired about the delay in the construction of the Tachikawa Temple. The High Priest was curtly told, "Those are not the sort of topics you should bring up with Sensei when he is so tired from his recent travel abroad." (Summarized) The Gakkai personnel outrageously prevented him from speaking further and unilaterally began their condemnation and slander of the Nichiren Shoshu priests. They exhibited the most flagrantly rude behavior when they paid absolutely no attention to what the priests had to say and simply left their seats.

It was around this time that we received information from various sources that Ikeda was slandering the High Priest and denouncing the priesthood. These were just rumors, however, and there was no proof of his wrongdoing. Thus, the decision was made to wait to see how things would proceed. In October of that year, the great ceremony celebrating the 700th anniversary of the establishment of the Head Temple took place without incident.

The "Letter of Inquiry" and the Measures Taken by the Priesthood In December, however, an audio tape was sent from a certain district to the Head Temple with the claim that there were some terrible remarks made by Ikeda at the Soka Gakkai headquarters leaders' meeting held on November 16. In his speech, Ikeda made numerous comments such as the following, which denigrated, scorned and criticized the High Priest:

"Someone who's a High Priest ought to think of the happiness of the believers . . . and not about power.

In addition, there were many statements that were disdainful and critical of Nichiren Shoshu and the priests. The priesthood sent a "Letter of Inquiry" to the Soka Gakkai in December of the same year to ask Ikeda to explain his true motive in making such comments. Rather than respond to this letter, the Soka Gakkai immediately sent a "Letter of Appeal" in which it outlined nine points, all unfounded lies, criticizing the High Priest and the priesthood.

Given this conduct, the priesthood concluded that a sincere exchange based on faith could no longer be expected of the Ikeda Soka Gakkai. On December 27, the priesthood held a special meeting to partially revise the rules and regulations of Nichiren Shoshu, the result of which was the forfeiture of the positions of the chief and senior lay representatives (sokoto and daikoto) by those who currently held them.

The Soka Gakkai immediately responded by inciting the members of its organization to make harassing and threatening phone calls to the Head Temple and the district temples nationwide. In the new year, it commenced its campaign of harassment and interference on an organizational level, such as obstructing the New Year Gongyo Ceremony at the district temples.

Thereafter, on January 4, amidst the continued exchange of documents concerning the inquiries and the forfeiture of the positions of the chief and senior lay representatives by those who presently held them, the Soka Gakkai launched an extensive campaign to criticize the priesthood through the Seikyo Shimbun and Soka Shinpo newspapers. Moreover, at its community centers, it independently performed ceremonies, such as the Urabon and Higan-e, without priests. The Gakkai proceeded to further alienate its members from the temples and priests through such conduct as holding funeral services without priests.

Advice for Dissolution - Excommunication and Expulsion of Ikeda

Given these circumstances, the priesthood determined that the Soka Gakkai had violated the three conditions that it pledged to uphold at the time of its establishment as a religious corporation:

1. The registration at the local temple of each person who converts to Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism.
2. The strict observation of the doctrines of our denomination.
3. The protection of the three treasures.

The priesthood could not help but conclude that the Soka Gakkai had forfeited its standing as a lay believers' organization of Nichiren Shoshu and that it had degenerated into a slanderous group bent on destroying the three treasures. On November 7, 1991, the priesthood sent the Soka Gakkai a document, "Advice for Dissolution."

The Soka Gakkai grew even more offensive than before and intensified its hateful and slanderous activities against the High Priest and the priesthood. It was impossible for the priesthood to ignore such blatant conduct, and inevitably on November 28, it sent the Soka Gakkai a "Notification of Excommunication." When the Gakkai received this notification, it apparently feigned a strong front and declared its "sense of fresh relief at being disconnected with the bothersome priesthood and finding its independence."

If this were true, then it seems strange that the Soka Gakkai has persistently intensified its slander and denunciation of the High Priest and priesthood to an all time high and has started a signature campaign demanding the resignation of the High Priest.

By excommunicating the Soka Gakkai, the priesthood eternally banished the extremely slanderous organization from Nichiren Shoshu. Thus, it is absolutely impossible that the priesthood and the Soka Gakkai will once again engage in discussion or arrive at some reconciliation.

The individual members of the organization, however, originally embraced the precept of the Law (received Gojukai) and accepted the Gohonzon as Nichiren Shoshu believers. Therefore, all members, other than those who are recipients of the recently issued counterfeit Gohonzon, are recognized as Nichiren Shoshu believers and are permitted to go on pilgrimages (tozan) by obtaining a letter of reference from their local temples.

Ikeda has been tirelessly maintaining his repetitious slander and bad-mouthing targeted at the High Priest by calling him such names as the "diabolical High Priest," the "founder of the Nikken sect who exploits the Daishonin" and the "incarnation of Devadatta."

He has also gone to extremes to slander Nichiren Shoshu by labeling it the "Nikken sect" and the "Devadatta sect." On August 11, 1992, after completing the requisite procedures, Nichiren Shoshu enacted the disciplinary measure of expelling Ikeda as a believer of our denomination.