Risshō Kōsei Kai

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Rissho Kosei Kai (Great Sacred Hall)
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Rissho Kosei Kai (Great Sacred Hall)
principal image, in the Great Sacred_Hall
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principal image, in the Great Sacred_Hall

Risshō Kōsei Kai (立正佼成会; until June 1960, 大日本立正交成会: Dai-Nippon Risshō Kōsei Kai) is a Japanese Buddhist lay movement and an offshoot of the Nichiren-Buddhist Reiyūkai (霊友会). One of its co-founders, Nikkyo Niwano (庭野日敬: Niwano Nikkyō, 1906–1999), was an observer at the Second Vatican Council and active in the peace movement. The other co-founder, Myōkō Naganuma (長沼妙佼: Naganuma Myōkō) died in September 1957. Niwano and Naganuma were prominent members of the Reiyūkai, another Japanese lay-Buddhist organization which, though a borrower of certain Nichiren Buddhist practices, was never formally affiliated with any particular traditional school.

The organization began in 1938 and its name means "society for righteousness and friendship." It is known for hosting the Niwano Peace Prize and it has been a strong advocate for religious pluralism. Its current president, Nichiko Niwano (1938–, Nikkyo's eldest son), is on good terms with the leaders of several religions, particularly Christian groups.

The movement has nevertheless faced criticism. Detractors have alleged that it is too strongly linked to Japan's Liberal Democratic Party and that it supported Japanese militarist elements in World War II. This charge is dubious at best, since Rissho Kosei-kai suffered severe religious restrictions under the Japanese regime in power during that conflict. There is also criticism, specifically Buddhist in nature, concerning its practice of fortune telling and ancestor worship. Members memorialize their ancestors(their names are kept in a death register, or a 'kakocho', which is kept on their home altars), but this practice is extremely common among Japanese Buddhists of many sects. Critics also see the massive estate left by Niwano as a sign of un-Buddhist materialism.

Rissho Kosei Kai experienced its most rapid growth before 1950, but the organization is still fairly strong; there are currently 6.5 million members worldwide (source: www.rkhawaii.org). According to the Japanese Wikipedia article, it is Japan's second-largest religious organization. It claims some 1.81 million member-households (as of 31 December 2004), 239 churches in Japan, and seven churches and six activity centers worldwide ex-Japan[1]. Rissho Kosei-kai is not well established in the US, although there are active churches in New York, Los Angeles, and Hawaii, as well as smaller groups elsewhere.

Since its founding, Rissho Kosei-kai has sought to cooperate with other religions and work with the United Nations and a variety of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

In the late 1960s Rissho Kosei-kai began to advocate the Brighter Society Movement, a public-spirited undertaking through which the local churches of Rissho Kosei-kai cooperate with local governments, welfare organizations, and volunteer groups throughout Japan. Since 1974, Rissho Kosei-kai has conducted the Donate a Meal Campaign; the money contributed by its members through the campaign has been accumulated as the Rissho Kosei-kai Peace Fund and is utilized for its wide variety of activities for world peace.

In 1978, Rissho Kosei-kai established the Niwano Peace Foundation as one of the commemorative undertakings for the 40th anniversary of the organization's founding. Since 1980, the foundation has awarded the Niwano Peace Prize to honor remarkable religious leaders or groups that contribute to world peace through interreligious dialogue, protection of human rights, and conflict resolution. The foundation also provides financial assistance for religiously inspired research activities and projects concerning thought, culture, science, education, and related subjects.

Rissho Kosei Kai is world-renowned in the field of music for its generous support of several leading professional music ensembles, most notably the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra. Its facilities are also used to host the world's largest music competition, the All-Japan Band Association national band contest.

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