Jiyu is a fax correspondence that was started on January 1, 1991 to immediately cope with Nikken’s implementation of Operation C, his scheme to destroy the Soka Gakkai. Since its inception, Jiyu was sent almost every day for about three years to the branch temples of Nichiren Shoshu (correct school) that became “the Nikken sect” under his new teaching.
This book is mainly a collection of our fax correspondences that concern the history of Nichiren Shoshu. Some of original correspondences were combined into one. Some of them were a little rewritten to make this book.
However, the “When Law Has Perished, It Is Time for Its Propagation” and “Taking Advantage of Believers’ Fear of Death with Counterfeit Gohonzon (‘Doshi-Gohonzon’)” in the fourth and third chapter are respectively contained here as they were in their original fax correspondences.
“When Law Has Perished, It Is Time for Its Propagation” was printed in the Jiyu fax correspondence (#268 and 269) dated September 25, 1991. I wrote these two chapters with all my might in hopes that they would help Soka Gakkai members, who were desperately on guard against Nikken’s insane behavior, to take to heart the significance of the appearance of the Soka Gakkai. Just a couple of years have passed since the inception of the eruption of the temple issue. During these two years, the inside and outside situation surrounding the Soka Gakkai dramatically changed, as we can look back to these two years from the standpoint of today where the Soka Gakkai has successfully solidified its foundation as a Buddhist sangha (organization) with the function to issue the Gohonzon established. Notwithstanding, however, I deeply feel content with the fact that this chapter was included in this book without going through rewriting process.
On the other hand, the chapter “Taking Advantage of Believers’ Fear of Death with Counterfeit Gohonzon (‘Doshi-Gohonzon’)” was originally published in our fax correspondence in twelve installments from January 21 to April 21, 1992 (“Doshi” here means “leader”).
I wrote the previous chapter “When Law Has Perished, It Is Time for Its Propagation” over one night, but I needed a vast number and range of materials and reference books to write this chapter to know the essence of the phony “doshi-Gohonzon” and write this chapter. Starting research work in the previous year, it took me months to complete this chapter to my satisfaction.
Jiyu’s report that Nichiren Shoshu’s doshi-Gohonzon is a phony Gohonzon accelerated Gakkai members’ challenge to promote the friendship-based funeral with no priest’s involvement, shedding theoretical light upon the groundlessness of the priesthood’s contention that its existence is necessary and mandatory for conducting a funeral.
It is very meaningful that we have published a book based upon Jiyu’s fax correspondences that dealt with the history of Nichiren Shoshu and Soka Gakkai.
The part “Priesthood Cooperates with government in Supporting War by following National Shintoism” that comes at the beginning of the fourth chapter was newly written for this book. I think this chapter was very effective to know the Japanese nation’s religious policy during World War II and put Nichiren Shoshu’s action in those days into perspective in view of its relations with other Nichiren sects.
It is indeed astonishing to know that the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai were engaged in converting the people to Nichiren Buddhism, persuading them to throw away slanderous objects of worship and get rid of Shinto talisman in the age when the national Shintoism was wiping out the entire nation of Japan and those who disrespected the Shinto shrine could have been sentenced to death. Those who have recognized this historical fact will realize that the Soka Gakkai is doubtlessly an organization based upon the Buddha’s will and mandate.
The publication date of this book is November 28, the very day that Nikken sent to the Soka Gakkai “Notice of Excommunication of the Soka Gakkai” under the names of Chief Administrator Nikken and General Administrator Fujimoto two years ago.
Nikken and his priesthood were upside down in their understanding of the Soka Gakkai, and, therefore, they forgot the fact that Nichiren Shoshu had been purified by the Soka Gakkai, the organization of the Buddha’s will and mandate. They developed the disillusion that they were forming the mainstream of kosen-rufu.
By excommunicating the Soka Gakkai, Nikken and his followers deviated from the dynamic flow of kosen-rufu, cutting off their lifeline as the Buddha’s disciples. The followers of the Nikken sect were, in short, excommunicated by Nichiren Daishonin.
“Notice of the Excommunication of the Soka Gakkai” that Nichiren Shoshu sent to the Soka Gakkai was so out of touch with faith that it contains no Gosho passages in it to justify its action to excommunicate the Soka Gakkai.
Nichiren Daishonin writes, “[O]ne should … discard anything that cannot be supported by the text” (WND, vol. 1, p. 109).
High Priest Nichikan states, “All teachings without documentary proof are heretical” (On the Interpreting the Text Based upon Its Essential Meaning).
The “Notice of the Excommunication of the Soka Gakkai” that Nikken sent to the Soka Gakkai was this much groundless.
The Nikken sect exposed to the public how shameless they were through this document, but it is now engaged in plotting the Gakkai members to leave the organization by sending four letters to them, as it was deeply disturbed and shocked by the fact that the Soka Gakkai began to issue the Gohonzon. It is very foreseeable that the Nikken sect’s efforts in this regard will end up in vain since the Soka Gakkai members won’t be deceived by such a plot by the priesthood.
We published this book in a sense to laugh at the Nikken sect’s silly attempt through its childish documents, especially, its “Notice of the Excommunication of the Soka Gakkai.” The deeper meaning of the publication of this book is to hand down to the posterity the justice of the Soka Gakkai and the unsparing efforts of the three founding presidents for the kosen-rufu of Nichiren Buddhism.