Seiji Chihara’s Bullied Kid Remark Sparks Backlash in Buddhist and TV Circles
Reported that he had become a Tendai sect monk, Reverend Seiken Chihara
Seiji Chihara (55), a member of the comedy duo Chihara Brothers and also a monk of the Tendai sect, has found his remarks about being a bullied kid spreading waves of controversy.
The uproar came from a July 18th video on his own YouTube channel Seijin Toko, featuring a discussion with Yusuke Kawai, a city councilor from Toda, Saitama.
In a debate themed around foreign resident issues, the exchange escalated when Seiji taunted Kawai:
“You were a bullied kid, weren’t you? Yeah? You come from being bullied! Hahaha!”
Kawai shot back:
“You’re making fun of bullied kids! Everyone, spread this! Sponsors, are you okay with this?”
The video remains online, surpassing 1.41 million views as of July 29, and has become a major talking point.
Seiji had previously attracted attention in May last year when he announced on social media that he had become a Tendai monk under the name Reverend Seiken Chihara. His reputation for being rough and lacking delicacy only fueled public reaction. Later in November, he revealed that he had been appointed as an advisor to the Japan Buddhist Association.
However, around the same time as this controversy, the Japan Buddhist Association announced that Seiji had already expressed his intent to resign as an advisor two months earlier — seemingly unrelated to the current uproar.
Even so, social media erupted with criticism:
“Is this what Tendai monks are like?”
“Seiji’s finished.”
And it wasn’t just online voices — the Buddhist world itself began to speak out.
At Sūkōji Temple in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Chief Priest Yoshiki Edahiro runs a YouTube channel called Edapoyo Jūshoku. On July 23, he uploaded a video. Although Edahiro belongs to the Jōdo Shinshū sect, he expressed criticism of Seiji’s remarks and explained:
“Tendai ordination (tokudo) is basically the state of being a trainee monk. Honestly, anyone can become one. There’s no training or test required. If you say you want to do it, you can. As long as you find a teacher monk to become your mentor and enter as their disciple, in practice anyone can do it.”
He seemed to suggest that merely receiving tokudo and then calling oneself a monk felt questionable.
bullied kid remark and human rights issues
On top of that,
“Chihara Seiji being regarded as a Tendai sect monk and the criticism that what kind of Tendai monk is this? is, from the perspective of actual Tendai monks, quite painful,”
he said, showing consideration for the real monks. Furthermore, a monk from Kamakura’s Yakuoji Temple posted on X similarly:
“As a monk of a traditional Buddhist sect, I say this: those who criticized the Tendai sect, please correct yourselves and apologize. The Tendai sect has done nothing wrong. This is an unwarranted backlash of the century.”
It seems that Seiji calling himself a Tendai monk has even impacted the Tendai sect.
Moreover, the controversy is spreading into his main profession in the television industry.
“The biggest problem is that Seiji has still not apologized at all,” said a TV station insider.
“Last year, when Fuwachan had her verbal outburst scandal, she sincerely apologized but still hasn’t been able to fully return. The bullied kid remark disregards human rights, so it is completely unacceptable on TV. TV station executives are wary of sponsors’ reactions and are concerned about putting Seiji on programs. Bullying happens in everyday life, and seeing Seiji might make some people recall unpleasant past experiences.” (TV station insider)
Seiji is set to guest star in episode 4 of the drama Nōmen Kenshi (TV Tokyo) airing on August 1. On social media, some comments express disgust at his appearance.
“Seiji plays the chairman of a school involved in a bribery scandal linked to a national land sale issue. His role is essential to the plot, so they cannot just cut his scenes. At worst, episode 4 might be shelved, but as of now, the station has no plans to take such measures,” said a TV Tokyo insider.
When asked about the possibility of cutting Seiji’s scenes or shelving the episode, TV Tokyo responded:
“We do not comment on the content of individual programs.”
Seiji may have spoken out of turn in a heat-of-the-moment response. Even in Fuwachan’s case, she admitted her mistake on X, but sponsors and the program responded strictly. It remains to be seen how far the ripple effects of this controversy will spread.
