Published by Soka Spirit Editor
Posted on August 11, 2009
Dave Baldschun
One of the misconceptions put forth by the Nichiren Shoshu Temple (NST) priesthood about the Soka Gakkai is the wartime stance of the first and second presidents, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda. It is well known that they were arrested during World War II, but the reasons for their incarceration given by the priesthood have been twisted to suit their purpose in discrediting the founders of the lay organization and justifying their own behavior in capitulating to the Japanese military government. On September 12, 2004, at Chicago’s Myogyoji temple, the Nichiren Shoshu chief priest, Yuzui Murata, gave a lecture (Oko) that perpetuated their lies about the Soka Gakkai’s first two presidents. This article will examine the erroneous claims made by Rev. Murata and refute them with the facts.
1. Rev. Murata stated:
“The historical facts, however, cannot easily be expunged from the records. It is true, of course, that Mr. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Mr. Josei Toda, the first and second Presidents of the SGI, along with at least ten other SGI leaders, were arrested on July 6, 1943, by the Japanese Special High Police. Mr. Makiguchi died of malnutrition during his imprisonment, and Mr. Toda was released two years later, in July of 1945. These are indisputable facts.
“The reasons for their arrest and imprisonment, however, were not at all what the SGI would like us to believe. On August 10, 1942, almost a year before his arrest and imprisonment, Mr. Makiguchi published the following guidance: ‘Sacrifice your own skin to slash the opponent’s flesh. Surrender your own flesh to saw off the opponent’s bone. Because of their faithful incorporation of this well-known Japanese fencing (kendo) strategy into their tactics during the war, the Japanese military is able to achieve its glorious, ever-victorious invincibility in the Sino-Japan conflict and in the Pacific War, thus easing the minds of the Japanese people. This (strategy of sacrifice) should be taken as an ideal lifestyle for those remaining on the home front and should be applied to every aspect of our daily lives.’
“This militaristic viewpoint came only a few months after Director Mr. Nojima gave the opening address at the Fourth Soka Kyoiku Gakkai’s General Meeting on May 17, 1942. His speech included the words: ‘Since the start of the Great East Asia Co-Prosperity War, the brilliant military achievements and glorious war results (of the Japanese military) have occurred solely because the Lotus Sutra is the guardian spirit of our country. After listening to the reassuring news about the string of great victories broadcast on the radio last evening, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and I am ever more appreciative of being able to open the meeting today.’
“It is evident that the true reason for the arrest and imprisonment of several SGI leaders was not because of their alleged ‘anti-war’ stance, but because of their excessively zealous support of the war. They even began to remonstrate with the government in favor of increased nationalism. The aggressive, ultra-nationalistic words and behavior of the SGI, or Soka Kyoiku Gakkai as it was then known, were the actual reasons for the imprisonment of these SGI leaders. The Japanese government was very concerned that any form of dissension would result in social instability, which would interfere with the government’s efforts to control the populace’s view of the war.” i
2. Refutation
On August 10, 1942, Soka Kyoiku Gakkai published a booklet, Daizen Seikatsu Jissho-Roku & Dai Yonkai Sokai Hokoku (The Record of Actual Proof on Lives Pursuing the Greater Good & The Report for the 4th General Meeting).
The booklet includes a report of the 4th general meeting of the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai and Makiguchi’s speech at the meeting, as well as two other essays by Makiguchi, including Daizen Seikatsuho Jikken Shomei no Shido Youryo (Teaching Guidelines for an Experimental Demonstration of the Way of Life Based on the Greater Good).
The passage cited in the Murata lecture came from this essay of Makiguchi. The translation of the essay, however, needs to be carefully examined.
The translation used in the priest’s lecture states:
“‘Sacrifice your own skin to slash the opponent’s flesh. Surrender your own flesh to saw off the opponent’s bone.’ Because of their faithful incorporation of this well-known Japanese fencing (kendo) strategy into their tactics during the war, the Japanese military is able to achieve its glorious, ever-victorious invincibility in the Sino-Japan conflict and in the Pacific War, thus easing the minds of the Japanese people. This (strategy of sacrifice) should be taken as an ideal lifestyle for those remaining on the home front and should be applied to every aspect of our daily lives.”
When we translate the essay faithfully to the intent of the Makiguchi essay, however, it should read as follows:
“‘Allow an opponent to cut your skin while you cut his flesh. Allow him to cut your flesh while you cut his bone.’ This is the quintessential strategy of Japanese swordsmanship. This strategy should be applied to ensure the security of the people. Since it was properly implemented in Sino-Japan war and Great East Asia War, Japan saw victory after victory in all the battles she was engaged in. This essential spirit of swordsmanship is fundamentally applicable for bringing an ideal victory to every aspect of one’s daily life on the home front while the war goes on afar.” ii
As we compare the translations, we will find that the translator for NST, by mistake or intentionally, added words such as “faithful”, “glorious,” “military” and “(strategy of sacrifice).” With these added words, NST is trying to imply that the essay shows Makiguchi’s “pro-military viewpoint.”
When we read the entire essay, however, the NST version does not make sense. The essay consists of seven chapters and the passage cited by NST is at the opening of the essay (chapter one) titled “The Essence of the Way of Life – Buddhism Equals Daily Life.” Then, what is the point of Makiguchi’s essay? The title of the last chapter is “The Crime of Leadership-Classes Who are Ignorant of Religion.” In that chapter, Makiguchi states:
“[Government leaders are] distorting and misusing the freedom of religion, while cautioning people that ‘one needs to have strong religious faith, yet must not place disproportionate weight on one sect or religion.’ Thus, [government’s leaders are] rationalizing their ignorance of religion, while forgetting their duty due to their high position in society, they lack leadership skills even toward their own family members who are agonizing about the contradictions. Moreover, it is egregious that those leaders are not aware of those people who are considered to be their closest friends, who are taking advantage of the ignorance of the leadership, not only selling useless medicine for the mind [Shinto talisman] but also overtly spreading the poisons in the world. One must know the root of evil, for confusion of thoughts and awkward social situation lies here.” iii
Therefore, the prime point of the essay is not about support for the war or Japan’s victory in war, but criticism toward the Japanese leadership who are ignorant of religion.
So why did Makiguchi use such expressions in the opening passage, which may possibly be interpreted- as NST is doing – as support for the war? To understand this, we must understand the social context of the time when the essay was written.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Japan’s military regime tightened its control over thought and religion. There was considerable pressure on religious organizations deemed unfavorable to government policy. In 1939, the Japanese government passed the Religious Organizations Law, which allowed the government to disband religious groups whose teachings conflicted with the “Imperial Way.”
In 1941, the Public Security Preservation Law was passed to control socialist and communist movements. The revised version specified “dangerous ideas,” including any thought process that strayed from the dominant policy of that time – the viewpoint that painted Japan as a divine nation with entitlement to absolute rule according to Manifest Destiny.
One development during this period was the emergence of the Japanese Special Higher Police. Their goal was to identify deviant beliefs and control the so-called “thought criminals.” Their initial targets were socialist and communist organizations.
On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and declared war against the United States and Great Britain. As Japan plunged further into war, government control of religious organizations became more intensive. The 1941 amendment to the Public Security Preservation Law expanded the targeted groups to include any group, particularly religious groups desecrating shrines or the dignity of the Imperial household.
In the March 1942 issue of the Kachi Sozo (Value Creation), the periodical of the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai, Makiguchi criticizes the military regime’s ideology of messhi hoko – sacrificing the interests of the individual for those of the state. He noted that this was mere rhetoric to ordinary Japanese, impossible to put into practice. Rather, he stressed, it is natural to strive for the realization of one’s own and others’ happiness. iv
In May 1942, Makiguchi was ordered to halt publication of Kachi Sozo by the military regime.
On May 17th, at the 4th general meeting, Makiguchi referred to Nichiren Daishonin’s Tatsunokuchi persecution, encouraging the participants to not fear any oppression and saying “We have to lead the [Japan] nation to the greater good.” v Further, describing the situation facing the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai under the military regime, he even said that “it must be as if we had made an opposed landing in front of enemies. vi”
When Makiguchi wrote the essay (cited by NST) in July 1942, he must have realized that it would only be published after passing through strict censorship by the military regime.
In July 1943, a year after the essay was written, Makiguchi was arrested by the dreaded Special Higher Police. What was the reason for his imprisonment then?
The NST lecture implies that the actual reason for imprisonment of Makiguchi and other leaders of the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai as follows:
“They even began to remonstrate with the government in favor of increased nationalism. The aggressive, ultra-nationalistic words and behavior of the SGI, or Soka Kyoiku Gakkai as it was then known, were the actual reasons for the imprisonment of these SGI leaders.”
The July 1943 issue of the Tokko Geppo (Monthly Report of the Special Higher Police), the official document of Special High Police, shows the actual reasons for their arrest:
“The thoughts and beliefs of [Soka Kyoiku Gakkai]-related persons centering on President Makiguchi manifest a number of subversive and seditious elements. Following secret investigations by the Police Agency as well as the Fukuoka Prefecture Special Higher Police Department, we found that Makiguchi has been saying to the members that ‘His Majesty the Emperor is an ordinary man;’$B!D(B.’The emperor should not demand the people’s loyalty, so the phrase ‘their loyalty to me’ should be deleted from the Kyoiku Chokugo (Imperial Rescript of Education); ‘If one slanders the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren, one will definitely receive punishment;’ and ‘There is no need to worship the Grand Shrine of Ise,’ $B!D(B.thus, the Agency on the 7th day of this month arrested and interrogated Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and five other persons for suspicion of blaspheming the dignity of the Imperial Grand Shrine and lèse majesté.” vii
The Japanese military regime regarded the emperor as absolute and sacred; however, Mr. Makiguchi rejected the deification of the emperor. In another interrogation report (dated August 1943) by the Special High Police, Makiguchi commented: “His Majesty the Emperor is an ordinary man,… The order of the emperor could be mistaken, mind you,” viii thereby rejecting the absolute authority of the emperor. In the same report, referring to the fundamental reason for the occurrence of the Sino-Japan War and the so-called Great East Asia War, Makiguchi states that “it has come from the fact that [Japan is] the nation slandering the Law.”ix As shown in his statement, Makiguchi’s focus was the misery and suffering of the people, and the nation as a whole; he associated the outcome of the war with the effects of slandering the correct teaching.
In conclusion, unlike NST’s assertions, Makiguchi and other leaders of the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai were arrested because: 1) they had rejected the deification of the emperor; 2) they had criticized the Imperial Rescript of Education; 3) they had regarded Japan’s wars as the result of ‘punishment’ for slandering the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren, thus criticizing Japan’s “divine wars;” and 4) they had ‘blasphemy against the dignity of the Imperial Grand Shrine and lèse majesté.’
(To be continued to part 2)