Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism was passed from generation to generation in Japan for 700 years giving rise to over thirty different Nichiren denominations in Japan.
In 1930 a lay society known as the Soka Gakkai (Value Creating Society) started to spread its teachings.
Soka Gakkai was founded by the educators Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda, who had found parallels between Nichiren's teaching and their philosophy of education.
They followed in Nichiren's political footsteps, challenged the militaristic government during World War Two and were imprisoned for opposing government interference in religion. Makiguchi, who was the society's first president, died in jail on November 18 1944.
After the war, the Japanese constitution allowed freedom of religion for the first time. Toda reconstructed the Soka Gakkai as a movement for people in all aspects of society, not just in education.
By the time he died on April 2 1958 the organisation had reached more than 750,000 households and some of its members had been elected to the Japanese Parliament.
Daisaku Ikeda became the third President on May 3 1960, aged only 32. Under his leadership the organisation grew rapidly and expanded abroad.
In 1975 Soka Gakkai International was established and he became its first president. There are now more than 12 million members in 188 countries worldwide.
In the early 1990s there was a serious split between Soka Gakkai and the Nichiren Shoshu Head Temple. Soka Gakkai objected to various issues concerned with the roles played by the temple priests and was eventually rejected by the Temple organisation. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/subdivisions/nichiren_1.shtml