Nichiren Shoshu’s deletion of passages
from Nichiren’s letters
During the II W W, the military authorities in Japan asked various Nichiren schools to delete passages from the Daishonin’s writings it viewed as disrespectful toward the emperor and the Shinto deity (The Military’s “Maintenance of the Public Order Act Against Blasphemy”) .
In June 1941, Nichiren Shu school decided to delete 208 phrases and passages from 70 of Nichiren’s writings.
Following the lead of Nichiren Shu, The Administrative Office of Nichiren Shoshu issued a notice (#2177), dated August 24, 1941, stating that:
“because the Daishonin’s works were written more than 700 years ago
in accordance with the social conditions of the Kamakura period,
people of the present age in reading his writings
might “doubt the Daishonin’s desire to respect the emperor
and protect his empire.”
Furthermore, on September 29, the Nichiren Shoshu Study Department issued a notice (Gaku dai 8 go) that instructed the deletion of the 14 passages from the Daishonin’s writings especially where the nation’s sovereignty (symbolized by the Sun Goddess) is described as inferior or subordinate to the Buddha. Shinto beliefs consider the Sun Goddess to be the supreme deity and origin of Japan’s imperial lineage, and disliked Nichiren’s views (about the Buddha being superior to the Sun Goddess, perceived by the militarists as “the origin of the emperor”).
For example, the priesthood deleted the passage where the Daishonin states,
“I, Nichiren, am the foremost sage in Jambudvipa” WND1p.642.
Source: The Untold History of the Fuji School, SGI_USA Study Department, World Tribune Press, ISBN: 978-0-915678-76-1
Nichiren Shoshu supporting the Shinto led war
While the first two founders of the Soka Gakkai were undergoing interrogation in prison, accused of being “Thought Criminals” for refusing to support the military establishment,
the priesthood were actively engaged in opening its facilities to train soldiers, accepting 200 soldiers every month, and opened its Shonin and other buildings for training. The military government prasied the sect’s initiative in opening the temple ground.
While Nichiren Shu has apologised for cooperating with the military government and deleting passages from the Gosho, Nichiren ShoShu still refuses to apologise:
https://nichiren.com/eng/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/war.pdf