Nikken Abe
Nikken Abe (阿部日顕, Abe Nikken; also known as Nikken Shonin; 19 December 1922 – 20 September 2019) was a Japanese Buddhist monk who served as the 67th High Priest of Nichiren Shōshū Buddhism and chief priest of Taiseki-ji head Temple in Fujinomiya, Japan. Before becoming High Priest, he served as the head of the doctrinal department of Nichiren Shoshu and as such was involved in the compilation of many of the school's publications. As High Priest, Abe affirmed the permanent expulsion of Soka Gakkai on 28 November 1991 and was known for the overall restoration of Head  Temple Taisekiji to traditional and orthodox practices that were prevalent up to 1970. Nikken Shonin was instrumental in founding new temples and propagation centers outside Japan well into his final years in office. He retired as High Priest on 15 December 2005 and was succeeded by Hayase Nichinyo Shonin. Abe died on 20 September 2019 in his private residence in Nakamachi street, in Setagaya ward of Tokyo, aged 96. Early life. Born Nobuo (信夫), Abe was the first son of Hōun Abe, then the chief priest of Jōzen-ji in Sumida, Tokyo, and later 60th Nichiren Shoshu High Priest Nichikai . His mother, Myoshuni, was a female priest. He entered the priesthood in 1928 by tonsure, taking the Buddhist name" Shinno" (信雄). He graduated from Rissho University in 1943, training as a priest. After his return from duty with the Japanese Imperial Navy, he served as chief priest of three temples: He was appointed head of the school's "Kyōgakubu" (office of doctrinal orthodoxy, often rendered Taisekiji Study Department) in 1961. In this position, he was one of the two Nichiren Shoshu priests who traveled overseas to conduct the first initiation rites ("Gojukai") for new believers outside Japan in 1961, for  which the 66th high priest gave him the name "Etsuyo" (越洋: "he who crosses the seas"). Abe was named Nichiren Shoshu Sōkan (the school's second-highest ranking priest) in early 1979. As High Priest. On 22 July 1979, Abe took over as high priest, shortly after the death of the 66th High Priest Nittatsu Hosoi. At that time, he changed his name three times: he initially changed his name to "Nichi-gō" (the name beginning with "Nichi" that all priests have but use publicly after certain seniority) from "Nichiji" (日慈) to finally "Nikken" (日顕) in deference to a more -senior priest who was father of the current high priest, Nichinyo. On 4 December 2005, Abe announced his intention to step down as high priest before the end of the year. He performed the ceremony of transferral of the Heritage of the Law on 12 December 2005, in which he appointed Nichinyo Hayase (1935—) his successor. He officially retired on 15 December 2005, four days before his 83rd birthday, after 26 years as high priest. Sixty-eighth High Priest Nichinyo Shōnin ascended to the high priest's seat at a ceremony on 16 December 2005. Abe had a wife, Masako  Abe, and a son born in 1944, Shinsho Abe. Abe's tenure as high priest was marked by a mixture of progress and controversy. He officiated several milestone celebrations, including: In addition, Abe oversaw the compilation and publication of several important works, including compilations of previous high priests' letters, treatises, and sermons, and official biographies of Nichiren and his successors. Abe also initiated and oversaw the publication of the following important Taisekiji publications: In December 1980, Abe's succession to the position of high priest was challenged by a group of Nichiren Shoshu priests belonging to the Shoshinkai after he  excommunicated five of them for disobeying repeated admonitions to cancel a massive anti-Soka Gakkai rally (August 1980) and to stop attacking Soka Gakkai, a lay organization formerly chartered by Nichiren Shoshu from their temple pulpits. Ultimately, Abe excommunicated over 200 Nichiren Shoshu priests who had aligned themselves with Shoshinkai, which balked at Abe's policy of reconciliation with Soka Gakkai after a conflict with the group that had surfaced in the early 1970s and lasted through the end of the decade. Abe worked to restore the Nichiren Shoshu faith to what he saw as orthodoxy that he felt had  been lost during the school's association with Soka Gakkai. These reforms began with changing back the start of Ushitora Gongyo, a prayer service for the worldwide propagation of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, from 12:00 midnight to its traditional time starting at 2:30 am so the service would span the eponymous "hour of the ox ("ushi") and tiger ("tora")". Abe eventually excommunicated Soka Gakkai and its senior leaders in November 1991, citing doctrinal deviations, Soka Gakkai's usurpation of rites such as the Higan-e equinox ceremonies and funerals without Nichiren Shoshu priests officiating, its defiant staging of "Ode to Joy