THE NEW RELIGIONS OF JAPAN

By H. Neill McFarland Professor of Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas

(Reprinted by permission of the author)

4. PL Kyddan was reborn in PL Kyodan in 1946. A few of the New Religions have 1 he reorganizer of the sect in its adopted rather bizarre titles in­ present form is Miki Tokuchika corporating English words or who continues to serve the Order Japanese transliterations of English as its Master Teacher or Osme-oya, words. One such sect is PL Kyodan an office which is comparable to ( “Perfect Liberty Church”），a post­ that of the Shimbashira in Tenri- war revival of a pre-war move­ kyo，except that it is not neces­ ment known as Hito-no-Michi sarily hereditary. ( “Way of Man’，），which was begun 1 he object of worship in the PL in Osaka in 1925 by Miki Toku- Order is Mioya-O-Kami ( “Parent hara，father of the originator and God”），who has no connection with present leader of PL Kyodan. Hito- any of the traditional deities of no-Michi was dispersed by the war­ Japanese mythology. Indeed, the time cabinet, and most of the PL Kyodan is a monotheistic re­ members disbanded. However, a ligion, though a very tolerant one. few of the most ardent devotees The Order teaches that other maintained the ideals of the move­ religions worship the one God ac­ ment ‘‘ underground ’， until the cording to different understandings granting of religious freedom after of him. the war made possible their open The distinctive creed of this sect proclamation again. The movement is set forth in twenty-one “Precepts

— 30 — THE NEW RELIGIONS OF JAPAN for Conduct in Life.，，7 These are mirror of our mind. believed by the members of the 16. All things make progress and Order to have been revealed to the development. Founder at Hiroshima in 1947. 17. Grasp the heart of everything. 1 . Life is Art. 18. At every moment man stands 2. The whole life of the indivi­ at the crossroads of good and evil. dual is a continuous succession of 19. Practice at once whatever Self-Expressions. your first inspiration dictates. 3. The individual is a manifesta­ 20. Attain the perfect harmoni­ tion of God. ous state of mind and matter. 4. We suffer if we do not mani­ 21 .Live in Perfect Liberty. fest our self. The essence of the PL doctrine 5. We lose self if we are swayed is included in the first article of by our feelings, the creed: “Life is art.” To every 6. Our true self is revealed when individual there has been given a our ego is effaced. personality that innately is both 7. All things exist in mutual re­ unique and precious. The happiness lation to one another. and meaningfulness of each life 8. Live radiantly as the Sun. depends upon the full and free ex­ 9. All men are equal. pression of one’s personality. Just 10. Bring mutual happiness as the “ professional ” artist ex­ through our expression. presses his personality by that 11.Depend on God at all times. technique and in that medium 12. There is always a way pecu­ which constitute his forte, so every liar to every name. person should create art through 1 3 .lhere is one way for men, the expression of his true self in and there is another for women. the work that is his to do. As the 14. All things exist for World Master Teacher says i t : “ When Peace. one sets one’s whole mind on 15. Our whole environment is the washing or sweeping or any other

Perfect Liberty How to Lead a Happy Life (Tondabayashi, Japan: PL Kyodan，n.d.).

— 31— THE NEW RELIGIONS OF JAPAN work, one’s true personal quality praying and to live in “conformity is expressed in it Then, those to God,” is able to diagnose the works have been elevated to art.“8 nature and cause of each misfor­ Thus, the “artistic life” is the only tune and to prescribe a corrective. way to true happiness and real An interesting but rather obscure satisfaction. aspect of this role of the Master If, in the course of such a life, is his ability and willingness, in a misfortune such as illness or ac­ certain emergency situations when cident should occur, one must know there is insufficient time for in­ that the event is God's warning struction, to make himself a sacri­ (his parental admonition) that fice for the believer—that is, to some deviation from the way has experience “ vicarious suffering，，一 taken place. Relief from misfortune until such time when instruction then awaits the discovery of the can be given. The presence of such deviation and the manner of its a man, in whom the wisdom of God correction. In general, misfortunes is believed to reside, has made un­ are regarded as gasho ( “ego-pheno- necessary the development of a mena，，），manifestations of an over­ scripture. weening self-consciousness which The PL Kyodan now has about occur when man forgets that he 600,000 followers. Most of these exists only by the grace of God. are urban dwellers, but otherwise However, to learn the exact nature they are not typed according to of a particular offense, one must particular social strata. Reportedly, turn to the Master Teacher (or a wide range of occupations and one of a very few other sanctioned professions is represented among consultants) for a kokoroe pre­ them. The organization and pro­ cept” or “instruction”） which is gram of the Order is highly cen­ applicable to his situation. The tralized. Though the leaders are Master, who is said to be always interested in an international out-

8 Miki Tokuchika, "The True Way of Life” (An unpubliahed essay in type- cript)，p.1.A copy was given to me on the occasion of a visit to the PL Kyodan headquarters at Tondabayashi on May 11，1957.

— 32 — THE NEW RELIGIONS OF JAPAN reach，the Order is as yet too young cleared of pine trees and planted to support a foreign missionary with cherries, in the hope that program. within a few years this place will At the present time much of the become one of the most famous -energy of PL Kyodan is directed cherry-viewing sites in Japan. The toward the development of their excitement of helping to create headquarters on an extensive a­ their own haven, or even heaven, creage in a hilly and wooded area is one of the important motiva­ in Tondabayashi near Osaka. Most tions and cohesive factors in the of the present buildings are only development of PL Kyodan. temporary structures, and it is 5. Ittoen evident that it will be a long while In the hills just east of Kyoto before their elaborate plans for per­ there is a unique religious com­ manent installations will be munity called Ittoen ( “Garden of realized. In the development of One Light”） which has as its this area, a major emphasis is being founder and leader a saintly octo­ placed on youth and recreation. At genarian by the name of Nishida the time of my visit (May 11，1957) ， Tenko. The movement which an eighteen-hote golf course and centers in this establishment is three baseball diamonds were being sometimes likened to the early constructed. A labor force for the Franciscan movement, and the latter project is supplied by the PL leader, known affectionately to his Youth Association’ whose members followers as Tenko San, is often come in groups for four-day train­ called by others the St. Francis, ing periods, and perform manual the Gandhi， or the Tolstoy of labor as a part of their training. Japan. The leaders of the Order also aspire The ideal life of Ittoen is one of to make their headquarters a re­ total dependence upon God. It is nowned beauty spot. To this end characterized by five aspirations: they have made a lake and have (a) A life of non-possession. spanned it by an artistic red bridge. (b) A life of repentance and The hills around the lake have been abiding in God.

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(c) The worship of God through present respectively the essence of all religious truths. Buddhism and the essence of (d) Service of love，performed Christianity. without hope of reward. Throughout Japan there are per­ (e) The establishment of a haps five hundred persons who heavenly kingdom upon earth. endeavor to live by the principles God in Ittoen is called Ohikari of Ittoen, but the movement centers ( “Light”）and is conceived as the in the colony near Kyoto where the Essence of all religions. In this two or three hundred residents concept, as in a number of other share a communal life in company aspects, Ittoen is conspicuously with their leader. They have few syncretistic. While the life of this possessions. Their clothing, food, community is pre-eminently the and living quarters are adequate product of the faith and genius of but quite plain and coarse. Each Tenko San, he has been influenced day is lived according to a rather by various religions, notably Bud­ rigid schedule which makes provi­ dhism and Christianity. This is sion for regular early morning and nowhere more evident than in the evening worship and places a principal symbol by which the special emphasis upon hard work. community represents the object For the children there are schools, of its worship. It is a composite but the youngsters too are expected symbol consisting of a Christian to contribute their labor. Much of (Greek) cross and a Buddhist the work is for the support of the swastika combined into a single community. There is cleaning and circular figure and superimposed maintenance work to be done on upon a light from which twelve the buildings and grounds; there rays emanate. The same concept is a printing press to be run ; there is expressed in the arrangement of are fields and animals to be tended. the sanctuary. In it there are three However, the community also altars. The one in the center is undertakes to serve others, usually dedicated to Ohikari; those which by performing such demeaning flank it on the right and left re­ tasks as cleaning streets and rest

— 34 — THE NEW RELIGIONS OF JAPAN rooms, without seeking remunera­ Thus，Tenko San began a new tion for their work. experiment in living. He would The way of life which charac­ live in the streets and possess terizes this movement was initiated nothing except a single coarse gar­ by Tenko San in 1905. Having ment. He would eat nothing that entered a career in business some must be acquired by struggle. He years earlier, he found unbearably would do all the good for others repulsive the ugly struggle for which he possibly could do without existence in which he was involved. considering the disagreeable nature It seemed to him that the desire of his work or hoping for reward. to live and flourish that drive a The results seemed to validate his man to put self-concern above the faith. A sufficiency of the essentials regard for others and leads him to of life was forthcoming, and in fight and cheat in his struggle for addition the example of his self­ material gains has been through the lessness was awakening in others centuries the cause of mankind’s an awareness of their need for re­ confusion. In his revulsion Tenko pentance and for the renunciation San renounced such a life and re­ of materialistic standards. He was, solved either to live penniless apart of course, regarded by some as a from meaningless struggle or to mad man. At times he was also die. On the third day of his home­ suspected by the government. But lessness, the faith which was to eventually he won the respect of govern his life was born as he the nation and attracted to himself heard a baby cry for its mother’s persons who desire to follow his milk. This cry he interpreted as a way of life. There came a time message from God. As the mother also when those who were re­ responds to the baby’s cry，he con­ nouncing possessions wished to give jectured, so God assumes respon­ them to Ittoen. Since it would sibility for the life of man in this have been a violation of his princi­ world. Man can live in dependence ples to accept them personally, upon God; indeed, this is the Tenko San permitted the establish­ natural way for him to live. ment of an incorporated foundation THE NEW RELIGIONS OF JAPAN to hold and manage property for he repeats this ritual at each year’s the benefit of the life of Ittoen. end. On December 30 and 31,1956, I He is, in any event, a remark­ was the guest of Tenko San and able and admirable man whose life his community. I was privileged is an application of that exhorta­ to observe and to share in various tion of Jesus which he has taken phases of their life and to have as one of his mottos: “ Seek ye three conferences with the saintly first the kingdom of God and His leader himself. As we conferred on righteousness; and all these things the last day of the year, he told shall be added unto you•” me that at midnight he would leave 6. Rissho-kosei-kai Ittoen and return “ home ”一 by Possibly the fastest-growing sect which he meant to say that he in Japan at the present time is would go back to the streets which Rissho-kosei-kai, a derivative of the were his real abode. Ittoen, he said, Nichiren sect of Buddhism. could not be considered as his home Founded in 1938，this movement but only as his place of service had only 1,000 devotees by 1945 at during the year. If it should be the the end of World War II. It now will of the community that he claims a membership of 1,500,000. should return, their representatives This sect has two founders， Mr. would seek him out on the follow­ Niwano Nikkyo，president of the ing day and invite him back. Now, society，and Mrs. Naganuma Myo- it is obvious that this procedure ko，vice-president. People of lowly has only a symbolical significance, social origin and little formal edu­ Tenko San is too old to live in the cation, they met in Reiyu-kai， an­ streets as once he did. Ittoen is other Nichiren off-shoot, and sub­ his home, and he is the acknow­ sequently seceded from it in order ledged and much respected leader to organize their own independent of the community which he society. Their headquarters, already founded. However, in order to keep extensive but still being expanded, alive the ideal of homelessness and are in the outskirts of Tokyo. non-possession of material things, In terms of its own expressed THE NEW RELIGIONS OF JAPAN aim, Rissho-kosei-kai aspires to prominently in the healing rites of lead out in a revival of Buddhism. the sect; for the healer’s diagnosis This is evident in the summary of of illness is often a pin-pointing of its purpose which headquarters some neglect of the ancestors. shares with inquirers. It reads as Furthermore，divination of various follows : sorts, with occasional tragic conse­ Adoring the Eternal Lord Buddha quences, is generally practiced. Sakyamuni as the Supreme Being, Another notable feature of Ris­ complying with the Scriptures of the Lotus of Perfect Truth and practicing sho-kosei-kai is the care with which the morality of the Bodhisattva，we the members are instructed. I was aim to accomplish the perfect charac­ much impressed by this fact on the ter and establish the Kingdom of peace and happiness.9 occasion of a brief visit to the sect's i his statement coupled with an Tokyo headquarters. My visit hap­ emphasis on services commemo­ pened to correspond with the rating Saint Nichiren (1222—1282) period of daily worship and in­ would tend to identify the sect as struction, and I was granted the essentially a Buddhistic movement. privilege of observing these activi­ However, its really distinctive as­ ties. The devotees had gathered in pects are more typical of the a large modern building which had broader range of Japanese popular three spacious assembly rooms, one religion. above the other, identically equip­ For example, not only is rev­ ped with a worship center and the erence for ancestors a point of traditional mat-covered floor. major emphasis, but also the de­ Though this was just a normal day, votees are encouraged to believe several thousand people， mostly that ignorance or neglect of the women, were present. When the ancestors may be the cause of ill- worship had ended, the people health or unhappiness among the divided into “buzz” groups which, living. This belief, therefore, figures so I learned, were study sections-

9 ”A Summary of the Rissho Kosei Society” (Typescript). A document given to me on the occasion of a visit to the Rissho-kosei-kai headquarters at 27 Wadahoncho，Suginami-ku, Tokyo, on May 28，195/.

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Each group had its appointed leader founded in 1940，recently has be­ whose task it was to instruct the come the most inflammatory of all members and to answer their ques­ the “ New Religions•” Retaining all tions, which oftentimes are as­ of the fanatical intolerance of sociated with needs of a very Nichirenism, the devotees of Soka- personal sort. Frankness of a type Gakkai apparently are endeavoring which the Japanese usually shun to spearhead a revolution in Japan. is characteristic of these sessions. Their avowed political aspirations It should also be said that Rissho- and their unscrupulous techniques kosei-kai sponsors many types of of propagation are becoming in­ group activities, such as pilgrim­ creasingly alarming to many ages, festivals, building projects, Japanese. drama，and concerts，and that it I have had no personal contact promotes evangelistic work among with Soka-Gakkai, but, particularly the inmates of reformatories and during the spring of 1957，I followed prisons. W ithin its headquarters with interest the newspaper ac­ precinct the sect maintains a counts of its activities. This report hospital,10, a nursery school and is a digest of newspaper clippings kindergarten, lower and upper rather than a description of the secondary schools for both boys sect.11 and girls, and a library. In June of 1957 it was reported 7. Soka-Gakkai that Soka-Gakkai held three seats Another movement derived from in the House of Councillors of the the Nichiren sect of Buddhism is National Diet and nearly sixty seats Soka-Gakkai ((iValue-Creation As- in various local government as­ sociation”）. This group, which was semblies. It is the announced goal

10 As in the case of Tenri-kyo, Rissho-kosei-kai in establishing its hospital has adopted the policy of employing only medical doctors. "Faith healers” do not practice in the hospitals; indeed, in an official pictorial survey of the sect’s activities (published in 1954) the statement is made quite pointedly that the doctors are not members of the sect. 11 The articles appeared in The Japan Times (M ay 23，June 20 and 21，1957) and The English Mainichi (June 16 and 22，1957). THE NEW RELIGIONS OF JAPAN of the sect to control all seats of guarantee of religious freedom, they both houses of the Diet within two can defend themselves against this decades. In campaigning for their encroachment. candidates the devotees flaunt the Similar irresponsible tactics are election laws, insisting as they do being employed all over Japan in so that faith is more important the evangelistic endeavors of the than law. Thus they employ in­ sect. In one town a “ missionary ” timidation and bribery with im ­ succeeded in converting secretly a punity, and when some of their number of school girls, who were number are arrested they accept led to believe that membership in their fate without concern, believ­ the sect would improve their ing that imprisonment is nothing scholastic records. This maneuver but a sacrifice necessary to the ac­ came to light when a Soka-Gakkai complishment of their goal. worker called at the home of one Soka-Gakkai also is making a of the girls and demanded of her determined effort to win the loyal­ parents that they destroy their ty of coal miners in Hokkaido, the family Buddhist altar. northern-most island of Japan. The In another town a group of sect has set itself up in opposition fanatics called at the home of the to the miners，trade unions. Taking pastor of the Holiness Church, advantage of the insecure material roused him from bed, and demanded and spiritual condition of the that he convert to Soka-Gakkai and miners, Soka-Gakkai says to them become the leader of their local that if they will only believe in group. When he refused to comply， the teachings of the sect they will his visitors rushed into the church become invulnerable to the dangers and laid it waste. Official inquiries of their trade, and their wages will into this incident led to the further be raised without their having to discovery that in that area prose- resort to strikes. So enticing has lytizers often had solicited members this appeal been that the unions through extortion and blackmail are seeking means by which, with­ and had forced their way into out violating the constitutional homes to destroy family altars.