Within Nichiren Shōshū, the rhythm of the year is marked by a series of observances that all circle back to devotion to the Lotus Sutra and the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Among these, Oeshiki, held on the anniversary of Nichiren Daishonin’s passing, stands out as one of the most significant. It is a time when believers gather to commemorate his life and death, listen to teachings on his legacy, and deepen gratitude for his role as the votary of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law. Closely related are ceremonies that honor his birth and the establishment of the tradition, which underscore the appearance and unfolding of his teaching in the world. These festivals are not merely historical remembrances, but occasions to renew determination for practice and propagation.

Alongside these major commemorations, Nichiren Shōshū maintains a rich cycle of seasonal and ancestral observances. New Year’s ceremonies mark the opening of a fresh year of faith, while rites such as Setsubun-e and other seasonal services are used to purify one’s life condition and align with the turning of the seasons. Equinox and Obon-related memorials focus on gratitude to ancestors and the transfer of merit through chanting and recitation of the Lotus Sutra. In this way, the tradition weaves remembrance of the deceased into the ongoing work of personal transformation and kosen-rufu, rather than treating such rites as separate from everyday practice.

Equally central are the initiation and devotional ceremonies that shape the life of a practitioner. The Gojukai ceremony, in which one formally receives the precepts of faith and enters Nichiren Shōshū, is a pivotal step, often accompanied by the conferral of the Gohonzon or later Gohonzon enshrinement rites. Eye-opening ceremonies for altars and objects of worship, as well as special gatherings such as daimoku- or shodai-focused services, all serve to strengthen the bond between practitioner, Gohonzon, and the living transmission of Nichiren’s teaching. Monthly memorial services for Nichiren Daishonin and successive high priests, often including sermons and extended chanting, keep the lineage and its guidance vividly present.

At the heart of the institutional life of the sect stand the ceremonies conducted at the head temple, Taiseki-ji. Pilgrimage (tozan) to this site, and especially the opportunity to perform gongyō before the Dai-Gohonzon, is regarded as a profound expression of faith. Large-scale services held there for the sake of kosen-rufu and the unity of the community give concrete form to the ideal of a sangha centered on the Lotus Sutra. Across all these festivals and ceremonies, whether grand or modest, the common thread is the ceaseless effort to return to the daimoku, to the Gohonzon, and to the vow to realize the spirit of Nichiren Daishonin in the midst of daily life.