Nikko Shonin
Departure from Minobu

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When Minbu Niko made a pilgrimage to Minobu some time in the spring of 1285 (the eighth year of the Koan Period), Nikko Shonin welcomed him and appointed him study proctor of student priests. Before his return to Minobu, however, Niko had enjoyed a more relaxed life in Kamakura, which in the end made it impossible for him to behave in accordance with Nikko Shonin’s strictly orthodox faith. By the end of the following year, Niko’s divergent attitudes were becoming obvious.

At the same time, the Lord of Minobu, Hagiri Sanenaga, was won over by Niko’s relaxed attitudes and turned a deaf ear to Nikko Shonin’s repeated warnings. Ultimately, Lord Hagiri committed four major slanders by commissioning a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha for use as an object of worship, visiting the Mishima Shinto Shrine, donating a stupa to the Nembutsu sect in Fukushi and paying for the construction of a Nembutsu temple.

A passage from “Reply to Misawa-bo” reads: “Should the lord of the manor slander the true Law, I will not reside in this place.” (Seiten, p. 555) The Daishonin had already warned Nikko Shonin of this possibility. When Nikko Shonin realized that the moment had in fact arrived when Minobu was no longer an appropriate home for the Daishonin’s soul, he made up his mind to leave.

The following excerpt from “Reply to Lord Hara” describes the anguish that Nikko Shonin felt over leaving Minobu: 

It is difficult to express the shame and loathing with which I leave this valley of Minobu, but my constant concern is that wherever I go, clearly, I must continue to uphold the Daishonin’s doctrines and establish them in the world. Be that as it may, the master’s other disciples have all betrayed him. Only I, Nikko, comprehend our original master’s truth, and since I know that I must fulfill the master’s will without error, I must never forget his original intent. (Seiten, p. 560)

In the spring of 1289 (the second year of the Sho’o Period), Nikko Shonin and his disciples left the Minobu valley, carrying with them the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teaching, the Daishonin’s remains, his writings, and other treasured articles. The party stayed briefly at the home of Nikko Shonin’s maternal grandfather, Yui Nyudo, who lived in Kawai, in the modern-day Shibakawa-cho area of Fuji District. Thereafter, Nikko Shonin and his disciples moved to Ueno at the invitation of Nanjo Tokimitsu, also known as Lord Ueno, who had been one of the Daishonin’s most devoted patrons. Lord Ueno donated a parcel of land where Nikko Shonin built a temple residence called Jibutsudo, which was later renamed Shimo-no-bo.

Hagiri Sanenaga’s slander of the true Law might appear to have been the direct catalyst for Nikko Shonin’s departure from Mt. Minobu, but the true reason is revealed in “The Document for Entrusting the Law that Nichiren Propagated throughout His Life,” which contains the following directive, “You are to establish the High Sanctuary of Honmonji at Mt. Fuji.” (Gosho, p. 1675)

 Nikko Shonin  |  Constant Service and Propagation of the True Law  |  Two Transfer Documents: The Great Master of Propagation of the Essential Teaching  |  Departure from Minobu  |  The Establishment of Taisekiji  |  Omosu Seminary: Differentiating the One from the Five |  Tale of the Pear Leaves  |  Differentiating the One from the Five  |  Other Facts and Disciples  |  The Twenty-six Admonitions of Nikko

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