Honzan Yuseiji Temple 宥清寺 serves as the foundational dojo and the sole Honzan 本山 (main temple) of Honmon Butsuryu Shu. With a venerable history dating back to 1308 (the first year of the Enkei 延慶era), it was established by Nichiben Shonin 日弁上人, a direct disciple of Nichiren Shonin 日蓮聖人. Yuseiji is recognized as the first temple of Nichiren’s followers in Kyoto.
Before the advent of our Founder, Kaido Nissenn Shonin (開導日扇聖人、also known as Nagamatsu Seifū 長松清風), who revitalized the temple in the second year of Meiji 明治 (1869), Yuseiji had fallen into disrepair. For a long time, it had been neglected, with neither devotees chanting the sacred Daimoku nor visitors offering prayers. Under Kaido Shonin’s guidance, however, the temple was transformed into a flourishing center of faith and practice, embodying the teachings of Nichiren Shonin through the manifest blessings proving the Buddha’s Existence brought by chanting the Odaimoku. This revival continues to this day.
Kaido Shonin described Yuseiji as “Japan’s foremost sacred site, free from the defilement of slander against the Dharma.”
Honzan Yuseiji is home to the revered statue of Nichiren Shonin, sculpted by his disciple Nippo Shonin 日法上人 and personally consecrated by Nichiren himself. This hand-consecrated statue, now designated as an Important Cultural Property, stands as a seated image of profound spiritual significance. Kaido Shonin proclaimed, “Seifu’s soul resides at the feet of Yuseiji’s revered statue,” and personally exemplified the utmost sincerity in serving this sacred figure.
As the root temple of Honmon Butsuryu Shu, Yuseiji has inherited the pure faith and devotion to Nichiren Shonin’s teachings, passed down like water poured from one vessel to another. Through the unbroken dedication to serving the hand-consecrated statue and adhering to the true teachings of Nichiren Shonin, Honzan Yuseiji stands as Japan’s foremost spiritual sanctuary.
