Japanese Buddhism belongs to Mahayana tradition, and is one of the five Buddhist cultures around the world; Hindu Buddhism, Theravada, Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism which are the other four prominent Buddhism cultures. Japanese Buddhism originates from Chinese Buddhism, due to the different ethnicity and geography from China, has made a different development since thousands of years ago. Until this day, the distinct culture of various sects of Japanese Buddhism have exerted a profound influence on Japanese culture and society. Nichiren Buddhism was founded by Nichiren, which majored on the Lotus Sutra, and considered the Lotus Sutra to be the essence of Buddhism, hence was named “Hokke Shu” as well. Since the death of Nichiren, the sect has separated into various branches, many of which have gained power at home and overseas under the influence of age and political developments. This paper adopts literature study, statistical analysis and qualitative research, along with graphs and distribution maps, to present a follow-up and cross-sectional study in Nichiren Buddhism of Japan, Taiwanese Nichiren Buddhism of the Japanese colonial period and Taiwanese Nichiren Buddhism after the Taiwan Restoration. On the one hand, we aim to uncover the difference between Japanese Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism; on the other, we endeavor to expound the discords and interactions of Japanese Buddhism and Taiwanese Buddhism of the Japanese colonial period, thereby giving a detail introduction on the history of the impartation of various sects of Japanese Nichiren Buddhism in Taiwan, and understanding how Nichiren Shoshu and Soka Gakkai had been imparted to Taiwan and making an analysis of current conditions. It is expected that this study may throw light on the distinctiveness and accommodation of Japanese Buddhism. Meanwhile, through an introduction regarding how Japanese Buddhism has affected Taiwanese Buddhism in the Japanese colonial period, we have shed light on the evolution of Taiwanese Buddhism in the post-colonial period.
