The following is John Ayres' translation of Nichiren Shoshu memorandum #2893: 

To:  Everyone in Nichiren Shoshu 
From:  Nichiren Shoshu Office of Internal Affairs 
Re:  The Transference of the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of 
True Buddhism 

   Today, on the occasion of the great ceremony commemorating the 
newly established reception hall (kyaku-den) at the Head Temple, our 
High Priest Nikken Shonin presented his profound announcement that, in 
light of the slanderous conduct of Daisaku Ikeda and the Sokagakkai in 
recent years, it would best serve the true intent of our master 
Nichiren Daishonin to transfer the Dai-Gohonzon of the high sanctuary 
of true Buddhism from the Shohondo, which was constructed under the 
petition of Daisaku Ikeda, to the original site of the enshrinement 
hall (hoan-den). 

   The Dai-Gohonzon of the high sanctuary of true Buddhism, the  
Daishonin's ashes and the first carving of his image were transferred 
immediately following the ceremony to the newly expanded and renovated 
enshrinement hall.  Thereafter, the transfer ceremony was conducted at 
six p.m. The priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu are asked to 
receive the directions of our High Priest with profound faith and 
understanding and to advance forth in great strides, in the spirit of 
different bodies but one mind, towards accomplishing our goal of 
holding a tozan  pilgrimage of 300,000 believers in the year 2002, 
which marks the 750th anniversary of the establishment of our 
denomination. 

   This concludes the present memorandum. 
 

Summary: 
Before Nikken demolished the Grand Reception Hall, the Japan Institute of Architects(JIA) sent a petition requesting for the reconsideration of the demolition of the building.  In the document, the JIA points out that (1) Reinforcement of the structure would protect it from seismic disturbances (2)The demolition would be a huge waste of materials (3) The Grand Reception Hall was awarded the Architecture Society Award, and should be preserved for future generations. 

Below is a translation of the full text: 
September  29, 1995 

TO: 
High Priest Nikken Abe 
Nichiren Shoshu Head Temple Taisekiji 

FROM: 
Japan Institute of Architects* 

Naomi Tanabe, Director, Tokai Chapter 
Susumu Kawano, Chairman, Headquarters Public Relations Committee,  
Existing Structures Assessment Advocacy Service Katuya Natsume, 
Chairman, Preservation Issues Committee, Kanto- Koshinzetsu Chapter 

Request for the Preservation of Daikyakuden (Grand Reception Hall) at 
Taisekiji 

We have been informed that the facilities at the Head Temple are undergoing inspections for earthquake resistance. We understand that 
it has been decided Daikyakuden should be reconstructed as a result. We request that this decision be reconsidered on closer re-inspection 
of the building. 

Today the first and foremost task that we face in the preservation of architecture is to implement countermeasures against earthquakes.Seismic reinforcement will prolong the use of the structure, and continued use can provide opportunities for cultural enrichment. 
Moreover, by avoiding a scrap-and-build approach, construction materials can be efficiently used to prevent waste of resources on a global scale. Daikyakuden has been the recipient of the Architecture Society Award, a superlative distinction in architectural circles, and is a piece of modern architecture that will be admired by future generations. We sincerely hope the 31-year history of Daikyakuden during which, since it was completed in 1964, Nichiren 
Shoshu believers have surely become quite fond of it,and will be allowed to continue once the prospect of its economic efficiency and 
structural safety is established. 

When considering the relationship between the structural reinforcement and utility value of a building, economic viability and practical 
convenience resulting from reinforcement should be a primary objective. In general, reinforcement measures are implemented on an incremental, trial-and-error basis so as to produce a plan that 
combines both economics and functionality. Such a step-by-step process, therefore, is one in which is most likely to yield the optimal result. 

In the case of Daikyakuden, we are confident that a method can be arrived at, following various tests, which achieves relatively low cost and allows useage of the facility during its reinforcement. We have been informed that of the viable measures, such as the reinforcement of the facility's hollow columns, the addition of quake resistant walls and underground beams, that have been proposed, reinforcement of the hollow columns alone would be sufficient to 
ensure structural safety. We therefore wish to reiterate our request that an extensive examination be conducted, with the building's 
designers themselves taking part in the endeavor. 

In conclusion, we would like to point out that the Institute and its Tokai Chapter would be delighted to provide the utmost assistance in 
cooperating with the architectual designers to inspect earthquake resistance and devise a viable reinforcement strategy for the 
structures on Taiseki-ji's premises. 

*With some 7,000 members, The Japan Institute of Architects is the profession's largest and most prestigious association in the country 

Most of the material on this page comes from JINZAI-NET,  an international electronic community working for the justice of the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin and SGI.  

CLICK HERE TO CONNECT TO THEIR SHO-HONO INFORMATION PAGE!!!! 

I happened to watch Taiseki-ji's Daikyakuden being demolished on video when a friend of mine, who is a member of the Soka Gakkai, showed it 
to me the other day. I felt astonished and angry. 

I specialize in architectural concrete engineering. In the editor's postcript for an article I supervised for The Concrete Journal (since 
renamed as Concrete Engineering) which commemorated the completion of Sho-Hondo at Taiseki-ji 25 years ago, a time when concrete engineering was still in its infancy in Japan, I wrote the following: 

....I sat down with those who were directly involved in the construction work at the site as well as at the research institute [which supported the project]  and asked them to write an article from the perspective of concrete. One can see that extraordinary efforts were made on the design and construction of the historic structure 
that required eight years to complete. Experiences of the difficulties that they encountered were shared one after another, but the joy of surmounting them was also expressed, and the conversations were carried on in a relaxed atmosphere. I believe that the confidence 
gained from the completion of the Sho-Hondo will greatly contribute to the future development of architectural technologies... 

This was immediately before the first oil crisis back in 1973 when prices soared, and concrete of poor quality became prevalent afterwards. In response, efforts to set standards for superior-grade concrete were launched through projects which sought to improve quality. Yet we did not have a good idea of what high-quality concrete should really be like. So concrete engineers like myself would often speak of "the concrete used at Taiseki-ji" whenever we referred to the highest grade of concrete. 

Although Japan's concrete engineering field has undergone a variety of experiences and advances over the past quarter-century, Taiseki-ji's 
Sho-Hondo undeniably served as a key starting point. More simply, the field owes its origins to that project. 

Daikyakuden was erected prior to the Sho-Hondo. Its demolition leads me to think that Sho-Hondo could follow the same path. 

I say this because the demolition was carried out in contradiction to the results of earthquake resistance inspections, although the very 
justification given to tear the structure down was its alleged vulnerability to tremors. Augmenting this is the fact that a request to perserve the Daikyakuden, submitted by the Japan Institute of 
Architects, was ignored. 

I am not well versed in religious matters. But I feel indignation at Mr. Nikken Abe for his wanton rejection of a desire shared by many to 
preserve architecture which, as winner of the Japan Architecture Society Award, should be recognized for its obvious historical import. 
Daikyakuden was expected to last for several hundred years as the pride of Japanese concrete engineering. 

I was compelled to write because I wanted you to know that there is a non-member like myself who is feeling this way about the matter. 

Additional facts on Sho-Hondo Construction:

Concrete poured: 120,000 cubic meters or 140 cubic meters/working day poured. Instead of the impossible task of trucking in that volume they 
built a concrete plant on-site. The sand was in-situ, dredged from the Fuji River which was diverted for the project.  

Waterproofing: conventional construction wisdom of the late 1960's held that 100% waterproofing is impossible. The Sho-Hondo attempts to overcome the state of the art limitations through double waterproofing and by leaving a work space between the layers  for inspection and 
repairs. The second layer provides protection if the first layer fails and the first layer can be repaired easily without compromising the 
structure. Therefor the protection is squared, i.e. if the danger of leakage of one layer is, for example, 1/100, the danger with the two 
layers is reduced to 1/10,000. The upper level of the Garden of the Law (outer, lotus fountain) has twelve layers of asphalt waterproofing. 

Source: Pictorial Report of the Sho-Hondo 1972 

Stay Informed - Read the 

OR CALL: 1-800-835-4558