Kenshōkai

Kenshōkai Center in Sapporo

Fuji Taiseki-ji Kenshōkai (冨士大石寺顕正会) is a Japanese new religious movement derived from Nichiren Buddhism. Kenshōkai was founded as a lay group affiliated with Nichiren Shōshū in 1942, and was originally called Myōshinkō (妙信講). It considers the temple Taiseki-ji to possess the true Gohonzon of Nichiren, although it does not itself control Taiseki-ji. The headquarters are located in Junocho, Ōmiya-ku, Saitama.

In 1963 the explosive growth of Soka Gakkai, and its increased power with the Shōshū administration, caused Shōshū to demand that Myōshinkō cease some of its own proselytizing activities. In 1973 Myōshinkō resumed publishing its own newspaper and began protesting the Gakkai's plans to build a massive, modern-style building at Taiseki-ji. In 1974 it held a large protest against the Gakkai and was subsequently excommunicated from Nichiren Shōshū.

In 1978, Myōshinkō changed its name to Kenshōkai; in 1996 the name "Nichiren Shōshū" was removed from Kenshōkai's legal name, so that it is effectively no longer claiming to be the true Nichiren Shōshū.

According to Jaqueline Stone, Kenshōkai represents the "(...) hardline Nichirenist position, promoting a rigorous Lotus exclusivism and the elimination of Dharma slander for the welfare of Japan and the world."[1] The nationalistic group[2] is considered one of the fastest-growing and least studied religious movements in Japan.[3] By its own account it has 1,370,000 members[4] most of which in the Kantō and Chūbu areas. Unlike Soka Gakkai, it has no political arm.

The chairman of Kenshokai is Shohei Asai, the son of Jinbe Asai, the founder of Myoshinkai.

References

  1. ↑ Stone, Jacqueline (2012). "The Sin of "Slandering the True Dharma"". Granoff; P E ; Shinohara, Koichi (eds.), Sins and Sinners: Perspectives from Asian Religions. Brill. p. 147. ISBN 9004229469.
  2. ↑ Pokorny, Lukas (2011). Neue religiöse Bewegungen in Japan heute: ein Überblick [New Religious Movements in Japan Today: a Survey]. In: Hödl, Hans Gerald and Veronika Futterknecht, ed. Religionen nach der Säkularisierung. Festschrift für Johann Figl zum 65. Geburtstag, Wien: LIT, p. 187
  3. ↑ Stone, Jacqueline (2012). "The Sin of "Slandering the True Dharma"". Granoff; P E ; Shinohara, Koichi (eds.), Sins and Sinners: Perspectives from Asian Religions. Brill. p. 147. ISBN 9004229469.
  4. ↑ Pokorny, Lukas (2011). Neue religiöse Bewegungen in Japan heute: ein Überblick [New Religious Movements in Japan Today: a Survey]. In: Hödl, Hans Gerald and Veronika Futterknecht, ed. Religionen nach der Säkularisierung. Festschrift für Johann Figl zum 65. Geburtstag, Wien: LIT, p. 187

External links

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