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sect. This is the most powerful claim for the authenticity of the Fuji School,
while denying its legitimacy for the Minobu sect underpins its authority. The
debates about Nichiren
s honzon were also part of the debates that arose
during the early twentieth century when interpretations of Nichiren became
increasingly nationalistic; as Nichiren Sh
-
sh
-
entered these debates it also
began to use the term kokuritsu kaidan, which had become a common term
due to the in
'
uence of Tanaka Chigaku.
There is no speci
c documentary proof of the creation of a dai-gohonzon in
the surviving writings of Nichiren. The lack of documentary proof has always
been the foundation for the Minobu sect
s
claim to authenticity. On the other hand, several experts of calligraphy have
examined the dai-gohonzon in the past, and indicated that it is Nichiren
'
s argument against the Fuji sect
'
s
writing. Yet it is also clear that the date and to whom it is addressed (for all
humanity) are sub-lines added later and by someone else. This in itself is not
unusual where Nichiren
'
s honzons are concerned, and many have sub-lines
added later either by himself or someone else, such as Nikk
-
. It seems a paper
honzon in Nichiren
'
s handwriting must have existed in order to create such a
wooden honzon, but whether it was carved later, during or after Nichiren
'
s
death, is unclear. Nearly 200 honzons are known to have been inscribed by
Nichiren himself, but no paper honzon on which the wooden dai-gohonzon is
based exist today. In terms of his daimoku and his honzon, Nichiren does
advise directly in his texts (see for instance WND-1, 383
'
-
88) to chant to his
honzon, but the di
erent Nichiren sects debate whether this was meant to be
the sole practice.
In the next section, I further explore Soka Gakkai
'
s reading of Nichiren
and where it follows the Fuji school and where it di
ers.
Soka Gakkai
a modern-day Nichiren School
In 1930 Makiguchi Tsunesaburo (1871
-
1944) founded Soka Ky
-
iku Gakkai
(Value Creating Educational Society), which consisted of individuals con-
cerned with educational reform. Makiguchi emphasised a child-centric
approach to education, which was fundamentally di
-
erent from the Imperial
Rescript that was the basis for state education at the time. After the war, in
January 1946 the organisation was renamed Soka Gakkai, re
ecting the
second President, Toda Josei
58) focus on spreading Nichiren Bud-
dhism as a Nichiren Sh
-
sh
-
lay organisation beyond the reach of educators.
The organisation grew rapidly in the post-war period, while its relationship
with the government and dominant societal or mass media views continued to
di
'
s (1900
-
er. Soka Gakkai could be said to be the most successful Buddhist group in
Japan, with around 10 million members (and about 2 million overseas in 192
countries and territories). It has been a movement that sees its practice of
Nichiren Buddhism as a process of self-empowerment intertwined with a
focus on becoming a socially contributing citizen with a global and interna-
tional mindset. Yet, largely it has met with hostility by the national press in
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