Reverend Kawabe and the Kawabe memo

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1978

The Year was 1978. The setting was a conference of Nichiren Shoshu Priests. The high priest "Gekka" was Nittatsu Shonin. The dominant personality at the get-together was one Nikken Abe who was the chief of the study department at the time. In 1972 the Gakkai had completed a lovely building called the "Sho Hondo" to house the Dai-Gohonzon in. As a consequence both the Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu had had to deal with an angry "Myoshinko" who didn't like the building being called "Sho Hondo.". The leader of the Gakkai, Daisaku Ikeda, proud of his new building, now decided to try to go his own way. Even worse, documents were coming to light which showed just how much he was "deviating" from "Nichiren Shoshu Doctrine." To the point of telling members they were the "true priests" and his disciples telling people that Ikeda was a Buddha. Even Nichiren's reincarnation. And there were other controversies simmering. The priests met to study them and prepare themselves for dealing with them. Shoshin Kawabe was a man noted for taking meticulous notes. And he took them.

The meetings took place in a nice hotel in Tokyo and were designed to allow the priests communicate with each other in a professional setting. It was like any other conference, except those present were influential monks of the Nichiren Shoshu School. Shoshin Kawabe was one of them. All seemed peaceful. All of the priests were young, raising families and officiating over their flocks of believers. The issues discussed in the Kawabe memo "boiled" just under the surface of all that pretend "wa-goso" that both groups talked of constantly. The notes he took would later be called the "kawabe memo."

Contents:: Notes on the Translation; Text of memo; Text of apology; Allegation 8 about Dai Gohonzon; Footnotes and Further readings

1990's

This memo lay in his home for years, until it was allegedly stolen. In the meantime he raised a son, who followed his father into the priesthood, landing an assignment in North America near me in Washington DC. Sometime in the 1990's, the Kawabe memo was either stolen or leaked and the Gakkai got its hands on it. It may never be known the actual facts of that transfer, but the memo was a "coup" for the Gakkai. The Gakkai had officially supported Nichiren Shoshu Doctrines for forty years, and now had broken with the priests. They were no longer permitted to worship the Dai-Gohonzon or visit Taiseki-ji. Suddenly they were discovering controversies that other sects of Nichirenism had taken for granted all along. The Gakkai had "protected the Dai-Gohonzon" for years after this, until in the 1990's suddenly it wasn't expedient for them anymore. This memo was a godsend. They could lay blame for the Dai-Gohonzon being an alleged forgery on the priests. They could "prove" that the priests were the ones who first plotted against the Gakkai, even though it looks as if both sides had been sharpening knives for years. Shoshin Kawabe was from a leading family. He had status within the priesthood. His memo wasn't just the work of some lowly housekeeper.

The Politics

The Kawabe memo was leaked to the "tabloids" as part of the very personal disputes between Nichiren Shoshu and the Sokagakkai. It was part of the Gakkai effort to discredit the high priest and his pretensions to infallibility and to having the "right" to depose their president and grand mentor Ikeda -- which he had tried to do in 1991. President Akiya used the memo to criticize the priests in general and Nikken in particular. It was an embarrassing memo as it appeared to claim what everyone else in Nichiren circles already believed -- that the Dai-Gohonzon wasn't what it was advertized as.

The translation

A translation of the memo was done by Richard Thieme which was a fair translation (Richard isn't biased towards any group). There are other translations of the same material and they pretty much agree with this one. This was posted to deja news and when dejanews went under I saved a copy of his post. The reason for presenting it is that it shows that both the Gakkai and the priesthood are aware of the legitimacy issues around the Dai Gohonzon and are simply afraid to own up to them.

Memo Translation¹

(From a Member of the Yushu Goho Domei)

(Kawabe Memo)

No. 51

2/25/78 Kuraoka Tel:

- Koutokuji Matter

It appears that Kotokuji has told Mr. Imaoki of Ikedamachi that if he quits the gakkai and follows the priesthood they will give him a Joju Gohonzon if asked.
2/26/78 A Tel - Time

Said that he definitely wants to meet with Mr. Akiya when he comes at 3:00 today.

Said that it may be rough on the 9th when General Director Morita comes to Shinei Yagi's on the 9th.
2/7/78 Meeting with A at Teikoku H.

- Gohonzon in sanctuary.

Gohonzon in sanctuary is fake. Seen as a result of handwriting analysis using various methods (character analysis). Possibly the daimoku and formal signature copied from the honzon given to Nichizen which was donated from Houdouin. Other characters those of Nichiji or Nichiu. Tracing marks remain on the honzon given to Nichizen.

- G says this impossible.

G says it is impossible to have all appointments, recovering order etc., carried out by the priesthood in the future.

- G feels that the idea that things will return to normal after two or three years even if separation from gakkai occurs is superficial²[he also notes that it could mean the opposite ³]

* Nichizen Honzon was first at Kitayama. Someone at Kitayama put it up for sale. Nichio[u?] found this and purchased it (Gohonzon of the 3rd Year of Koan)⁴

Further readings:: Akiya on Dai Gohonzon

Apology and Testimony by Jitoku Kawabe

As stated in the previous circular, the article slandering the Dai Gohonzon of the True Sanctuary in the July 7 edition of that suspicious document "Doumei Tsuushin" used the records of Jitoku Kawabe (aka the "Kawabe memo") as its basis. The following apology and testimony has been made by Jitoku Kawabe himself:

I would like to state the following:

I have made many memos, and in most cases I have jotted these down after the fact on the basis of my recollections of what I have heard. It is also my tendency to be extremely subjective, and to write in that style. This is an attribute of my personality.

If my recollection of the discussions at that time serves me, at the time a variety of topics were discussed concerning the doubts presented with respect to the Dai Gohonzon of the Sanctuary, both during the then ongoing court case, and prior to that incident. In this context, I had asked about the possibility of distorted theories being raised, even within our sect, concerning the relationship between the Dai Gohonzon of the Sanctuary and the Gohonzon Conferred on Nichizen, which was delivered to the Head Temple in 1970, since they were both large Gohonzon*s and since they were similar in the thickness of the brush strokes, and about refutations if these distorted theories were presented.

The discussions made a very strong impression on me, and I cut out the prior and subsequent context in making my notes, so that the context of the memo appears to state that His Holiness the Lord of the Law had stated that the Dai Gohonzon of the True Sanctuary was a fake. This was a clear mistake in recording on my part.

I would like to sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart for my carelessness, which resulted in a memo that contained inappropriate content, which contravenes the facts, being leaked to external parties, thereby impugning the authority of the Dai Gohonzon of the True Sanctuary, and even causing vexation to His Holiness the Lord of the Law, and has further caused considerable inconvenience to all in our sect.

The above is Rev. Kawabe*s statement. Priests and laity. Please understand the true circumstances of this matter, and do not be shaken by the malicious slander and vilification of the devil. Rather deepen your faith in the Dai Gohonzon of the True Sanctuary and the law which flows through kechimyaku⁵ which constitute the core teachings of our sect, and progress even further to achieve the 300,000 member grand Tozan of the Hokkeko in 2002, celebrating the 750th anniversary of the founding.

There were a lot of apologies like this. The upshot is that Shoshin Kawabe was moved to a nicer temple after his apology. Apparantly he knows a lot more than just the one memo. Since the memo, it has been stated that Nikken was "really" talking about the carving of a "backup" Gohonzon as mentioned in this quote from Nittatsu Shonin:

all8
Allegation 8:

The 9th high priest, Nichiu, carved the "Ita Mandara" which had never been seen or heard of. Nichi-jo, head priest of Kitayama Hommonji, a contemporary of Nichiu, reports that, for his sin, Nichiu became a leper for having gone against the fundamental intention of the founder of the temple (Nikko).

Rebuttal:

It is a fact that Nichiu had somebody carve a wooden Gohonzon based upon an original Gohonzon of Nichiren Daishonin. On this copied wooden Gohonzon is Nichiu's signature. It has been housed at the Treasure House of Taiseki-ji. But the Dai-Gohonzon and this copied wooden Gohonzon are two different things. Nichiu reportedly created the above wooden Gohonzon in fear of the possible loss of the Dai-Gohonzon through civil wars that often erupted in those days.

Richard then commented:

This last sentence is buried as an afterthought as many significant things are that you will get in trouble for not stating but you don't want to stress. What I want to ask is not about the subsequent sentence I have clipped (the white leprosy deal), but about Nichiu's fear of "possible loss of the Dai-Gohonzon". What does this mean?? And what was the attitude of the clergy of that time to this Ita Mandala. "Well lets carve one up in case the first one gets lost." It sounds like who inscribed the thing isn't really important doesn't it? If one is lost we have an inventory of replacements. If this was the attitude of the priesthood then, what really is the significance of the Dai Gohonzon?

And for that you have to visit my page on the Dai-Gohonzon

The Reverend Kawabe and the Kawabe Memo

1978

1990's

The Politics

The translation

Memo Translation¹

Kawabe Apology

Apology and Testimony by Jitoku Kawabe

Allegation 8:

Rebuttal:

Footnotes and References

References:

The Reverend Kawabe and the Kawabe Memo

1978

1990's

The Politics

The translation

Memo Translation1

Kawabe Apology

Apology and Testimony by Jitoku Kawabe

Allegation 8:

Rebuttal:

Footnotes and References

References:

Memo Translation¹