The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2311 page)

sh
mukyoku) and the determination to re-establish monastic training on the foundations of
D
gen
led to the revival of the 20th cent., assisted by lay well-wishers (e.g. the journalist and publisher,
uchi Seiran, 1845–1919, who promulgated the summary of S
t
,
Shush
gi
.

 
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(Jap., ‘Association for Creating Values’). Religious movement deriving from
Nichiren
Sh
sh
and closely related to it. In 1930, Makiguchi Tsunesabur
(1871–1944) and Toda J
sei (1900–58) founded the S
ka Ky
iku Gakkai. It became S
ka Gakkai (and a specifically religious movement) in 1937. Through aggressive proselytization and through its journal,
Kachi S
z
(The Creation of Value), the group disseminated Makiguchi's philosophy.
In 1943, the government tried to unify all Nichiren sects, but this was resisted by Makiguchi and Toda. They were arrested, ostensibly on the charge of advising their followers not to purchase amulets from the national
Ise
Shrine. Makiguchi died in prison, but Toda deepened his faith greatly through his reading in prison. When released, he reconstructed the organization, and in 1952 it was incorporated as an independent religious institution. It rapidly became a multi-million-member organization, extending beyond Japan to other parts of the world, especially the USA and France. It possessed what was at the time of its building the largest temple on earth, on the slopes of Mount Fuji. Under
Ikeda
Daisaku, S
ka Gakkai established a political party, Komei-to, the party of clean government. Initially, S
ka Gakkai had strongly exclusivist attitudes, following Nichiren in regarding other religions as false and other Buddhist sects as heretical. It was accused of forced conversions through its technique of
shakubuku
, breaking and subduing. However, since the 1970s, there has been a moderation of its extreme views.