Yuseiji Temple, the central training hall and the sole head temple of Honmon Butsuryu Shu, was established in 1308 (the first year of Enkei) by Nichiben, a direct disciple of Nichiren Shonin. It is the first temple of Nichiren’s followers in Kyoto, a testament to its historical importance.
Yuseiji Temple, before the arrival of Nissen Shonin, the founder of Honmon Butsuryū Kō (the predecessor of Honmon Butsuryū Shū), in 1869 (the 2nd year of Meiji), was in a state of neglect. It was almost abandoned, with no one chanting the correct Odaimoku or coming to worship. However, under the guidance of Nissen Shonin, the temple was rejuvenated and flourished, a living testament to the transformative power of faith and practice based on the true teachings of Nichiren Shonin.
Nissen Shonin described Yūseiji Temple as “Japan’s foremost sacred site free from slanderous impurities.”
The HBS’s main training hall, the head temple Yuseiji, enshrines a sacred Nichiren Shonin statue carved by Nichiren Shonin’s disciple, Nippo Shonin, and consecrated by Nichiren Shonin himself. This hand-consecrated statue is now designated as an important cultural property. Nissen Shonin revered this statue, stating, “my spirit resides under the sacred statue at Yuseiji Temple,” and personally served it with sincerity throughout his life as if it were living Nichiren Shonin. Yuseiji Temple is the head temple that Honmon Butsuryu Shu proudly presents to the world, where practitioners cultivate faith before the Nichiren Shonin’s hand-consecrated statue, faithfully continuing the tradition of Nichiren Shonin’s faith as if transferring water from one vessel to another.
