Nichirenism

is the nationalistic interpretation of the teachings of Nichiren. The most well-known representatives of this form of Nichiren Buddhism are Nissho Inoue, Tanaka Chigaku, and Honda Nisshō, who construed Nichiren's teachings according to the notion of Kokutai. It was especially Chigaku who "made innovative use of print media to disseminate his message" and is therefore regarded to have influenced Nichiren-based Japanese new religions in terms of methods of propagation.

== Overview == The term “Nichirenism” was originally coined by Chigaku Tanaka and first appeared in 1901 (Meiji 34) in Myōshū, the official journal of the Kokuchūkai (then known as the Risshō Ankokai). Tanaka defined it as follows:“In religious terms, it is known as the Nichiren Sect, and with regard to the sutra upon which it is based, it has also been called the ‘Lotus Sect.’ However, intending to apply the term in a broader sense—extending beyond the standpoint of pure faith to encompass ideology and even one’s consciousness of daily life—I generalized it and coined the term ‘Nichirenism.’”Thus, Nichirenism was an outward-looking movement that sought to expand the philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism beyond mere matters of faith into a wide range of social domains, including politics, economics, culture, and the arts. Chigaku argued that the traditional temple-parishioner system and the monk-centered framework could not accommodate this social dimension; therefore, from the standpoint of lay Buddhism, he established “Nichirenism” as the foundation underpinning all aspects of life and faith.