Chapter 2. Questionable Date Cited for Alleged Heritage Transfer: 
April 15, 1978, His Birthday, Was a Busy Day for the High Priest 

The litigation filed against Nikken by the Shoshinkai group enabled Nittatsu Shonin’s schedule for April 15, 1978, to be referred to in testimony. It is obvious from these court statements that Nittatsu Shonin actually had no time at all to transfer the heritage to Nikken on that day. 

First of all, let’s go over Nittatsu Shonin’s schedule on the night of the previous day (April 14).

April 15 was Nittatsu Shonin’s 76th birthday. On the previous day, April 14, a celebration was held at the priests’ lodging quarters to celebrate his longevity.

Chief priests of the lodging temples, their wives, acolytes, those working at the head temple, local friends, and acquaintances of Nittatsu Shonin were all invited to his birthday celebration party. The location was the large dining room in the priests’ quarters. The celebration continued from 5:45 PM to 6:30 PM. Nittatsu Shonin was present in high spirits at this gathering. After the celebration was over, he returned to his room. 

On 15th, the very day that Nikken alleges he received the heritage, Nittatsu Shonin’s work started with conducting midnight (ushitora) gongyo. This service is conducted every morning to pray for kosen-rufu, no matter what is happening at the head temple. Originally, this gongyo was supposed to be conducted at the time of ushitora (2 AM – 4 AM), but it was always conducted at midnight for one hour and a half during the time of Nittatsu Shonin. Therefore, the ceremony usually ended at 1:30 AM.

It is the role of the high priest to preside over this service, and Nittatsu Shonin was indeed diligent in carrying out this responsibility. Only when he was out of town, or on a trip, or sick, did a high-ranked priest conduct this service on his behalf.

As soon as he finished the ushitora gongyo on that day, Nittatsu Shonin returned to his quarters, and slept.

On April 15, before dawn, no one entered his room. This was the testimony of Nittatsu Shonin’s secretary. Nittatsu Shonin woke up at 6:30 AM.

As stipulated in the Rules and Bylaws of Nichiren Shoshu, April 15 is the traditional day to show gratitude to the third high priest, Nichimoku Shonin. The high priest conducts a ceremony at the Mieido temple to pay homage to the third high priest on this day.

According to Article 8 of the Rules of Nichiren Shoshu, the 7th, 13th, and 15th of every month are occasions to lecture in memory of the three teachers: Nichiren Daishonin, Nikko Shonin, and Nichimoku Shonin. So the 15th is the day to conduct a ceremony for the third high priest.

The ceremony stated at 7 AM and ended at 8 AM. Nittatsu Shonin walked to the Mieido temple to conduct this ceremony.

Because it was Nittatsu Shonin’s birthday, chief priests of the lodging temples of the head temple came to the priests’ quarters, and expressed their words of congratulations to the high priest. Nittatsu Shonin cordially received their greetings, and returned to his own room. Then he took breakfast, and rested for a while. While Nittatsu Shonin enjoyed his rest, chief priests of outlying temples came to see him. These priests are Nittatsu Shonin’s immediate or indirect disciples, according to the diary kept by Nittatsu Shonin’s secretary. He wrote: “Taijo Oishi, Todo Miyake, and Hando Yamaguchi had an audience with the high priest around 9:30 AM.” Their audience lasted only ten to fifteen minutes, and they visited the high priest just to congratulate him on his birthday and to brief him about how their respective temples were doing.

Then, another cheerful group visited the high priest. Tokudo Harada, then chief priest of Onshin-ji temple of Fukuroi City, Shizuoka prefecture, had a ceremony for his engagement at Honju-bo lodging temple of the head temple at 9 AM. His best man was Nittatsu Shonin’s son, Keido Hosoi. The young couple, their parents, and the best man all came together to say hello to Nittatsu Shonin.

According to the diary kept by the high priest’s secretary, their visit took place just before 10 AM. Nittatsu Shonin was in high spirits, and cheerfully welcomed all of them, reportedly saying to them, “You are finally here.” After a delightful conversation with the high priest, they left in about fifteen minutes.

The Harada group left Honju-bo lodging temple around 10:30 AM to go to a restaurant in Fujinomiya for a luncheon starting at 11 AM.

According to the trial record: “The best man, Rev. Keido Hosoi, said to Rev. Tokudo Harada, ‘Nittatsu Shonin has already left the head temple. The high priest may not arrive in Tokyo in time, no matter how much he hurries.’ That means that Nittatsu Shonin left the Harada group’s luncheon as early as before noon to go to Tokyo. From this, we can tell that Nittatsu Shonin had left the head temple just before 11 AM.”

“Since Keido Hosoi is Nittatsu Shonin’s son, he and his wife were naturally planning to attend Nittatsu Shonin’s birthday. Naturally, he would be aware of what time Nittatsu Shonin would leave the head temple.”

On the evening of April 15, Nittatsu Shonin was planning to have his birthday party at the Chinese restaurant Manjuen, in the Hotel Grand Palace in Chiyota ward, Tokyo. The reservation was made under the name of Hosoi. Thirty people were invited to this celebration. Dressed up, the high priest left the head temple for Tokyo around 11 AM. 

Nittatsu Shonin was supposed to rest at Taiseki-ji’s Tokyo branch office in Nishikata, Bunkyo ward, before he went to the restaurant. Since the high priest does ushitora gongyo early morning every day, he had a habit of taking a nap in the afternoon wherever he was. In those days, he made it a practice to visit the branch office in Nishikata to refresh his physical condition before attending any event in Tokyo. 

The party was attended by 30 people, including Nittatsu Shonin’s family members, relatives, and Nichiren Shoshu’s executive priests. It was held from 6 PM to 8 PM. After the party, Nittatsu Shonin returned to Nishikata, ending his eventful day there. He could have returned to the head temple after the party to conduct the ushitora gongyo at midnight, but he chose to stay at Nishikata because of his old age and the lengthy schedule that day.

Nikken’s Name Is Seen Nowhere in High Priest’s Secretary’s Record Book
Nowhere in the record book of the high priest’s schedule does Nikken’s name appear for April 15. In those days, Nikken was general administrator of Nichiren Shoshu and chief priest of Josen-ji temple in Sumida ward, Tokyo. He claims that he was at the head temple on April 15 to say congratulations to the high priest for his birthday, but nobody there saw Nikken. No tangible evidence supports Nikken’s claim. Appallingly, when the driving record for Nittatsu Shonin’s car was examined, the April 15 page alone had been torn out of the book. In those days, Nittatsu Shonin’s driver was Hojo Kawata, and when his younger brother, Jozen Kawata, examined the car’s driving record, he discovered that the April 15 page was missing. It seems that somebody managed to erase the April 15 entry from the high priest’s car’s driving record.

According to Nikken’s contention, he spent time with Nittatsu Shonin privately at the high priest’s quarters. The only purpose of the visit was to receive words from the high priest on his intention to transfer the heritage to him. But judging from the busy schedule of the high priest on that day, it is impossible to think that Nittatsu Shonin had any time at all to take on the serious matter of the heritage transfer on that day.

A priest of the head temple states: 

“Nikken’s story is strange. He says that when he went to the head temple to congratulate the high priest on his birthday, he received words from the high priest on his intention to transfer the heritage to him. But it would have been very strange for him to go all the way to the head temple to congratulate the high priest on his birthday, if he is not even invited to come to the head temple. First of all, the high priest was supposed to arrive in Nishikata in the early afternoon on that day. Nikken could have waited for the high priest in Nishikata instead of taking the trouble to go all the way to the head temple from Tokyo. If Nikken had actually visited Nittatsu Shonin at the head temple, Nittatsu Shonin would have surely invited Nikken to his birthday party in Tokyo, saying, 'Why don’t you, Josen-ji (Nikken), attend the party, too?' Furthermore, if he had transferred the heritage to Nikken, Nittatsu Shonin would naturally have introduced him as his successor.”

A senior priest comments: 

“One thing that has been bothering me is the fact that if Nikken had received the heritage from Nittatsu Shonin on April 15, 1978, Nittatsu Shonin’s attitude toward Nikken would have been looked upon as insensitive. At a party, Nittatsu Shonin would often speak casually to Nikken, saying, for instance, ‘Oh, Josen-ji (Nikken), sing a song’ or ‘Hey, you.’ If Nittatsu Shonin had designated him as his successor, he would not have spoken to Nikken in such a disrespectful manner.”

It is recorded in the December 7, 1984, entry of the memo taken by Jitoku Kawabe (whose notes are said to be more precise than tape-recording), that Jiun Sugano mentioned, “When Nikken was chosen to be general administrator, Nittatsu Shonin chose him hesitatingly. So at that time, I thought Nittatsu Shonin had not yet transferred the heritage to him.”

Nikken became general administrator on May 7, 1979. If Nikken had received the heritage on the alleged April 15, 1978, Nittatsu Shonin would not have been hesitant in choosing Nikken as general administrator. But because Nittatsu Shonin was hesitant in selecting Nikken for that position, Jiun Sugano thought that Nittatsu Shonin could not have transferred the heritage to Nikken as of May 7, 1979.

On one occasion, Nittatsu Shonin stated, “Honestly speaking, I would like to transfer the heritage to Abe, but Abe is no good, because he is Hayase’s man.” On another occasion, Nittatsu Shonin stated, “I would like to let Taiken Hisamitsu have the heritage. But Hisamitsu says he does not want to have it.”

Another priest of the head temple states, “Nittatsu Shonin actually said to several priests, ‘You will be the next.’ Saying such a thing to them, he must have been trying to awaken their sense of responsibility. However, he did not specify what he meant by ‘the next.’ Did he mean ‘high priest’ or ‘general administrator’ or what? Nittatsu Shonin was the type of person who gives encouragement in such a manner.”

Assailed by words of distrust and disbelief, Nikken defended himself by making the following statement at his quarters to the non-teachers residing at the head temple in the midst of the Shoshinkai group incident: 

    “If Nittatsu Shonin had not transferred the heritage to anyone, it would mean that he did not give any consideration to the selection of his successor. If so, that would mean that he was an inadequate high priest. Naturally, while he was alive, he transferred the heritage, and he transferred it to me.” 

Nittatsu Shonin’s schedule for April 15, 1978

Just before the recitation of the sutra and the chanting of daimoku started on the day of Nittatsu’s Shonin’s death, Jiun Sugano asked, “Aren’t you, Mr. General Administrator, succeeding?” So hearing, Nikken murmured, “Oh, is that right? Yes, you’re right…” Nikken’s response to Sugano’s question was indeed strange. 

Surreptitious Witnesses Surfaced After 23 Years
As touched on in the prologue, Nikken used some young priests to issue a rebuttal to doubts about his receiving the heritage from Nittatsu Shonin. However, the contents of the rebuttal were shallow. It did not address the core questions such as “What time on April 15, 1978, did the transfer ceremony take place?” or “In which room of the high priest’s quarters did the ceremony take place?” Nikken’s rebuttal shamelessly states, “Even if the high priest shares the truth, it is obvious that his sincere revelation will be critically viewed.” Nichiren Shoshu’s lay organization, the Hokkeko, published in its Dai-Byakuho a big article about this rebuttal booklet. But the booklet’s contents are inadequate to defend Nikken’s contentions. 

Surprisingly, the rebuttal introduced several new witnesses who defended Nikken’s claim, even though it was twenty-three years after Nikken’s alleged receipt of the heritage. A corroborating statement was made by Jicho Kusumi, Fuji Gakurin College Chief Director, and was considered ridiculous in Nichiren Shoshu.

According to his testimony, he was working as a secretary in the General Administrative Office of the head temple on April 15, 1978, making copies at the copy machine room in the eastern side of the Administrative Office. When he unconsciously looked toward the entrance gate of the Internal Bureau, he saw Nikken entering the Internal Bureau in his regular priesthood attire. However, nobody within Nichiren Shoshu can believe in such an absurd story.

First of all, why does such testimony suddenly come up after twenty-three years of silence? As mentioned previously, there was no instance in which Nikken was seen by anyone on the day in question. Kusumi had not said a word about this for the past twenty-three years. Yet he was brought to the court to testify in favor of Nikken. And suppose that Kusumi is correct in saying that he actually saw Nikken at that time — how can he pinpoint the date as April 15, 1978?

A priest who knows Kusumi well gave us the following comment:

“I instantly realized that Kusumi had been forced to tell a lie, because he is so nearsighted that he cannot see who’s who, even at a short distance. In those days, he did not usually wear his glasses, except when he drove his car. There was no way that Kusumi would have been able to identify Nikken at just a glance from the third floor of the Grand Lecture Hall.”

Hisamitsu also supported Nikken’s claim in this rebuttal booklet. In January 1974, Nittatsu Shonin had visited Myoshuni (Nikken’s mother) at Heian-ji temple in Kyoto just a few days before she died. At that time, Nittatsu Shonin said to Myoshuni, “I’ll have your son succeed me. Please take good care of yourself and get better.” According to Hisamitsu, Myoshuni was extremely impressed by Nittatsu Shonin’s considerate remarks about her son.

However, the facts are exactly opposite to Hisamitsu’s account. What happened in the conversation between Nittatsu Shonin and Myoshuni was: 

Myoshuni pleaded to Nittatsu Shonin: “Please take good care of Shinno (Nikken).” 

Nittatsu Shonin replied, “Don’t worry about such a thing. Please concentrate on recovering your health.”

Moreover, there is a report that Hisamitsu once said to Nikken face to face, “Are you OK with April 15. It was a busy day for Nittatsu Shonin. You know that.”

According to a October 4, 1986, account in the Kawabe Memo, Jijo Mizutani, chief priest of Honin-ji temple in Hachioji City, Tokyo, spoke about a conference was held at Hojo-ji temple in Ota Ward, Tokyo. The chief priest there was Jyuken (Nitto) Omura, the study department chief of Nichiren Shoshu, and he discussed how to rebut the thesis “Did Transfer Ceremony Actually Happen?” written by Takudo Kamata (of the Shoshinkai group). At that time, Mizutani remembers, he heard Hisamitsu ask Nikken, 

    “Is it OK with you to state officially that you received the heritage on April 15, 1978? That day was Nittatsu Shonin’s birthday, and he was so busy that he did not have the time to transfer the heritage to anybody on that day.”

Furthermore, this rebuttal booklet mentions the name of Jiun Sugano whom Nikken enormously vexed. It seems that the conversation that took place between Sugano and Nikken in the Nishi-okuban room may have hurt him very badly. In the rebuttal booklet, Sugano’s statement was changed from “Aren’t you, Mr. General Administrator, succeeding him?” to “I heard that Mr. General Administrator would succeed.” 

This new testimony by Sugano is a lie. If Sugano had truly heard that Nittatsu Shonin transferred the heritage to Nikken, he would have spoken up at the Shoshinkai group’s trial, because Nikken did not have any witness to support him in the trial. 

Sugano was once in a position to uphold the cause of the Shoshinkai group, and because of this, he was pushed aside from the mainstream of Nichiren Shoshu. As a result, he was treated like somebody of the past, or like a retired priest.

On December 13, 1980, he held the first danto general meeting in Tokyo at his Daisen-ji temple, where he was chief priest. He invited the Shoshinkai group’s key individuals such as Shumei Sasaki and Bunjo Maruoka, who were all later defrocked by Nikken. Not only that, Sugano himself took the rostrum at this meeting, and said, “We would like to respond to the will of the late high priest, Nittatsu Shonin, as soon as possible.” The beginning of his resentment toward Nikken can be seen throughout his speech on that occasion. 

Nikken was upset at Sugano’s behavior and could not control his own emotions at a teachers’ meeting in August 1983, where he shouted at Sugano in public, “I hope that Mr. Daisen-ji (Sugano) will reflect upon himself.”

At one point during the Shoshinkai trials, Sugano’s remark became an issue. There was testimony that “I have heard from my fellow priests that Mr. Sugano said that Nittatsu Shonin did not select Abe as his successor.” This came from various priests at the trials. Naturally, Nikken had to do something about this situation, so he forced Sugano to write a note to the court that read, “I have never made such a statement.”

However, in this note from May 16, 1987, Sugano never mentioned, “I heard that Mr. General Administrator would succeed.” In his new statement, Sugano writes about an unverified remark by Nittatsu Shonin to a believer that said, “I was present at a place where Nittatsu Shonin said to a believer on June 25, 1978, ‘I may transfer the heritage to Abe, so please support him.’” Through this new testimony, Sugano made it clear that Nittatsu Shonin was still uncertain about to whom he would transfer the heritage — and this was two months after the date of April 15, when Nikken claims to have already received it.

Chief Priest Jisai Watanabe wrote about how sensitive Nikken was toward Sugano in those days: 

“Around 1988, Nikken suddenly called me, and asked, ‘Is Sugano still in contact with the those Shoshinkai priests? Because you are his friend, why don’t you go and see him with Gikan Hayase (the current general affairs director)?’ I didn’t understand why he asked me such a thing so abruptly, but I had no choice but to follow his words. I saw Sugano at a hotel in Tokyo. Sugano’s response was, ‘No, I’m not in contact with them,’ so I immediately reported to Nikken about it. Hearing my report, Nikken said to me, ‘I see. Then everything is OK.’ He seemed relieved.”

In this light, it is obvious that the rebuttal booklet that Nichiren Shoshu issued last summer is full of false statements, including those made by Hisamitsu and Sugano. To reinforce this, two months after their fabricated stories came out, Nikken promoted Sugano (Nichiryu) and Mitsuhisa (Nichiko) to the position of noke. Nikken Abe had forced them to speak for him, using the position of noke as bait. Indeed, Nikken’s sense of insecurity goes deep.