Nikken wondered whether another priest had received the heritage also from Nittatsu. In November 1980, Nikken is said to have given the following remarks to the young priests in head temple: “Even though I did receive the heritage from Nittatsu Shonin, I also suspected that somebody else might have also received it. So I asked the other priests if any one of them had received something from the…
April 15, 1978 – what kind of day was it then? Nikken did not become the high priest because he received the heritage. He became one because Sugano responded to him by asking, “Aren’t you, Mr. General administrator, succeeding him?” At the executive priests’ conference held a few hours after the memorial service of the former high priest Nittatsu, Nikken brought forth his own story, stating “As a…
Nikken Says That the Dai-Gohonzon Is Counterfeit. In December 1979, right after Nikken took the office as new high priest, Jitoku Kawabe (1930-2002) was upset at Nikken’s decision to promote Giko Hayase to the position of General Affairs’ Bureau director. He called Nikken to come to his temple (Kyodai-ji temple in Shikoku) and said, intimidatingly, “I’ll hold a press conference and reveal to mass media that you once…
How did Nikken become high priest? To answer this, we have to go over the day of 66th high priest Nittatsu’s funeral. According to Hossu Sasho, a memoir written by Nichiren Shoshu reformist priest, the following conversation took place on that day of July 22, 1979: In the early morning, high priest Nittatsu’s body was delivered to the reception room of his quarters. Then, the recitation of the sutra…
What is in the transfer box anyway? According to Hossu Sasho, a memoir written by Nichiren Shoshu reformist priest, the 59th High Priest Nichiko Hori once described the contents as: “Documents related to the ‘One Hundred and Six Articles (Hyaku Rokka Sho)’ and ‘On the True Cause (Hon’nin-myo Sho)’ and a piece of paper that carries the names of the successive high priests who participated in their respective…
The “Transfer Box” is a box of 45 square cubic centimeters. According to Hossu Sasho (Self-Appointed High Priest) by the Nichiren Shoshu reformist priests, the so-called “Transfer Box” is a box of 45 square cubic centimeters. It is a black-lacquered, time-honored, wooden box. It is usually wrapped in a gold cloth. This box had been kept by successive high priests since olden times. It was strictly preserved in…
The issue of how Nikken became the high priest has been a matter of controversy. The issue of how Nikken became the high priest has been a matter of controversy since he became the head of Nichiren Shoshu in 1979. After 26 years since, in December of 2005, Nikken suddenly stepped down from the position and was succeeded by Nichinyo. The argument over his legitimacy as high priest, however,…
Dave Baldschun Mr. Nojima’s opening remarks at the fourth General Meeting NST also cited the remarks made by Tatsuji Nojima, director of Soka Kyoiku Gakkai, at the fourth general meeting. Again, here is an accurate translation of his remarks: “The results since the start of the Great East Asia War are due to the fact that Japan is the nation upholding the Lotus Sutra.” It must be noted that,…
On the morning of October 6, 1536, an Englishman was strangled and burned at the stake in Belgium after sixteen months of imprisonment. William Tyndale was charged with translating the Bible from the original Hebrew and Greek texts into English—against the will of the Roman Catholic authorities. After his death, his name was largely forgotten, but his translation survived the relentless book burings instigated by the bishop of London…