Nittatsu Hosoi

Nittatsu Hosoi (細井日達, Hosoi Nittatsu also known as Nittatsu Shonin; 15 April 1902, Tokyo — 22 June 1979) was the 66th High Priest of Nichiren Shoshu, Head Temple Taisekiji in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Previously, he was a Chief priest serving the Hondenji temple in Osaka, and later for Jouzaiji temple in Ikebukuro in Tokyo as well as the former general director for the Chosen Gakko schools.

Nittatsu was the first high priest to publicly criticize the Soka Gakkai for allegedly deviating from the traditionalist doctrines of Nichiren Shoshu and later rebuked its senior leaders to remove the Dai Gohonzon from their funded building, the Sho Hondo, later demolished and replaced by his successor Nikken Abe.

History

The Fujinomiya City General Hospital, where Nittatsu Shonin was admitted before his death.

Nittatsu Hosoi was born on 15 April 1902, in the Kyobashi neighborhood of Chuo, Tokyo, Japan and entered the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood in 1910 at eight years of age, training under 64th High Priest Nisshou Shonin. In 1933, he adopted a newborn child whom he raised as his own. He was appointed the chief priest of Hondenji temple in Osaka in 1936. In 1939, his biological son Hosoi was born, later to become a priest at the Jozaiji Temple in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. He himself later became the chief priest in Jozaiji Temple in 1941. He became a senior member of the Chosen Gakko study department in 1946 and became its general director ten years later in 1956. He became the high priest of Nichiren Shoshu in 1959. On 22 June 1979 at 5:00 PM, he died of a chronic heart disease at the Fujinomiya City General Hospital and was succeeded by Nikken Abe after his death at 77 years of age.

Legacy as High Priest

Nittatsu Shonin’s tenure as high priest was mostly known for the restoration and repairing of the private buildings within Taisekiji Head Temple. He collaborated with President Jōsei Toda during his last years and saw the expansion of Soka Gakkai during his years as high priest. He lived through the construction of the Sho Hondo building later demolished by his successor Nikken Abe. Nittatsu also publicly criticized the plan of Soka Gakkai to oversee the bookkeeping practices proposed by Soka Gakkai President Daisaku Ikeda and vowed to remove the venerated Dai Gohonzon from the Shohondo building if Soka Gakkai persisted in their efforts to maneuver temple affairs without priestly consent.

In 1974, Nittatsu Shonin strongly rebuked the circulating claim that a new Buddha has appeared among Soka Gakkai groups:

”…I have heard recently that within a certain (Soka Gakkai) group, there is a lot of talk about a new true Buddha appearing. If the report I received is accurate, the people making such claims are not practicing Nichiren Shoshu and can no longer be called Nichiren Shoshu believers. If there are people who teach such an erroneous doctrine, I would like Hokkeko believers to stop them by all means. Please understand that this is the Hokkeko's mission.”

— (High Priest audience for the Hokkeko Federation Spring Season General Tozan, 25 April 1974)

The Tokohibo building within the Head Temple Taisekiji is where American and European Hokkeko believers stay during their personalized Tozan pilgrimages is one of Nittatsu Shonin’s most known buildings of construction during his reign. He also started a minimal expansion of the Ever-chanting Temple (Jo-Shou-Do) of Taisekiji where 24-hours chanting is observed, and was finalized by 67th High Priest Nikken Shonin.

Nittatsu Shonin’s transcription of the Dai Gohonzon image is notable for its clear print calligraphy and was issued on 1 January 1966 for woodblock dissemination. He was also instrumental in the lawsuit brought by the Myoshinko Kenshokai group led by Mr. Shoei Asai whom accused Soka Gakkai senior leaders of allegedly forcing Nittatsu Shonin to publicly assign the Shohondo building as the permanent sanctuary of the Dai Gohonzon, even without the Gojukai Buddhist conversion vows of Emperor Showa under the honorary petition of SGI president Daisaku Ikeda.

As high priest, Nittatsu Shonin affirmed the confiscation of the seven wooden Gohonzons reproduced by the Soka Gakkai, resulting in the public newspaper apology in 8 November 1978 by SGI president Daisaku Ikeda via SGI Vice-President Takehisa Tsuji, who published the following:

"…The Head Temple Taisekiji is the fundamental place for Buddhist practice. Our faith does not exist apart from the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary. Receiving strict guidance from the High Priest (Nittatsu Shonin), the Gohonzons that were carelessly engraved and reproduced were placed in the Hoanden (building).”

— (Seikyo Shimbun SGI magazine, 8 November 1978.)

Ultimately, the formal apology transcript of Soka Gakkai President Daisaku Ikeda was published in the ‘’Dai-Nichiren’’ manuscript released by the Head Temple in 1978 which recorded the following:

”…On this occasion, as the one who holds the position of So-koto (highest lay leader), I deeply apologize for these mistakes. — Daisaku Ikeda, SGI President. ”

— Dai Nichiren publication, December 1978 edition. Pages 44-45. )

The main entrance to the Myozenbo temple complex, built by Nittatsu Shonin in August 1969.

Just before his death in 1979, Nittatsu Shonin gave one of his final audiences rebuking the Soka Gakkai for allegedly deviating from its core traditionalist doctrines, publicly stating the following at the 18th annual Myokankai audience of believers:

…"We, (Nichiren Shoshu) priests, have never had any intention to destroy the Soka Gakkai or to do anything in particular about the organization, but for some time now, the Soka Gakkai has been mistaken about the teachings of Nichiren Shoshu and their deviations are becoming more serious. We point this out because we want the Soka Gakkai to somehow correct their mistakes and once again stand up based upon their old sincere faith. It is true that for many years, the Soka Gakkai believers have dedicated themselves to supporting the priesthood. Their contribution has been significant. Even with such a great contribution, however, if they are mistaken about the Nichiren Shoshu teachings and deviate from them, it will mean all their efforts will come to mean nothing."

— (The 18th Annual Meeting of Myoukankai believers, 31 March 1979.)

After his death among Nichiren Shoshu believers, he was popularly remembered as the ”smiling High Priest” mainly due to his smiling portraits captured in photography. For a while, the Shoshinkai Reformation group, a breakaway dissenter society of priests from Nichiren Shoshu who refused to acknowledge the authority of Nikken Shonin as the successor had a few Gohonzons transcribed by Nittatsu Shonin and then later reproduced them for a period of ten years, then later halted on grounds of copyright lawsuits as pursued by the Head Temple.

Today, a wooden Gohonzon of Nittatsu Shonin from 1967 is enshrined within the main headquarters of Nichiren Shoshu Myohoji Temple in Los Angeles, United States and another in the Grand Hodo-in temple Nichiren Shoshu main headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Nittatsu’s cremated remains are buried in a Buddhist stupa (No. 66th) lined within the High Priest cemetery area of Taisekiji grounds.