Buddhism and the Soka Gakkai: INTRO

The history of the Soka Gakkai and its involvement in politics through the Koumei-to (a political party in coalition with the LDP) make this a pertinent and involved question. I made a somewhat abbreviated remark that it is a pseudo-Buddhist group, but that requires a fair amount of unpacking. Technically speaking, it is classified by sociologists as a New Religious Movement associated with Buddhism. Historically, it was founded as a secular group, then became a lay Buddhist group associated with a subsect of Nichiren Buddhism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nichiren_Sh%C5%8Dsh%C5%AB) which it proceeded to co-opt, eventually being excommunicated in 1991 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nichiren_Sh%C5%8Dsh%C5%AB#The_Soka_Gakkai_.28Value_Creation_Association.29).

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the party lost 5 seats in the lower house of the Japanese Diet in the recent election due to its perceived collaboration with the saber rattling of the LDP against North Korea, etc. The LDP, it bears noting, includes many politicians noted for their association with the right-wing group called the Nipponkaigi, and for visiting the controversial Shinto Shrine Yasukuni-jinja, which took the unilateral action of enshrining the spirits of executed Class-A war criminals in the 1970s, after which the then Emperor Showa ceased visiting the shrine. That shrine is now widely associated with Japanese militarism and visits by elected officials are met with harsh criticism by Korea and China, in particular.

Former leader of the group Daisaku Ikeda has been criticised for promoting a cult of personality, etc. You can get a sense of what that is about from this video of a song/dance that was purportedly created by a layman from Kyoto in 1955. The lyrics are translated by the group

(this page describes the purported background as well: https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=ifu+dodo+no+uta+meaning&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj53b-4ltrXAhWJErwKHdf_C1cQ1QIIcigA&biw=1882&bih=909) as follows:

We of the Gakkai
Going into this defiled and evil world
Whatever that thwarts the way
Regardless of who we are
With indomitable spirit
Muster our faith to take action
Together we advance
Manifest our conviction

Today and tomorrow as well
We conduct shakubuku
As we march on
Our spirit and life-force gushing forth
With indomitable spirit
Crush the evil doctrines
For they cannot save the people
That’s why we are here

Living in Japan
We do not see the Land of Tranquil Light
Mountains and rivers

through north and south
Evil religions are everywhere
With indomitable spirit
Permeating the land with the True Law
If we advance valiantly
Even the trees and plants will

move in tandem

As you can see from the original embedded link, which no longer works, below, the Soka Gakkai has taken down the video, but I had had the foresight to archive a couple of related videos, for the sake of posterity, you might say...

As mentioned above, the original Soka Gakkai was a secular organization founded during WWII, and the name "Soka Gakkai" means something like "Association for studying the creation of value". Its founder was persecuted by the State Shinto authorities for lese majeste, etc., dying in prison. This brief declassified 1963 Report on the group from the archives of the CIA is sufficiently informative: https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP79-00927A004100080002-9.pdf

Update: Related article in the Japan Times

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/01/07/national/soka-gakkai-expert-casts-light-buddhist-groups-struggles-since-enactment-2015-security-laws/#.WlJC6d-WaUk

[...]

As for Komeito’s dropping from 35 Lower House seats to 29 in the snap election last October, he said the setback — despite the LDP’s resounding victory of 284 seats — may reflect frustration among some Soka Gakkai members about what they perceive as Komeito compromising on its pacifist founding principles.