A devout Buddhist said a monk trapped her in a relationship of sexual violence and intimidation for 14 years, and that a man she had revered as a “living Buddha” essentially encouraged the abuse.

Eicho, 55, who lives in the western main island of Shikoku, said at a news conference on Jan. 31 in Tokyo that she has filed a complaint with the head office of the Tendai sect of Buddhism in Otsu, the capital of Shiga Prefecture.

She is demanding the sect revoke the status of not only the monk but also a “daisojo” (priest of the highest order).

The Tendai sect in Japan was founded in 806 by Dengyo Daishi Saicho. Its head temple is Enryakuji on Mount Hiei in Otsu.

Daisojo is the highest rank among priests, and there are currently only six daisojo in the sect. To attain enlightenment, they must complete 1,000-day practices at Mount Hiei.

Eicho said a daisojo had introduced her to the monk in 2009, describing him as his best disciple.

She said that even after she told the daisojo about the monk’s repeated sexual assaults, “the high priest encouraged the monk’s actions and continued to cover up the damage.”

“They took advantage of my faith in Buddha, brainwashed me and destroyed all of my dignity,” Eicho said at the news conference.

She said she is using her Buddhist name and is not concealing her face in the complaint.

“I hope the Tendai sect will make the right decision,” she said.

‘COULD NOT DISOBEY GUIDANCE’

Buddhism has been Eicho’s spiritual pillar since childhood.

Her grandfather belonged to the Tendai sect and served as “jushoku” (chief priest) of three temples.

Before her mother died of illness in July 2009, she told Eicho of her desire for a certain daisojo to conduct her memorial service.

A relative also explained that this daisojo was the person who had come closest to Buddha after completing the 1,000-day practices.

Eicho came to respect the high priest as a “living Buddha.”

When she visited him in August 2009 to discuss the memorial service, he referred her to the monk at a temple in Shikoku.

After meeting the monk, he began to contact her frequently. His behavior frightened her.

“But I knew I could not disobey guidance from the high priest,” Eicho said.

In October 2009, the monk summoned her to the temple, saying he was not feeling well.

There, he sexually assaulted her while ordering her to chant a “shingon” mantra, she said.

“I thought that if I did not chant, I would be killed and abandoned by Buddha,” Eicho said.

She said she was later forced to meet the monk for sex at the temple and hotels.

Eicho said she could not refuse his demands because he had told her, “All difficulties in life are caused by fate, and you must accept them instead of resisting them.”

The monk also ordered her to shave her hair and act like his disciple in public. She ended up living in the temple.

She said she was so isolated from society that she did not even know about the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.

Whenever she consulted the daisojo, he said things like, “What the monk said was the same thing that I would say.”

The monk apparently learned that she had complained to the high priest. “The daisoju told you to do as I say, didn’t he?”

A BRIEF AWAKENING

In 2015, Eicho called a women’s counseling center. After several consultations, she began to think that her situation was abnormal.

In late May of 2017, Eicho happened to watch a news conference on TV given by Shiori Ito, a journalist who accused a prominent TV figure of raping her.

Eicho realized that she was suffering from sexual violence, and with the help of supporters she met on social media, she escaped from the temple in October that year, she said.

In 2019, she filed a criminal complaint against the monk for sexual assault and other crimes, but the case was dismissed.

She told herself: “This is the answer given by Buddha. This is my fault. I have no choice but to die.”

She visited the daisojo again in November that year, hoping to learn “the meaning of Buddha’s answer that the (monk) should not be prosecuted.”

The high priest persuaded her to become a nun and return to the monk.

Before going back to the temple, she prepared a memorandum of understanding stating that the monk would not engage in sexual acts or violence against her will, and that she would not be subjected to sexual violence and intimidation.

The monk signed the document.

Although they did not have sexual intercourse after that, the monk continued to use sexually explicit language toward her and forced her to share a bed with him.

Eicho realized she had been tricked again, and all she could think about was death.

‘WANT TO DIE EVERY DAY’

In January 2023, Eicho’s family members, who were inspired by seeing victims of the Unification Church speaking out, summoned her to a hotel and tried to deprogram her from the “brainwashing” throughout the night.

Eicho left the temple again.

She is still undergoing treatment for complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.

She has trouble sleeping at night and has flashbacks. When she sees a car similar to the one driven by the monk or ginkgo trees and leaves that she used to collect at his temple, she is struck by palpitations, hyperventilation, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms.

“I want to die every day,” she said. “But I have survived this long, trying to live just for today. It is no exaggeration to say that I live to appeal that this kind of thing is happening in Buddhism.”

At the news conference on Jan. 31, Eicho explained why she has gone public.

“To bury the 14 years in the temple in darkness could lead to the creation of new victims. I felt I had a responsibility to tell my story as a victim,” she said.

Eicho also said: “Victims who have been taken advantage of in their religious beliefs find it difficult to raise their voices because of their faith.”

The Asahi Shimbun contacted the monk, but he only said, “There is nothing I can say at this time.”

A representative of the daisojo said of the allegations: “I cannot say whether it is true or not. From now on, Enryakuji and the Tendai sect’s head office will handle the matter.”

The Tendai sect’s head office said, “We are now discussing how to respond.”