On
Nichiren Daishonin’s death in 1282, Nikko Shonin
(1246-1333) returned to Kuon temple at Mount Minobu with the Daishonin’s
ashes, following the Daishonin’s will as stated in the ‘Two Transfer
Documents’.
There, as chief priest of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, he built a
tomb where he placed the ashes and, in accordance with Buddhist tradition,
held a memorial service on the hundredth day after his death, attended by all
the Daishonin’s senior priest disciples. Later, to protect the tomb, he set
up a monthly rota system for eighteen leading disciples, including himself and
the other five senior priests – Nichiji, Niko, Nichiro, Nissho and Nitcho.
There
was a particularly strong master and disciple bond between Nikko and Nichiren
Daishonin. Nikko had become the Daishonin’s disciple when he was only
thirteen, during the latter’s stay at Jisso-ji temple in 1258, where
Nichiren Daishonin wrote his treatise ‘Rissho Ankoku Ron’ (On Establishing
the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land). The young priest had been
with his master for twenty-four years and had acquired a deep understanding of
the Daishonin’s mission as the original Buddha. He had been with him during
the exiles to Izu and to Sado Island, and was the only one of Nichiren
Daishonin’s priest-disciples to personally guard and protect him.
The other senior priests lived far from their master and had had few
opportunities to spend much time with Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko.
Perhaps
as a consequence of this, none of the priests, apart from Nikko himself,
complied with their rota duty, distancing themselves from Mount Minobu.
Even though Nikko had been named as successor in the two transfer
documents, the other senior priests did not understand the deep
master-disciple relationship between him and Nichiren Daishonin, and
fundamentally disagreed with his appointment.
Furthermore, they failed to regard Nichiren Daishonin as the original
Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, and took statues of Shakyamuni as their
object of worship rather than the Gohonzon.
Declaring themselves to be priests of the Tendai school to avoid
persecution by the government, they also asserted that only the writings
authored by Nichiren Daishonin in classical Chinese calligraphy should be kept
for posterity. Many of the letters written by the Daishonin to his followers
in popular Japanese calligraphy they considered unworthy and so failed to
preserve them. Nikko therefore eventually denounced the five senior priests in
his ‘Guidelines for Believers of the Fuji School’
and ‘On Refuting the Five Priests’,
tracts that pointed out their errors and praised the correct teachings of
Nichiren Daishonin.
By
contrast, Nikko remained true to the entirety of the Daishonin’s Buddhism.
The school he founded - the Nikko or Fuji School - recognises Nichiren
Daishonin as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, and the Dai-Gohonzon,
inscribed by the Daishonin on the 12 October 1279 for the happiness of the
entire world, as the true object of worship of the Latter day. The
Dai-Gohonzon has been preserved at Taiseki-ji at Mount Fuji, which became the
head temple of first the Nikko School, then Nichiren Shoshu (Orthodox School
of Nichiren Buddhism) when the school was renamed in 1912.
Around
1285, Niko Mimbu, one of the five senior priests, visited Mount Minobu. Nikko
was delighted to see him – he had tried to remain in contact with the other
senior priests, and at this point, some three years after the Daishonin’s
death, their departure from his teachings had not yet become clear.
So Nikko decided to appoint Niko chief instructor of the priests at
Minobu, doubtless also hoping to encourage Niko in his faith.
But
the move backfired.
Niko was a man of compromise who tended to follow the general relaxed
tendency of Buddhist schools in Kamakura towards doctrines and religious
principles. His influence was felt by Hakiri Sanenaga, the steward of the
Minobu area, who had been converted to Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism by
Nikko. At first, Hakiri recognized Nikko as the Daishonin’s legitimate
successor. However, as he became acquainted with Niko he estranged himself
from Nikko, who was very strict in matters of faith. Eventually Hakiri
committed four violations against the purity of Nichiren Daishonin’s
teachings:
1)
he commissioned a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha;
2)
he made pilgrimages to Shinto shrines;
3)
he contributed to the building of a pure land school monument; and
4)
he
build a pure land school temple.
Hakiri
did not accept Nikko’s frequent warnings, and eventually told him, ‘I am a
disciple of Niko and not of you.’
Nikko was deeply concerned that because of Niko and Hakiri Sanenaga
Mount Minobu was becoming a place that was betraying Nichiren Daishonin’s
spirit. In his letter ‘Reply to Mimasaka’ he wrote that his master had
said that: ‘If the steward of this region does not abide with the Mystic
Law, I also will not live there.’
So Nikko decided to comply with the Daishonin’s will and left Mount Minobu
in order to safeguard the correct transmission of his teachings. His
heartbreak at that time can be felt in the following ‘Letter to Hara-Dono’:
My
pain and sadness at leaving Minobu Valley is beyond description and is far
from my original intention. But when I think deeply of this matter, I have
come to the conclusion that the most important thing is, no matter where I may
live, to pass on Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings to posterity and to prove
his righteousness to the world. Every senior priest of Nichiren Daishonin has
turned their back on their master, except me, Nikko, who alone understands
Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings correctly. I seem to have the mission to
fulfill the purpose of Nichiren Daishonin’s advent in this world, which I
will never fail to achieve.
In
1289 Nikko and his disciples left Mount Minobu, carrying the Dai-Gohonzon,
Nichiren Daishonin’s ashes and other treasures.
They moved to Nanjo Tokimitsu’s estate in Ueno, at his invitation,
where Tokimitsu gave Nikko a parcel of land at a place called Oishigahara, at
the foot of Mount Fuji. Tokimitsu’s late father had been the steward of Ueno
district and a disciple of Nichiren Daishonin, while Tokimitsu had been
nurtured in faith by Nikko himself and was a central figure for the believers
in this area.
At Oishigahara Nikko and his disciples set about building a lodging
temple, the Dai-bo, which was completed on 12 October 1290.
This accorded with Nichiren Daishonin’s will that the high sanctuary
of his Buddhism be established on a site near Mount Fuji.
A
few years later, in 1298, Nikko opened a seminary in the neighbouring Omosu
district, where he devoted himself to training his disciples and giving
lectures on Nichiren Daishonin’s major teachings.
He was deeply aware of the great importance of fostering capable
disciples who were well trained in the master’s doctrines, and the
propagation carried out by his disciples extended to all provinces of Japan.
He also continued to collect and preserve Nichiren Daishonin’s
writings, promote his teachings and remonstrate with the authorities.
In
1332, Nikko transferred the Dai-Gohonzon which Nichiren Daishonin had
entrusted to him to his successor Nichimoku (1260-1333), stating: ‘I will
transfer to Nichimoku the Dai-Gohonzon of the second year of Koan (1279)
which, conferred to me, I have protected with my whole life.’ He also gave
him a transfer document which reads in part: ‘As for Taiseki-ji, Nichimoku
must look after its halls and the tomb, keep them in good condition, carry out
the practice of gongyo and await the time of kosen-rufu.’
In
January 1333 Nikko wrote ‘Twenty-six Admonitions’, a series of
instructions regarding the propagation and protection of the Daishonin’s
teachings in the future.
He explains:
‘The
merciful sun [of true Buddhism] that spreads in the Latter Day illuminates the
darkness of the extreme evil of slander, and the mystic wind of the ‘Life
Span of the Thus Come One’ chapter of kuon
blows away the gate of the provisional teaching that the Buddha achieved
supreme enlightenment for the first time in Gaya...
We
have fortunately been able to encounter this sutra [i.e. the Gohonzon] due to
a deep karmic connection. Accordingly, I will here set forth some articles for
the sake of later students of Buddhism. This is solely because I treasure the
[Daishonin’s] golden words regarding kosen-rufu.
In
other words, this was an important document to be considered as a firm set of
principles, never to be abandoned, which includes the passage ‘Until kosen-rufu
is achieved, propagate the Law to the full extent of your ability without
begrudging your life.’
In the concluding passage, Nikko strictly warns his disciples: ‘Those
who violate even one of these articles cannot be called disciples of Nikko.’
A
month after completing the ‘Twenty-six Admonitions’, on 7 February 1333,
Nikko passed away at the age of eighty-seven.
Nichimoku
succeeded Nikko but survived him by only a few months, dying in November 1333.
As a disciple he had exerted himself in propagation and on dozens of
occasions had remonstrated with the Kamakura government, the imperial court
and leading nobles and samurai; in fact, he passed away en route to Kyoto to
remonstrate with the Emperor, and urge him to embrace the Daishonin’s
Buddhism.
The two disciples who were with him – Nichizon and Nichigo - went on
to accomplish the task.
Nichimoku
had named a successor, Nichido, and transferred the office of high priest to
him before leaving for Kyoto.
But Nichigo returned to Taiseki-ji with Nichimoku’s ashes and
confronted Nichido with the claim that on his deathbed Nichimoku had willed
him a lodging temple and some land at the head temple. This dispute created a
split in the school, with the disciples of the two priests occupying different
areas of Taiseki-ji. The conflict lasted for some seventy years, until it was
finally resolved in 1405, during the administration of the sixth high priest,
Nichiji.
The
ninth high priest Nichiu (1402-1482) is regarded as a restorer of the school,
both physically and spiritually.
He instigated extensive works to repair the buildings at Taiseki-ji,
which had suffered because of the long dispute.
More importantly, he clarified the teachings and was active in
propagating them throughout the country.
He also systematized the ceremonies of the school, which are recorded
in his writing ‘On the Formalities of Original Buddhism’.
His
stewardship was not trouble-free, however - during one propagation trip the
priest who Nichiu left in charge of the head temple decided to sell it to a
feudal lord. When Nichiu returned some months later he was forced to raise a
large amount of money to buy the temple back.
Despite
his efforts as high priest, however, Nichiu found himself forced to appoint as
his successor a 14-year-old boy from a powerful family, probably hoping in
this way to ensure the survival of the school.
The appointment of a young boy as high priest was repeated three times
during the next hundred
years, a period that also saw the introduction of the concept of the
infallibility of the high priest - doubtless to bolster the authority of these
children when settling disputes arising within the priesthood.
This concept of the high priest’s infallibility is wholly alien to
Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, however, as Article 17 of Nikko’s
‘Twenty-six Admonitions’ clearly indicates: ‘Do not follow even the high
priest if he goes against the Buddha’s law and propounds his own views.’
Nikko strictly warned against things that could happen in the future and which
did actually happen.
The fact that his warnings were ignored shows how far the Nikko school
had already degenerated.
Moreover,
with the passing of time the uncompromising attitude of the Daishonin and his
direct successor, Nikko, were no longer understood by the successive high
priests. Some of them even asked for financial support from the government and
or sought help from other powerful schools that enjoyed the favour of the
imperial court.
In 1596 Taiseki-ji fell under the influence of a powerful Nichiren
temple in Kyoto, the Yoho-ji, which had been founded by Nichizon, one of the
two priests who had accompanied Nichimoku on his last journey.
Despite the credentials of its founder, the temple was no longer
following the doctrines of the Nikko school and considered the original Budda
to be not Nichiren Daishonin but Shakyamuni.
For the following 100 years and more the independence of the Nikko
school was totally lost as its next nine high priests were appointed by
Yoho-ji.
The
situation began to change in the mid-seventeenth century, with the
establishment by the Tokugawa shogunate of the so-called danka system.
This obliged temples to hold registers of the people living in the
area, who were not allowed to change their temple affiliation. This system, in
which the temples effectively acted as an administrative branch of central
government, had several aims, the most important of which was to avoid the
development of Christianity in Japan.
It also gave the temples financial
security - the offerings from
a stable base of parishioners - and so permitted Taiseki-ji (among others) to
regain some of its wealth.
It
was not until 1718, however, when Nichikan became the twenty-sixth high
priest, that Taisekiji was re-established as the orthodox school of Nichiren
Daishonin’s Buddhism.
Nichikan was a samurai who decided to become a priest relatively late
in life, at the age of 28.
An outstanding scholar, he worked tirelessly to clarify Nichiren
Daishonin’s teachings, exposing the errors and misconceptions that had
developed over the centuries in his ‘Commentary’ (Mondan), an
explanation of the Daishonin’s Gosho, and ‘Six-volume Writings’ (Rokkan-sho).
He also supervised the physical restoration of Taiseki-ji.
After
Nichikan
Within
a few years of the passing of Nichikan, however, the school once again began
to degenerate.
The strict warnings of Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko to maintain the
purity of the teachings were ignored by Nichikan’s successors, who were more
inclined to conform with the tendencies of the time and look for aide and
protection from those in power.
With
the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the Meiji restoration of 1868, the
imperial authorities sought to strengthen the authority of the emperor in a
number of ways.
Key was the promotion of Shinto, which taught the divinity of the
emperor, and attempts to weaken the influence of Buddhism. Among the
initiatives that were adopted was the abolition of celibacy in the Buddhist
priesthood.
Article 25 of Nikko’s ‘Twenty-Six Admonitions’ clearly prohibits
his successors from marrying, but the priests of the Taiseki-ji simply behaved
as the majority of Buddhist priests did in Japan at that time and embraced the
relaxation with enthusiasm.
By
the early years of the twentieth century Taiseki-ji had gradually become
interested only in maintaining its own role and managing the ceremonies and
the events that could bring the priesthood some personal advantage: its lay
followers were very few.
Crucially, the doctrinal distinctions that had characterised the legacy
of Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko had been lost.
The bulk of the priesthood had no interest in clarifying the
fundamental teachings of their school’s masters, or distinguishing them from
the doctrines that had derived over the centuries from various disciples of
the five elder priests.
During
the 1920s and 1930s Nichiren Shoshu priesthood was beset by factional
in-fighting.
So seriously had the situation deteriorated that when the Soka Gakkai
was formed, in November 1930, the beacon of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism
had almost been extinguished.
[1]
‘Shonin’, meaning ‘sage’, is an honorific title for priests of
high virtue.
Gosho
Chronicle Edition, p. 1729.