Gongyo (the Nichirensho Sect) (勤行 (日蓮正宗))

Gongyo is 'shojin' (virya, devotional exercises) of Buddhism. It is also one of religious ceremonies including regular dokuju (chanting sutras) and prayers for honzon (major statue of a temple) such as statue of Buddha. The manners of the ceremony are different in each sect. It is a Buddhist term.

In the Nichirensho sect and the sects originated from the same dharma as the Nichirensho sect including Soka Gakkai, Shoshinkai and Fujitaisekiji Kenshokai, believers every morning and evening chant (called 'dokuju') the opening of Hoben-bon (until Junyoze [ten factors of life]) and Juryo-bon of Hoke-kyo (Saddharmapundariika-sutra, the Lotus Sutra) and chant the important spell of the Nichiren sect (called 'shodai') for a Mandala, the honzon of the Nichirensho sect.

Besides, in the head temple of the Nichirensho sect and some temples, the believers perform one of gongyo 'shodai-gyo' in which the believers have to keep chanting the spell for one hour.

The Gongyo of Soka Gakkai

In Soka Gakkai, every morning and night the believers continue a practice of chanting some parts of Hokke-kyo and the spell of the Nichiren sect as a gongyo.
In the past, the believers had chanted hoben (Hoben-bon) and jigage (Nyoraijuryo-bon) five times every morning and three times every night; this practice had been called 'goza, sanza.'
However, recently it has been simplified into only one chanting each gongyo due to the increase of overseas members and other problems.

[Original Japanese]