During the time of Nicchin, the 12th high priest (1469- 1527) : The origin of 5 prayer format. “The five-prayer format of gongyo became formalized during the term of Nicchin, who served as high priest from 1482-1527” (Toryu gyoji sho ni manabu, p. 244). In his work On Reciting the Sutra at Each Temple, Nicchin indicates that morning and evening gongyo were conducted while making the rounds among various…
Daishonin never prescribed a specific format or number of repetitions. While the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and the recitation of the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span” chapters of the Lotus Sutra constitute an unchanging facet of Buddhist practice, the forms these practices have taken over time—including such details as the number of times the sutra is recited in the morning and evening, and the accompanying silent prayers that go with…
Taiseki-ji was plagued by fierce factional struggles for the seat of high priest. During the first half of the twentieth century, Taiseki-ji was plagued by fierce factional struggles for the seat of high priest. To resolve disputes over who should succeed to the post, elections were held. But fraudulence and corruption interfered with elections for high priest, eventually prompting government intervention, both by the police and the Ministry…
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,…