During the early to mid 1900s (ending around 1945) the Japanese state and government expanded their empire into the reaches of China and Korea, with continued expansion into the great Asia continent being planned. These expansions were led by men such as Tanaka Chigaku (1861-1939), whose approach to conquest was justified by his interpretation of the ideal of compassion found in Nichiren Buddhism{1}.
Tanaka Chigaku was a Japanese nationalist, imperialist, and militarist during the Russo-Japanese War, as well as both World Wars. He was an avid student of Nichiren Buddhism, and professed that it led to the one true path for all humanity: all human, joined together under the banner of the Japanese imperial family while worshipping the gods Amaterasu-kami and Hachiman as universal deities{2}. Tanaka claimed that this was given out by Nichiren under the phrase Nippon no enbudai – to include the whole earth in Japan{3}. This objective of Nippon no enbudai would be complete by what Tanaka called shakubuku – conquer evil aggressively{4}.
The concept of shakubuku is the main focus, as Tanaka used it as a justification for the aggression against China in the 1930s, saying “When it is said that the Japanese Imperial Army is an army of humanity and justice, for maintaining justice and building peace, it means that it is a force for compassion. The shakubuku of Nichirenism must be like this”{5}. For Tanaka, “compassion” was an extension of the emperor-centric Japanese polity (kokutai) that had dominated the land for since the Meiji Restoration. For Tanaka, and most Nichiren imperialist, the world was destined to united under the emperor by means of the Lotus Sutra – the central sutra of Nichiren Buddhism – and the sword.
To Tanaka, it was the sacred duty of the Japanese to extend kokutai to those of non-Japanese origin. He claimed that Japan, with its “unbroken line of emperors” was given the right and mandate to “guide and induce every country in the world to become a state ruled by the Way of the Prince”{6}. Tanaka further justified kokutai as a means of imperialism by emphasizing the emperor’s holiness and origin in Heaven as a descendant of Amaterasu-kami, and how the emperors extolled virtues and brilliance inherited from the first Emperor, Jinmu{7}. The implication here being that, due to the emperor’s divine origins and gifts, as well as his inheritance and the Japanese people’s own superiority to endorse shakubuku on a worldwide scale.
Tanaka placed his beliefs in shakubuku as subordinate to kokutai, yet in his writings and beliefs, certainly seemed to believe that shakubuku was the most important action one could take in their life. His writings and personal beliefs show a strong sense of national pride and superiority, and his fervent belief in Nichiren Buddhism’s such as his Shumon no Ishin{8}. In this, Tanaka shows how fervent his faith in shakubuku is by urging followers of the Lotus Sutra to believe, pray and write aggressively, while also “praying for aggression”, and that when the aggression comes, the people can use the Lotus Sutra as the sword, under their leader – Nichiren – and bring all of Asia – and eventually the world – under Japan’s “guidance” through the “compassion of the Emperor”{9}. This fervent belief can be seen later, during the invasion of Manchuria, which Tanaka was greatly involved in.
In conclusion, Tanaka’s “compassion” for others was but a front, as while he truly believed that the world could be united under Japan and the Emperor, he also justified it through shakubuku, a practice not unlike that of the Crusades.