How did Shinnyo-en begin?
Shinjo Ito, the founder of Shinnyo-en, is known by his priestly name of Kyoshu sama. In the 1930's he was an engineer for an aircraft company in Tachikawa, Japan. At the same time, he devoted himself to helping people with their everyday problems using an art of divination* that had been handed down for generations in his family. As he continued to help people, he came to realize that his life was meant to be dedicated to serving others in a fuller capacity. With this in mind, he and his wife, Tomoji, also known as Shojuin sama by the followers, embarked on their religious path on February 8, 1936. Tomoji Ito's resolve to dedicate herself to the well-being of all people also activated a spiritual ability that ran in her family, which we now call the “spiritual faculty”. Their combined altruistic resolution was the beginning of Shinnyo-en. Their two sons, Chibun and Yuichi, known also as Kyodoin sama and Shindoin sama, assisted their parents in developing the teachings and the Shinnyo-en order.
In order to realize his vow to serve others, Kyoshu sama took vows at the Daigo monastery, one of the foremost institutions of doctrinal and monastic studies of Shingon esoteric Buddhism, with a history of over 1,100 years. After completing his training there, he became certified as a Great Master (Acharya), which qualified him to start his own temple. Eventually, he branched off from the main stream of Shingon Buddhism in order to forge a path by which all people—lay and monastic alike—could train equally. He received official recognition from the government of Japan, certifying Shinnyo-en as a legitimate Buddhist organization. The Daigo school of Shingon Buddhism also recognizes Shinnyo-en as an independent order of esoteric Buddhism under the name of the “Shinnyo Samaya School”.