Fuji School Timeline

Nichirenism	Fuji School	lineage	Fuji Lineage Timeline	Issues index.html
Nichiren Daishonin	Nikko Shonin	Six Elder Priests	Niko Shonin	Buddhism
Esotericism	Master/Disciple	Three Powerful Enemies	Fundamental Darkness	Deceit
Literal Proof and Issues	"Heritage"	"Kechimyaku"	Master Disciple	Nichiren Shoshu

For a narrative discussion of some of this history see fujischool.html Mt Fuji and both Taisekiji and Kitayama are located in the Suruga Province of Japan on the south side of Mt. Fuji. in what is now known as Fujinomiya City.

Nikko Linneages	Years as HP/alive	Notes:
1 Nichiren DaiShonin	1222-1282	Founder of True Buddhism *
2 Nikko Shonin	1282-1290	* One of Nichiren's 6 disciples. Nichiren Shoshu claims he was the "true disciple" of Nichiren's but his rivals disagreed (see sixpriests.html"
3 Nichimoku Shonin	1290-1333	Remonstrates with Imperial court more than 10 times.*
4 Nichido Shonin	1333-1339	* Internal Strife within Fuji Lineage for 70 years.* No one would be able to control any of the temples in a stable manner until Nichiu came along to restore the area around Taisekiji, and also Kitayama (Omoso) and nearby. Fuji Lineage already was developing some distinctive views as shown by this link to a reference to "Shunpan" written in 1364.
5 Nichigyo Shonin	1365-1406	*
6 Nichiji Shonin	1406-1407	*
7 Nichia Shonin	1407-1419	*
8 Nichiei Shonin	1407-1419	*
9 Nichiu Shonin	1419-1466/1472-1482	* Nichiu Restores Fuji School credited with doctrines about Dai-Gohonzon/True Buddha>/a>. Time of Onin War (1467-1477)
10 Nichijo Shonin	1466-1470	*
11 Nittei Shonin	1470-1472	* Onin War breaks out (1467)
12 Nicchin Shonin	1482-1527	* Becomes High Priest at age 14. Nichiu.
13 Nichi'in	1527-1573	Becomes High Priest at age 9.*
14 Nisshu	1573-1596	Becomes High Priest at age 18.*
15 Nissho Shonin²	1596-1607/1622-1622	Comes from Yobo-ji temple. This is also the period when all the Nichiren sects were required to renounce "shakubuku" in order to avoid being razed by Oda Nobunaga and later by the Tokugawa Shoguns. ²
16 Nichijyu ²	1632-1633 /1637-1645	*
17 Nissei²	1633-1637/1637-1645	*
18 Nichiei²	1633-1637	*
19 Nisshun²	1645-1652	*
20 Nitten²	1652-1673	*
21 Nichinin²	1673-1680	*
22 Nisshun²	1680-1682	*
23 Nikkei²	1682-1692	*
24 Nichiei	1692-1709	*
25 Nichiyu	1709-1718	*Started Construction of Sanmon Gate.
26 Nichikan	1718-1720/1723-1726	* Famous as reformer and "restorer"
27 Nichiyo	1720-1723	*
28 Nissho	1726-1732	*
29 Nitto	1732-1736	*
30 Nitchu	1736-1740	*
31 Nichi'in	1740-1750	*
32 Nikkyo	1750-1756	*
33 Nichigen	1756-1764/1765	*
34 Nisshin	1764-1765	*
35 Nichion	1765-1770	*
36 Nikken	1770-1776	*
37 Nippo	1776-1783/1785/1787-1791/1796/1797-1799	*
38 Nittai	1783-1784	*
39 Nichijun	1785-1786	*
40 Nichinin	1791-1795	*
41 Nichimon	1795-1796	*
42 Nichigo	1796-1797	*
43 Nisso	1799-1803	*
44 Nissen	1803-1807/1808-1817	*
45 Nichirei	1807-1808	*
46 Nitcho	1808-1814	*
47 Nisshu	1814-1815	*
48 Nichiryo	1817-1820/1830-1831/1836	*
49 Nisso	1820-1830	*
50 Nichijo	1831-1836	*
51 Nichiei	1836-1851/1865	*
52 Nichiden	1853-1862/1865-1869/1885-1889	*
53 Nichijo	1862-1865	*
54 Nichi'in	1869-1874	*
55 Nippu	1874-1885	*
56 Nichio	1889-1908	*
57 Nissho	1908-1923	*
58 Nitchu	1923-1926	*
59 Nichiko	1926-1928	*
60 Nikkai	1928-1935	*
61 Nichiryu	1935-1937/1945-1946	*
62 Nikkyo	1937-1945	*
63 Nichiman	1946-1947	*
64 Nissho	1947-1956	*
65 Nichijun	1956-1959	*
66 Nittatsu	1959-1979	* Time of the Gakkai, revolts within NST, Kenshokai left
67 Nikken Shonin	1979-2005	* Time of the Gakkai, revolts within NST.
68 Nichinyo Shonin	2005- ?	* New HP, took office in December 12 2005, formally on the 16th

Additional discussion of Nikko Linneages

Please note, that it is traditional to begin the names of ordained monks of hte Fuji School with the word "Nichi" for "sun". Common monks don't always do so, but abbots or chief priests often do. Thus Reverend Abe for instance became Nikken Abe when he became sixty-seventh "Geika" or High Priest of Nichiren Shoshu.

1 Nichiren DaiShonin
2 Nikko Shonin
3 Nichimoku Shonin
4 Nichido Shonin
5 Nichigyo Shonin
6 Nichiji Shonin
7 Nichia Shonin
8 Nichiei Shonin
9 Nichiu Shonin: Nichiu Shonin is credited with first assertions of the importance of the Wooden Dai-Honzon(Dai-Gohonzon) of Taisekiji that was created in the year of "Koan". For more see nichiu.html.
10 Nichijo Shonin
11 Nittei Shonin
12 Nicchin Shonin: During the tenure of Nicchin Shonin, in 1488, according to Daniel Montgomery ³:
"In 1488, two centuries after the death of Nichiren, Nikkyo, a priest at Taiseki-ji, claimed to have discovered two documents written by Nichiren, passing on full authority to Nikko alone (Murano, 'SokaGakkai'). The original documents have disappeared, but 'true copies' are preserved at Taiseki-ji. Other Nichiren bodies ignore them as forgeries." For more on this follow the link to transfer.html and also nichiu.html
13 Nichi'in
14 Nisshu
15 Nissho Shonin: In February 1602, when Nissho, the 15th high priest, was in office, Tokugawa Ieyasu established a shogunate government in Edo (present-day Tokyo). For more see this link to Tokugawa.htm#nissho
16 Nichijyu
17 Nissei
18 Nichiei
19 Nisshun: Nisshun Shonin receives a deed "reauthorizing Taisekiji" from the Tokugawa Shogunate. This prevents Taiseki-ji from being razed by the Shogunate, but comes at the cost of the priests being forced to refrain from Shakubuku efforts. Link to tokugawa.html#nisshun
20 Nitten
21 Nichinin
22 Nisshun: Read more
23 Nikkei
24 Nichiei
25 Nichiyu: Constructed Sanmon Gate, Construction of this gate was proposed by Taisekiji's 25th High Priest, Nichiyu Shonin. With offerings received from the sixth Tokugawa shogun, Ienobu, and his wife, Tennei'in, it was completed in six years, in August, 1717. Source: http://www.nst.org/ctour2.5.html
26 Nichikan Shonin: Born August 7, 1665, died August 18,1726. Was the 26th High Priest of Nichiren Shoshu. The son of a Samurai family. He is credited with "restoring" Nichiren Shoshu doctrines after a period in which these doctrines had been influenced from the Yobo-ji (Nikko Lineage) school from the Kyoto area. He is responsible for restoring the use of the Dai-Gohonzon as central object of worship, and his 6 volume writing is essentially a set of remonstrations with the previous doctrines of the "yoboo-ji" period. He is the one who established the notion that Nichiren is the true Buddha and Shakyamuni a provisional one. He also is responsible for the effort that led to the building of the 5 story pagoda. See this: link for more on Nichikan.
27 Nichiyo
28 Nissho
29 Nitto
30 Nitchu
31 Nichi'in: "The successive High Priests which follow Nikko Shonin become the same as he, because the Treasure of the Buddha is based upon the inner enlightened life which continues in succession. Because of their outer form, they seem to be the Treasure of the Priest, and therefore, the honourable Buddha, which flows from Nichiren Daishonin, the Great Master of the Buddhism of the Sowing of the Latter Day of the Law, merely seems to take the form of the Treasure of the Priest because of the existence of the outer body." 31st High Priest, Nichi'in Shonin(see high priest page
32 Nikkyo
33 Nichigen
34 Nisshin
35 Nichion
36 Nikken
37 Nippo
38 Nittai
39 Nichijun
40 Nichinin
41 Nichimon
42 Nichigo
43 Nisso
44 Nissen
45 Nichirei
46 Nitcho
47 Nisshu
48 Nichiryo
49 Nisso
50 Nichijo
51 Nichiei
52 Nichiden
53 Nichijo
54 Nichi'in
55 Nippu
56 Nichio
57 Nissho: Nissho Mizutani outlived the sixty second High priest.
58 Nitchu
59 Nichiko: Nichiko Hori was a great scholar and teacher of Buddhism.
60 Nikkai
61 Nichiryu
62 Nikkyo: Nikkyo Shonin was the priest during World War II who immolated himself in 1945. In the original story we were told he was portrayed as a hero. However, the conflict between Nichiren Shoshu and Sokagakkai, has brought the truth to our attention. He was atoning for his realization that he too had slandered Buddhism, this time by mixing up Japanese notions like "Emperor Worship" with Buddhism. For more on his story visit:nikkyo.html
63 Nichiman
64 Nissho
65 Nichijun: Reverend Horigome Nichijun (1956-1959) was a benefactor and protector of the Gakkai, but also was very strict both with the Gakkai and his own priests. He worked very closely with Reverend Hori, who was the retired priest and compilor of the Gosho Zenshu and other scholarly works of Nichiren Shoshu/Sokagakkai.
66 Nittatsu: See nittatsu.html for detailed story
67 Nikken: High Priest of Nichiren Shoshu during a controversial period between 1979-2005. It was Nikken Shonin who first expelled the so called "True Faith Priests" who were mostly disciples of his predecessor Nittatsu, and the Lay Group Sokagakkai, led by President Ikeda, a man who he seems to have had a strong rivalry with.

For pictures of most of the High Priests, visit this Nichiren Shoshu website:

http://www.geocities.com/buddhalaisuus2001/highpriests1.html

Footnotes

Source: "Confirming our Path in Faith" Temple Handbook presented by the SGI-USA Temple Issue Committee copyright by SGI-USA reproduced for study purposes.
Yobo-Ji --

Priests from Yobo-ji include priests from the 15th HP to the 23rd High Priests. These priests taught that the true Buddha was Shakyamuni and Nichiren together. they tended to include statues of Shakyamuni as Objects of worship and to ignore the Dai-Gohonzon.

"Fire in the Lotus" (Harper-Collins, 1991, pgs. 171-172) Daniel B. Montgomery. pg. 169
The Human Revolution Vol 1 No.2, World Tribune Press, Los Angeles, California 90406 Copyright 1986 by World Tribune.

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws