The is a lay-oriented

Nichiren Buddhist Nichiren Buddhism (), also known as ''Hokkeshū'' (, meaning ''Lotus Sect''), is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one of the Kamakura period schools ...

group. It was founded by

Tanaka Chigaku was a Japanese Buddhist scholar and preacher of Nichiren Buddhism, orator, writer and ultranationalist propagandist in the Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa periods. He is considered to be the father of Nichirenism, the fiercely ultranation ...

in 1880 as and renamed in 1884 before adopting its current name in 1914.

History

The lay

organization''Britannica Kokusai Dai-hyakkajiten'' article "Kokuchūkai". 2007. Britannica Japan Co. now known as the Kokuchūkai was founded by

in 1880 as ''Rengekai'' ("Lotus Blossom Society") and renamed ''Risshō Ankokukai'' in 1884 before adopting its current name in 1914.Eiichi Ōtani
''Ajia no Bukkyō-nashonarizumu no Hikaku-bunseki''
("A Comparative Analysis of Buddhist Nationalism in Asia").

International Research Center for Japanese Studies The , or Nichibunken (日文研), is an inter-university research institute in Kyoto. Along with the National Institute of Japanese Literature, the National Museum of Japanese History, and the National Museum of Ethnology (Japan), National Museum ...

. p. 115. The group's modern name is derived from a passage in the ', a writing of the founder of Nichiren Buddhism, the 13th-century monk

Nichiren was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamakura period. His teachings form the basis of Nichiren Buddhism, a unique branch of Japanese Mahayana Buddhism based on the '' Lotus Sutra''. Nichiren declared that the '' Lotus Sutra ...

, which reads . Originally based in

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, the group shifted its head office to

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

Kamakura , officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...

and Miho,

Shizuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,555,818 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Pref ...

before finally moving back to Tokyo.Jacqueline I. Stone
"By Imperial Edict and Shogunal Decree: Politics and the Issue of the Ordination Platform in Modern Lay Nichiren Buddhism"
In: Steven Heine; Charles S. Prebish (ed.) ''Buddhism in the Modern World''. New York: Oxford University Press. 2003. . pp. 197-198. The group is currently based in Ichinoe, Edogawa-ku.

Teachings

Among the group's principal teachings are to return to the teachings Nichiren and unite the various sects of

Nichiren Buddhism Nichiren Buddhism (), also known as ''Hokkeshū'' (, meaning ''Lotus Sect''), is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one of the Kamakura period school ...

. The group's teachings are characterized by a strong form of

Nichirenism is the nationalistic interpretation of the teachings of Nichiren. The most well-known representatives of this form of Nichiren Buddhism are Nissho Inoue and Tanaka Chigaku, who construed Nichiren's teachings according to the notion of ''Kokutai ...

. The group's sacred text is the ''

Lotus Sutra The ''Lotus Sūtra'' (Sanskrit: ''Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtram'', ''Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma'', zh, p=Fǎhuá jīng, l=Dharma Flower Sutra) is one of the most influential and venerated Buddhist Mahāyāna sūtras. ...

'' and their main object of reverence is the , a

mandala A mandala (, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid ...

supposedly made by

on the island of Sado.''Risshō Ankoku no jitsugen e''
on the Kokuchūkai's official website.

Membership

At its height in 1924, the group's membership was estimated at over 7000. The literary figures Takayama Chogyū and

Kenji Miyazawa was a Japanese novelist, poet, and children's literature writer from Hanamaki, Iwate, in the late Taishō and early Shōwa periods. He was also known as an agricultural science teacher, vegetarian, cellist, devout Buddhist, and utopian social ...

. were members of the Kokuchūkai for a time. The group's official website continues to claim them,"Takayama Chogyū"
on the Kokuchūkai's official website.
on the Kokuchūkai's official website. but they ultimately rejected Tanaka's nationalistic views.

Publications

The group's publications include the monthly magazines and .

References

Works cited

External links

Official website
(Japanese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kokuchukai Religious organizations based in Japan Nichiren Buddhism Japanese new religions Buddhist new religious movements 1914 establishments in Japan Japanese nationalist organizations