The Myth of Nichiren Shoshu, a new book has published

Mikio (Yumo) Matsuoka, a member of the Association of Youthful Priests Dedicated to the Reformation of Nichiren Shoshu, recently published a new book, entitled The Myth of Nichiren Shoshu. The 413-page book examines and refutes some erroneous doctrines of present-day Nichiren Shoshu, such as the worship of the high priest. Matsuoka has been studying Nichiren Shoshu history and doctrine for about twenty years, since he became a priest in 1986.

The book was born out of his year-long study of religious documents and extensive field trips, and it is considered to be a must-read book for anyone who studies Nichiren Shoshu.

Here is one controversy from the book:

Nichiren Shoshu often states that "the matter of the Gohonzon is handled only by the high priest." Because of this, they criticize the SGI's conferral of the Nichikan Gohonzon, even calling it a slanderous act. According to Matsuoka, such rules for the transcription of the Gohonzon are quite recent and there was no such rule at the time of Nikko Shonin, the founder of the Taiseki-ji temple. As evidence of this, Matsuoka presents documentary proof of seven individuals who were not high priests who transcribed twenty-five Gohonzons during the times of Nikko Shonin and Nichiji, the sixth high priest.

(Excerpted and translated based on Feiku #784, dated November 24, 2006)