Kokuchūkai
The Kokuchūkai (国柱会, "Pillar of the Nation Society") is a lay-oriented Nichiren Buddhist organisation.[1] It was founded by Tanaka Chigaku in 1880 as Rengekai (蓮華会, "Lotus Blossom Society") and renamed Risshō Ankokukai (立正安国会) in 1884 before adopting its current name in 1914.[1][2]
Originally based in Yokohama, the group shifted its head office to Tokyo, Kyoto-Osaka, Kamakura and Miho, Shizuoka Prefecture before finally moving back to Tokyo.[1][3] The group is currently based in Ichinoe, Edogawa-ku.[1]
Teachings
Among the group's principal teachings are to return to the teachings of the founder of Nichiren Buddhism, the 13th-century monk Nichiren and unite the various sects of Nichiren Buddhism.[1] The group's teachings are characterized by a strong form of Nichirenism.[1]
The group's sacred text is the Lotus Sutra[1] and their main object of reverence is the Sado Shigen Myō Mandara (佐渡始原妙曼荼羅), a mandala supposedly made by Nichiren on the island of Sado.[1][4]
Membership
At its height in 1924, the group's membership was estimated at over 7000.[3] The literary figures Takayama Chogyū and Kenji Miyazawa[5] were members of the Kokuchūkai for a time. The group's official website continues to claim them,[6][7] but they ultimately rejected Tanaka's nationalistic views.[3]
Publications
The group's publications include the monthly magazines Nichiren-shugi (日蓮主義, "Nichirenism") and Shin-sekai (真世界, "True World").[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Britannica Kokusai Dai-hyakkajiten article "Kokuchūkai". 2007. Britannica Japan Co.
- ^ Eiichi Ōtani, Ajia no Bukkyō-nashonarizumu no Hikaku-bunseki ("A Comparative Analysis of Buddhist Nationalism in Asia"). International Research Center for Japanese Studies. p 115
- ^ a b c 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. ISBN 0195146972. pp 197-198.
- ^ Risshō Ankoku no jitsugen e on the Kokuchūkai's official website.
- ^ Keene, Donald (1999), A History of Japanese Literature: Volume 4: Dawn to the West — Japanese Literature of the Modern Era (Poetry, Drama, Criticism), New York: Columbia University Press, p. 285, ISBN 978-0-2311-1439-4.
- ^ "Takayama Chogyū" on the Kokuchūkai's official website.
- ^ "Kenji Miyazawa" on the Kokuchūkai's official website.
Bibliography
- Heine, Steven; Prebish, Charles S. (2003). Buddhism in the Modern World : Adaptations of an Ancient Tradition: Adaptations of an Ancient Tradition. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-803357-8.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Montgomery, Daniel B. (1991). Fire in the Lotus: The Dynamic Buddhism of Nichiren. Mandala. ISBN 978-1-85274-091-7.
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External links
- Official website (Japanese)
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