My name is Ryokyu Nakayama. I am a Japanese citizen and the priest responsible for the Nichiren Shoshu Temple in Argentina. The Temple is located in Avenida Carabobo 257, City of Buenos Aires. I live with my wife and two daughters aged six and three in the building that serves both as temple and as practice and educational center. Nichiren Shoshu is an institution duly recognized by the State and registered at the National Registry of Religious Organizations. We have recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Temple’s opening in Argentina.
Since March 2018, a slander campaign against me, which also affects the Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist cult and the members attending our services and training school, has been spreading through the social networks and digital and printed media. I deeply regret the unrest these false accusations may cause both to the community and persons of good will.
I remained silent for several years to protect Ms. Cecilia Califano’s privacy. But this campaign and the harassment on the part of my accuser, Ms. Califano, has been escalating with demonstrations in the streets, offensive graffiti, posters, stone attacks to the temple, and messages in social networks, usually under fake profiles.
Who is Cecilia Califano? She is a believer who, for more than ten years, practised Buddhism, attending the Temple and the spiritual practice meetings at the regional groups, and expressed love feeling towards me, without any encouragement whatsoever on my part, stalking and harassing me persistently. I always declined her advances and was discreet when dealing with the situation to avoid hurting her feelings and exposing her before the members of the community. Nonetheless, my tactfulness exasperated Ms. Califano, who decided to organize a campaign to tarnish my reputation.
The setup: a script with false events
Ms. Califano states that I abused her on July 25, 2017, at a hotel in Japan, during a believers’ pilgrimage to the Head Temple. That night, at her request, I accompanied her to buy some special kitchen knives. We bought them, then she wanted to have something to eat and afterwards we returned to the hotel because everybody was returning to Buenos Aires the following day. On such occasion, she declared her love feelings towards me. I rejected her declaration with care so as not to hurt her. Nonetheless, the following days she started telling me that I had hurt her by taking advantage of her feelings. I would like to state that the subsequent abuse accusation is absolutely false and a slander. Moreover, in June 2018, an anonymous complaint on human trafficking against me and the Temple was filed with the Federal Prosecutor. After a thorough investigation, this complaint was dismissed in court. However, Ms. Califano appeared as plaintiff and requested the case to be reopened. In her sworn statement, apart from the abuse, she declared that after shopping in Japan, I took her, under threats, to the areas where prostitution is exercised where she was exhibited to some men. Obviously, such statements are false. All the members who have participated in the trips to Japan organized by the Temple, including Ms. Califano, may attest that such activities never took place. To this date, she is the only plaintiff regarding the human trafficking case. In her sworn statement, she also declared that I visited brothels. This is absolutely false and serious. Five days after the events she had reported, I received a message from her expressing her love feelings towards me.
I must add that, a month later, when I travelled to Córdoba to fulfill my spiritual duties, Ms. Califano travelled on her own and participated in the programmed events and ceremonies. Although she stayed at a female believer’s home who hosted her, she insisted on getting accommodation at the same hotel I was staying. On the day I was returning to Buenos Aires, she decided to board the same bus I was travelling on, instead of using the plane ticket she had previously bought for a later date. On the day of my birthday, in August, she sent me a kimd message wishing me a happy birthday. During September and October, she asked my opinion on several issues related to her role in the Temple. Our exchange was always correct and respectful. Three months after the alleged abuse, she expressed pity and sadness because I would not attend, along with other Buddhist mates, to a meeting to be held at her home.
Ms. Califano continued her spiritual practice normally until the end of October 2017, attending the Temple and displaying a personal and social behavior which was inconsistent with the behavior of a person that had been assaulted or abused. How is it possible for a person who was abused and exhibited to men for human trafficking purposes, as she claims, to behave in such manner before me and her colleagues?
I have already submitted those messages to the court. Moreover, many people can testify in relation to the aforementioned behavior of Ms. Califano during my stay in Córdoba, for example, the interpreter that travelled with me from Buenos Aires.
I would also wish to state that Ms. Califano is spreading a fake story about a non-existing person who claims to have been abused by me in a center where I practise sports, aiming at amplifying the case by tarnishing my honor. At the court’s request, Ms. Califano expressed that it was difficult to locate this person bacause she did not know her personally. Moreover, when learning about this complaint, the sports center’s manager immediately posted, in the blog that had released the news, that such person did not exist as a member of the institution, neither had attended it. Unfortunately, the blog’s owner deleted the message.
Reckless and malicious conduct
Ms. Califano also states that, after lodging her complaint, she was ill-treated by some colleagues and expelled. I must make it clear that this not true, since she herself decided to quit her Buddhist practice and communicated this to me via a Whatsapp message. However, me and several members received insulting and threatening messages and phone calls. Also, due to this slander campaign, we have become aware of comments in social networks publications inciting violence, such as: “set the temple on fire”, and repeated threats to me displaying profound bigotry.
In this respect, my family and the members of our religious community are really frightened by Ms. Califano’s actions so far. I deeply regret the suffering she is causing. At this moment, her aggressive and violent campaign prevents the Temple and its worshipers from enjoying a normal religious practice in a peaceful, free and tranquil social environment.
I would also wish to clearly express that abuse, whether psychological or physical, is always a despicable and repulsive act, no matter the circumstances.
Steps taken to confront discredit
Since the aggressions are increasing and nothing seems to stop Ms. Califano’s behavior, I have been forced to take formal measures (sending a return receipt letter; filing a misdemeanor complaint with the Buenos Aires City Prosecutor’s Office; a civil mediation, which Ms. Califano failed to attend), but to no avail. Presently, I have filed a civil complaint against Ms. Califano to stop her defamatory conduct, to publicly retract, to refrain from reproducing her unfounded slanderous and libelous allegations, and to pay for the damages inflicted. I must safeguard the inalienable right to my good name and integrity, honor and dignity, as well as Nichiren Shoshu’s cult and religious freedom.
About Nichiren Shoshu
Nichiren Shoshu is a Buddhist school founded more than 750 years ago in Taisekiji, Japan. It has 1086 priests, 698 temples in Japan and 33 distributed in the United States of America, Canada, Spain, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, and Brazil. It comprises 700,000 members and has been established in Argentina since 1960. The Temple located in Flores was opened in 1998. Nichiren Shoshu spreads worldwide the correct teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, for each individual’s joy as a starting point to achieve eternal world peace. Regarding the Spanish-speaking countries in South America, there are believers in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay and Bolivia, all centered at the Temple located in Argentina, where worship and educational activities are constantly conducted.
http://www.nichirenshoshu.or.jp/index.html