Tanaka Chigaku

Chigaku Tanaka (Japanese田中 智 学, modern:田中 智 学; born December 14, 1861 ( traditionally: Bunkyū 01/11/13 ) in Edo (now Tokyo), † November 17, 1939 ) was a Japanese Buddhist activist and nationalist.

Born as Hanosuke Tada (多 田 巴 之 助) in Edo (now Tokyo), he joined with 10 in a Buddhist monastery, but left in 1879 the monastic life and became a lay preacher. In 1880 he founded in Yokohama Rengekai (莲华 会, "Society of the lotus flower " ), to unite with the aim of the teachings of the Lotus Sutra with the Kokutai. After his return to Tokyo 1884/5, the organization changed its name to the Rissho Ankokukai (立正 安 国会). 1914 was the successor organization Kokuchūkai gegründet.Auch Makiguchi Tsunesaburo, who later founded the precursor of the Soka Gakkai and participated in the lectures Tanaka, is said to have been influenced by the Kokuchūkai reached in terms of structure and distribution methodology.

As the founder of these organizations shall Tanaka as one of the founders of the Nichirenismus and thus representing a nationalist interpretation of Nichiren Buddhism.