[Buddha-l] updates and corrections to "upayaexpress"(topic:Buddhism in contemporary Japan)

[Dan Lusthaus]

No guarantees that the following is accurate, but apparently this is from 
the Japanese Ministry of Culture, around 1997 or so. This is the breakdown 
(note the conspicuous absence of Rinzai).

［信者数］
１、浄土真宗本願寺派（６９４万人）Jodo Shinshu - Honganji Sect
２、浄土宗（６０３万人） Jodo
３、真宗大谷派（５５３万人） Jodo Shinshu - Otani Sect
４、高野山真言宗（５４８万人） Koyasan Shingon shu
５、日蓮宗（３８１万人） Nichiren Shu
６、曹洞宗（１５７万人） Soto Shu
７、真言宗智山派（１５３万人） Shingon Chizan Sect
８、真言宗豊山派（１２０万人） Shingon Buzan Sect
９、天台宗（６１万人） Tendai
１０、真言宗醍醐派（５６万人） Shingon Daigo Sect.
11 、日蓮正宗 (５７６万人)  Nichiren Shoshu

万 = 10,000, so ６９４万人 = 6,940,000 people.

http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q109434755

Quick tabulation:

the two Jodo Shinshu sects together = 12,470,000.
the Shingon sects = 8,770,000
Nichiren (pre-Soka Gakkai split) = 9,570,000
[according to the US State Dept., Soka Gakkai currently claims 8 million 
"households"]
Jodo had just over 6 million
Soto Zen = just a shade over a million and a half.

None of these sorts of statistics are fully reliable. Each group will try to 
inflate its membership. Some tabulations are done merely on the basis of 
where family registers are kept, i.e., in which temple, and as I mentioned, 
Tokugawa legislation funneled much of that into Soto temples, even though 
the families still "registered" there have virtually nothing to do with any 
Soto practices, rituals, etc., except funeral arrangements should they 
decide to avail themselves of it.

The Tendai figure here seems grossly undervalued.

Dan