Nikken's Waste of Monetary Donations
Exceeds Over Two Hundred Million Dollars

Nikken's almost habitual cycle of demolition and rebuilding of head temple facilities, and the resulting wasteful use of monetary donations have now come back to haunt temple members - and place a heavy financial burden on the shoulders of the already small number of lay members.

In 1988, Nikken demolished the old Mutsubo (Six-Compartment Lodging) and rebuild it using zelkova trees. He then demolished Daikejo Hall and turned it into a bleak open space.

In 1994, he built the Rokuman-to (Sixty Thousand Tower), which is a mere stone monument on a three-stage pedestal - this cost nearly 40 million yen (U.S. $340,000.00).

However, Nikken had collected nearly 18 million dollars on the pretext of constructing the Rokuman-to and somehow misappropriated the rest of the money. Moreover, in 1995, Nikken demolished the Dai-kyakuden (Grand Reception Hall) and rebuild a jerry-built hall. Nikken demolished the building using the excuse of anti-earthquake measures, even though the designer of the original building, Mr. Kimio Yokoyama, and other specialists stated that "reinforcement of the pillars is good enough" and there was no need for reconstruction at all.

Nikken not only demolished the Dai-kyakuden but also broke the mural pottery decoration, a joint work by Tokuro Kato (a ceramic artist, designated a Living National Treasure in 1952) and Matazo Kayama (a Japanese-style painter, recipient of the Order of Cultural Merit). While Nichiren Shoshu desperately maintained that they had repaired the artwork, the repair job was shoddily done and incorporated concrete and paint. For this repair work, Nichiren Shoshu stripped nearly $35 million dollars from Hokkeko members.

Worst of all, in 1998, Nikken demolished the Sho Hondo, a masterpiece building of the century. This demolition cost was nearly $42 million dollars. The foundation of the Sho Hondo was too strong- it was built that way to sustain even the possible largest earthquake. The foundation literally could not be broken. Spending $170 million dollars, Nikken built the Hoando on top of the Sho Hondo's remaining foundation.

(Excerpted and translated based on Feiku #776, dated November 3, 2006)