Honmon Butsuryūshū

A new religion based on the Lotus Sutra. It began in 1857 (Ansei 4) when Nagamatsu Nissen opened the Honmon Butsuryuko in Kyoto. Butsuryuko means the teachings established by the Buddha. Nissen was a Honmon Hokke sect priest, but he criticized the sect and started a lay movement of faith, returning to secular life and organizing merchants and artisans in the Kinki region into a society. The doctrine is of the lineage of the Hachihon school, which relies on the eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra as its basis, and is based on the principle of the superiority of the original and the trace, emphasizing the actual benefits of the Lotus Sutra through chanting. Nissen explained his teachings in simple waka poetry, and established the Myoko Ichiza in 1878 (Meiji 11) to establish his doctrine. Believers formed small groups and lived their religious lives. It was suppressed in the early Meiji period, but developed nationwide from the mid-Meiji period onwards, becoming the source of new Nichiren-based religions. It became independent from the Honmon Hokke sect in 1946 (Showa 21). Nichiren is called the founder, Nichiryu the founder, and Nichisen the leader, and the highest rank within the sect is called Koyu. The head temple is Yusei-ji Temple in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City. There are 272 temples, 5 churches, 68 others, 669 teachers, and 279,470 believers (Religious Yearbook, 2014 edition).

[Shigeyoshi Murakami]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

法華(ほっけ)系の新宗教。1857年（安政4）長松日扇(ながまつにっせん)が京都で開いた本門仏立講に始まる。仏立とは仏の立てた教えを意味する。日扇は本門法華宗の僧であったが、宗門を批判して在家(ざいけ)主義の信仰運動をおこして還俗(げんぞく)し、近畿の商工民を講に組織した。教義は『法華経(ほけきょう)』本門八品(はっぽん)を依経(えきょう)とする八品派の系統で、本迹勝劣義(ほんじゃくしょうれつぎ)にたち、唱題(しょうだい)による『法華経』の現証利益(げんしょうりやく)を強調する。日扇は教えを平易な和歌で示し、1878年（明治11）『妙講一座』を定めて教義を確立。信者は少人数のグループをつくって信仰生活を営んだ。明治初期に弾圧されたが、明治中期以後全国的に発展し、法華系新宗教の源流となった。1946年（昭和21）本門法華宗から独立。日蓮(にちれん)を高祖(こうそ)、日隆(にちりゅう)を門祖(もんそ)、日扇を開導(かいどう)とよび、宗内の最高位を講有(こうゆう)と称する。大本山は京都市上京(かみぎょう)区の宥清(ゆうせい)寺。寺院数272、教会数5、その他68、教師数669、信者数27万9470（『宗教年鑑』平成26年版）。

［村上重良］

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