Myōchikai Kyōdan (妙智会教団) is a Japanese Buddhist lay organisation that stems from

Reiyūkai , or Reiyūkai Shakaden, is a Japanese Buddhist new religious movement founded in 1919 by Kakutarō Kubo (1892-1944) and Kimi Kotani (1901-1971). It is a lay organization (there are no priests) inspired by Nichiren Buddhism, but not affiliated to ...

. It was founded in 1950 by Miyamoto Mitsu. Its teachings are based on

Nichiren Buddhism Nichiren Buddhism ( ja, 日蓮仏教), also known as Hokkeshū ( ja, 法華宗, meaning ''Lotus Sect'') is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one of ...

and the

Lotus Sutra The ''Lotus Sūtra'' ( zh, 妙法蓮華經; sa, सद्धर्मपुण्डरीकसूत्रम्, translit=Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtram, lit=Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma, italic=) is one of the most influ ...

. By its own account it has close ties as an

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

with

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

and the

UNHCR The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...

. The director of Myōchikai Kyōdan, was selected for General Director for the Japanese Council of the World Council of Religions for Peace. Its current leader is Miyamoto Takeyasu who is also president of the Arigatou Foundation. The organisation’s headquarters is in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

and by its own account it has 957.000 members, most of which are in Japan. Reciting the

as a means of moral self-cultivation and ancestor veneration are said to be fundamental to its religious practice.Pokorny, Lukas (2011)
Neue religiöse Bewegungen in Japan heute: ein Überblick
ew Religious Movements in Japan Today: a Survey In: Hödl, Hans Gerald and Veronika Futterknecht, ed. Religionen nach der Säkularisierung. Festschrift für Johann Figl zum 65. Geburtstag, Wien: LIT, p.190

References

Bibliography

* Robert Kisala: Myochikai Kyodan. In: Peter Clarke (Hrsg.): Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements.

External links

The Arigatou Foundation

Global Network of Religions for Children
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myochikai Kyodan 1950 establishments in Japan Buddhist new religious movements Japanese new religions Nichiren Buddhism Religious organizations based in Japan