Picture of the Sho Hondo

The Sho Hondo and the war between the Gakkai and NST

When the Sho Hondo was completed in 1972/1973, there was much rejoicing. I remember because that is around the time I first joined Nichiren Buddhism in the organization then known as NSA. Both SGI and Hokkeko members had made great sacrifices to contribute to it's construction. It was very large, very pretty, and very modern. It kind of clashed with the traditional architect of the rest of Taisekiji and the rest of Nichiren Shoshu's other Taisekiji Temple grounds, but it was a very striking building and "modernization" was the watchword of the times.

Made out of modern looking Ferro-Concrete it was designed to last thousands of years. And people came from all over the world to see both the Dai-Gohonzon it housed and the building itself, which was "architecturally unique. It was so big that it actually had "weather" inside of it at times. It had a roof designed to weather earthquakes, storms, anything but human conflict. In short it was an architectural marvel.

Not There anymore.

Where the Sho-Hondo was is now a very Japanese looking building that is about the same size as Sho-Hondo (it is said that Nikken tried to make sure it was at least one foot taller), but the Sho-Hondo is Gone. Why it is gone is a long story. Each party will tell you a different one, and some of the excuses are entirely plausable. It did require a lot of maintenance. It was starting to age a little. It did look kind of funny compared to the other buildings at Taiseki-ji. You can read the details on it's destruction, the politics, the why's and sucy by following this link to the page shohondod.html where I detail the story of it's end. However, like all things ends flow from beginnings, so the story of the Sho-Hondo's end can't be told without telling of it's beginnings. The real reason the Sho-Hondo is not at Taiseki-ji anymore is that the Gakkai is not there anymore, and that is a story in it's own right.

Establishing Authority

The head Temple Taisekiji had been existence since first being established by the senior diciple Nikko at "Oishigahara" on land belonging to Nanjo-Tokimitsu. It had always been part of the "Fuji-School" of Nichiren Buddhism. Prior to World War II it had fallen into disrepair. Following World War II, like most of Modern Japan, there was a demand to rebuild it and even expand it. One of the groups financing reconstruction and expansion efforts was the lay group known as Sokagakkai. The main object of worship of Taiseki-ji was a wooden Gohonzon of some great beauty and age known as the Dai-Gohonzon. The Gakkai wanted to build a magnificent structure to house the Dai-Gohonzon. Such a structure could be a symbol of it's power and unity and a place of pilgrimage for members from all over the world.

The Soka Gakkai in the 1960's was the largest, most aggressively growing, and in many senses most progressive group in Nichiren Shoshu, but it had rivals and even enemies. Outside Nichiren Shoshu there were New Religions such as the Koseikei and the Reiyukai, and some of them had many followers. The Rissho Koseikei built a "Great Sacred Hall" in Tokyo in 1964, and they also built other buildings to establish their legitimacy as a religious organization. The Reiyukai in the 70's was building a building they called the "Shakaden" which they finished in 1975 (two years after Sho-Hondo went into operation). All of these groups were quite conservative when it came to the relationship between Buddhism and the Dharma and general society. They were all loosely based on Nichiren's teachings but actually headed by charismatics who borrowed liberally from Shinto, Japanese Culture, and their own ideas.

...And They all had been criticized at one time by the Gakkai, who had even written a book with lists of religious groups and explicit "refutations" or criticisms of them. The Gakkai had actively recruited members from those groups, focusing on their ancestor worship, confusion about the subject of the "object of worship," and resulting reification of the Buddha. Paradoxically they then put their criticisms in highly personal and often anaecdotal manner, based on "experiences." The Gakkai saw itself as an "army of Kosenrufu" and were bent on creating an actual condition of world peace by physically dominating Japan. The idea was that if you could convert 1/3 of the people world peace would follow automatically. To do this they had to establi Thus the Gakkai didn't want to be second on any subject to it's rivals from outside the Gakkai. They wanted a building that would emphasize the magnificence of the Dai-Gohonzon and attract attention to them. They chose the building of the Sho-Hondo for this purpose. It worked.

What is in a name?

There was controversy about this building even before it was completed. Oddly the controversy didn't come from those outside groups but from within Nichiren Shoshu itself. The religious politics centered on a number of things. But at heart it had to do mostly with a name. The word "Sho-Hondo"

Obutsu Myogo and Ordination platforms.

The premise behind the Sho-Hondo was based on a great Gosho named the "San-Dai-Hiho Sho" or "On the Three Great Secret laws.".(See footnotes) All of these are useful in understanding the things that went into the building of the Sho-Hondo. The idea of Obutsu Myogo is based on the following passage from this possibly apocryphal Gosho.:

"When it comes to the Altar of the Precept, it will be when the laws of the state become subsidiary to those of the Dharma of the Buddha and the laws of the king are in a harmony with the Buddha Dharma."

Within Nichiren Buddhism there were a number of ideas on how that could manifest, but there were two possible versions of how to interpret that teaching in a modern context. One was literal. The other was figurative. In a figurative interpretation, the "King" becomes a stand in for the Sovereign people. And therefore all that was needed to establish the "Altar of the Precept" would be for the majority of people, or even a large minority (1/3) to embrace true Buddhism.

However, the other interpretation was also represented in Nichiren Shoshu along with interpretations that ran somewhat in between. And since anytime you have a potential for differences of opinion about doctrine and strategy, there emerge factions assembled around these differences, who then hang their political and social ambitions on them. If the Gakkai was the main mover behind building a new building and naming it the Sho-Hondo, that almost automatically meant that another rival group, the "Myoshinko" would be against building it. Almost by definition since the two groups were rivals with diametrically opposed opinions about how to interpret Nichiren Shoshu Doctrine.

Does the Emperor Matter?

Both Nittatsu and President Ikeda advanced the theory that the conversion of the Emperor no longer necessarilly mattered in the attainment of Kosenrufu. If the people are sovereign then all that matters for Kosenrufu i the conversion of 1/3 or so of the Japanese People instead. The rapid growth of the Soka-Gakkai gave them the illusion that this growth was inevitably headed to this state. The Gakkai was about 1/10 of the people of Japan by the 60's. They couldn't know that they would rapidly level off and even decline in numbers soon after. Later Nikken Shonin (in 1991) would pound at President Ikeda as if he had been the first to propose this view, but the Gakkai came back with proof that Nittatsu had said about the same thing. The key words were "expectation." Nittatsu had said in 1972 in his "Admonition" the following:

That the Grand main Temple should be "the actual high sanctuary of this time" and the "supreme edifice that shall be the High Sanctuary of True Buddhism at the Dawn of Kosen-rufu." He said that when that time arrived Taisekiji would be renamed "Hon'mon-ji" and the Grand Main Temple would become the High Sanctuary of that Temple."(Quoted from the Untold History of the Fuji School temple handout).

The word for "high sanctuary" is Sho-Hondo" would become such a buzz word, that when Priest Nikken Abe later built a replacement [but we are getting ahead of ourselves] he would name it "Hoando" to avoid this controversy.

Literal Conflict

The Myoshinkai was an older school of Nichirenism. Founded by a father and son team named Jinbei Asai and Shoei Asai, they borrowed notions first taught Chigaku Tanaka(1861-1939) (see tanaka.html) who had started the "Nichiren Shugi" movement and in that name founded the "Rissho Ankoku Kai" in 1885 and renamed it the Kokuchukai in 1914. Tanaka had in turn influenced several Fuji School scholars including Jimon Ogasawara, these had taught that the the National High Sanctuary should wait to be built on the Emperors decree. They aimed at literally converting the Emperor and proposed a highly nationalistic and conservative approach to Nichiren's teachings. These people were [and are] vehemently, and literally, opposed to the SokaGakkai. They were based originally at group at Myokoji Temple in Tokyo. They then moved its activities to Hodoin Temple. And after a conflict there, the Head Temple transferred its registry to Myoenji Temple in Sumida Ward (in Tokyo). They also had a foothold in one of the older independent Temples within the Temple Complex.

Their opposition definitely contributed to the later problems between NST and the Gakkai and to the "Tabloid" nature of these problems. However in 1970 they were on the defensive.

They were led by a charismatic leader named Shoei Asai (his son now leads typical nepotistic/clannish fashion). (See shohondod.html). At the time the Sho-Hondo was under construction, donated by the Soka Gakkai, priests and the other lay associations.

The Myoshinko took issue with the Sho-Hondo being considered the completion of the High Sanctuary (the future Honmon-ji). They quoted the same Gosho which the Gakkai read one way and read it the opposite.

"When the principles of government come to accord with Buddhism and the spirit of Buddhism comes to pervade secular affairs, when both the ruler and the governed alike embrace the three secret Laws, erect the high sanctuary in a place of the finest scenery comparable to Eagle Peak" (GZ 1022 trans.).

And then proceeded to say you can't name it "Sho-Hondo" until

Adamant Stance

The Soka Gakkai said that since Sho-Hondo was being constructed with wide popular support, and that since the people were sovereign in this time, since the Daishonin's Buddhism focuses on people and their capacity to reach "buddhahood in one's present form", the criteria for the high sanctuary were met. You didn't need literally the sanction of the Emperor, it would be enough if popular sovereignity guides such construction. High priest Nittatsu endorsed this view.

Even so, more then a few priests agreed with Myoshinko. Others disagreed with the Myoshinko but felt the Soka Gakkai was arrogant and out-of-line for advocating its view. This would be the germ of the issues that later led to the so-called Shoshinkai Incident

Meanwhile the Myoshinko overstepped it's bounds (for more detail read either Kenshokai page or Nittatsu page). Shoei Asai started putting his own words in the mouth of Nittatsu. He tried to tell the world what Nittatsu was thinking and Nittatsu set him strait. The entire priesthood, led by Nikken Abe himself (later to be high priest in his own right) rallied around their "Gekka" and Nikken Abe wrote a defense of the Sho-Hondo that would be used as a text on why it should be built at this time. The Myoshinko had gone too far.

Overstepped Bounds

As the time came for completion and transfer, the Myoshinko threatened violence if the Dai-Gohonzon were transferred to Sho-Hondo, suggesting the high priest and Daisaku Ikeda would be assassinated and the head temple destroyed. Nittatsu refuted the Myoshinko's assertions, but they didn't seem to be listening. (See, for example, Daibykuho September 1, 1994) After the Sho-Hondo was completed the Myoshinko continued to criticize both NST and the Gakkai, claiming the high sanctuary must be a "national sanctuary." "National Sanctuary" was a term coined a half century prior by the National Pillar Society. In 1974 the head temple excommunicated the Myoshinko and its leaders, Shoei Asai and son. As late as 1994 Priest Nikken was still taking issue with these assertions. Subsequently he seems to have been won over to their view. The name "Hoando" is designed to avoid this controversy.

The SGI-USA book "The Untold History of the Fuji School" describes how in October 1974 a group of Myoshinko members attacked the Gakkai headquarters in Tokyo, ramming the gates with vehicles and injuring about a dozen. The story wasn't over. The Myoshinko was now a "heretical sect" but they still had influence with Nichiren Shoshu.

Several SGI members have told me the story of how they were assigned to "guard" the transfer of the Dai-Gohonzon to the Sho-Hondo.

Despite this opposition, or perhaps because of it, the DaiGohonzon was transfered to the Sho Hondo on October 7th. It was scheduled on the 12, but the Myoshinkai threats, they moved it a different day to prevent demonstrations or trouble. Ironically when the Dai-Gohonzon was taken out of the Sho-Hondo it was done in a similar manner -- but that is another story. In October of 1972 a line of Young men, many of them from all over the world, guarded the procession of the Dai-Gohonzon into the new temple. Most of them had no idea of all the controversy. For them this was a moment of pride and joy. The participants felt they were really laying the foundation for a peaceful world. One observer see footnotes tells how the priests stumbled and almost fell, but no one felt at the time that this was in any way inauspicious. This was a high moment for the Sokagakkai and for Nichiren Shoshu. It seemed that World Wide Kosenrufu was just a matter of time. If only life were so easy.

To continue with this story please click on this link: shohondod.html. It still makes me a bit sad to tell this story, but there is more.

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Footnotes and Sources

The Sandai Hiho Sho Gosho can be found starting here:

This is a "literal" translation:
http://nichirenreader.com/writings/accepting.html
And you can read about the idea of Obutsu Myogo at several places including this one:
http://www.buddhajones.com/SGI/EmbattledAnalysis.html
And with more detail here:
Revisiting Nichiren, which talks about the issues of how Nichiren's teachings have fitted into modern society
Nichiren�s Problematic WorksBy Sueki Fumihiko, which talks about the controversies around this work.
Nichiren's Vision of Nation and Religion which goes into depth on Nichiren's view of the subjects we are talking about here.
And finally:
The Uses of Nichiren in Modern Japanese History.

When I first penned this webpage, there were other webpages on the subject of the Sho-Hondo. It was still a very raw subject for the Gakkai and it's members. And I think some of them had hope it could be saved. Many of those pages have now disappeared.

See http://www.fpcj.jp/e/shiryo/vfj/view97.html
A December 1999 article "Radical Buddhism's Bewitching Message of Apocalypse" says that Asai "promotes a sense of crisis with statements like 'Japan is certain to be destroyed in a matter of years.'" Also see my webpage on tanaka.html
Daibyakuho, September 1 1994
Jerry Nowatsky told the story of his lining up to guard the Dai-Gohonzon in a post to irgdaimoku years ago. John Fletcher in an email to a different group confirmed that story and pointed out that the Dai-Gohonzon was transfered on the 9th instead of the 12th in order to frustrate the disruptive efforts of the Myoshinko-Kenshokai. I used to have photos of the transfer. It shows young men lined up on either side of the priests with those distinctive polyester blue and white uniforms we used to wear on Tozan.
Other links related to Sho-Hondo:
Sho Hondo pictures,/dd>
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