Temples of Kamakura in the Time of Nichiren
Minamoto-no-yoritomo attended the ceremony of celebrating the completion of the repairing of the Great Buddha of Nara in 1195. It is said that at that time he had a hope to have a Buddha-image of similar size in Kamakura to show his own political power. After his death, Idano-no-Tsubone, one of his mistresses, appealed to the Kamakura government for the permission to collect funds for the making of a Great Buddha in Kamakura in order “to fulfill the will of the late Shogun.” The government officials, who had wished to decorate the new political center by some means, willingly granted her request. With the cooperation of a priest called Joko, she collected funds from among the public. With this money and government subsidy, a wooden image of Great Buddha was completed in 1243. A hall to enshrine the image had already been completed in 1241. In 1248, however, both the image and the hall were destroyed by a storm. The reconstruction work started at once, and another image, made of bronze this time, was completed in 1252. Judging from the finger signs, this Great Buddha is undoubtedly Buddha Amitabha. It does not mean, however, that it belonged to the Jodo Sect from the beginning. In those days, as it is today, Buddha Amitabha was worshipped not only by the Jodo Sect but also by some other sects. Most probably Kotoku-in Temple, which is the name of the temple of which the Great Buddha is located in the precincts, was primarily a Shingon temple. Now it is a Jodo one.
Chikei, a disciple of Ryukan, founded Chorakuji Temple in KamaKura. This temple is now out of existence. Ryukan (1148-1227) was a disciple of Honen. Shin-a of Chosai’s school founded Jokomyoji Temple in Kamakura in 1251 under the patronage of Hojo Nagatoki. Chosai was a disciple of Honen. This temple now belongs to the Shingon Sect.
Ryokan (1217-1302) came to the Kanto district from nara in 1252. He stayed at Shoryo-in Temple in the Province of Hitachi and propagated the Ritsu Sect. He was invited to Kamakura by Hojo Shigetoki in 1259. At that time Shigetoki was living in the precincts of a temple called Gokurakuji at Fukasawa in Kamakura. The temple was dedicated to Buddha Amitabha, in whom Shigetoki was a fervent believer. It is said that he invited Ryokan in order to ask for his advice about a place to which the temple was to be moved, and that the temple was moved to the present site according to his advice. We do not know whether Ryokan continued to stay in Kamakura from then on. Shigetoki died at the new temple in 1261, and Ryokan was appointed the first chief priest of this temple in 1267. On this occasion the temple was affiliated to the Shingon Ritsu Sect.
The first Zen temple in Kamakura was Jufukuji founded by Eisai in 1200. Soon afterwards, Jomyoji was founded by Gyoyu, a disciple of Eisai. Eisai and Gyoyu attracted the Kamakura government more by their esoteric practices than by their Zen teachings. In 1252 the Chinese Zen master Doryu (1203-1278) came to Kamakura. The Shikken Hojo Tokiyori built him Kenchoji Temple in 1253. Tokiyori converted himself to Zen, and the Zen Sect became the religion of the main family of the Hojos.
There were many other temples in Kamakura in the time of Nichiren, but none of them was mentioned in his writing except Tahoji, which is now out of existence. We do not know anything about this temple except that it had some connection with Gokurakuji Temple.
Letter from Kublai Khan
On the eighteenth of the first month of 1268, the Korean envoy Pan-fu reached Dazaifu in Kyushu, carrying with him the credentials of the Kublai Khan of Mongolia and the King of Korea. In his letter Kublai expressed his wish to enter into diplomatic relations with Japan on condition that Japan would pay voluntary tributes to Mongolia. The letter was forwarded to Kamakura. The then Shikken Hojo Masamura forwarded the letter to the Imperial Court for consideration. The Emperor Kameyama discussed the matter with court officials, and two months later the conclusion was reached that no answer should be made. About this time the Regency of the Kamakura Government was transferred to Hojo Tokimune. The Korean envoy returned home with no result.
Hearing of the letter from the Mongolian Empire, Nichiren wrote to Hokanbo, probably the father of Hei-no-saemon-no-jo (Nagasaki Yoritsuna) on the fifth of the fourth month of the year. Yoritsuna was a personal secretary to the Shikken Hojo Tokimune. In his letter he said that his prophecy suggested in the Rissho-ankoku-ron was coming true, and that his appeal should be heard at once in order to defend Japan. He also sent a letter of similar contents to Yadoya-saemon-no-jo, through whom he had presented the Rissho-ankoku-ron to the then Ex-Regent Hojo Tokiyori in 1260. On the eleventh of the tenth month he sent letters to eleven persons representing the government and the Buddhist priesthood in Kamakura. The eleven persons addressed were the Shikken Hojo Tokimune, Yadoya-saemon-no-jo, Nagasaki Yoritsuna, Hojo Yagenta, J)orytl, Ryokan, and the chief priests of the Great Buddha Temple, Jufukuji, Jokornyoji, Tahoji, and Chorakuji. Hojo Yagenta was a member of the Hojo family and a sympathizer with Nichiren.
His letter to the Shikkcn Hojo Tokimunc runs:
“I hear that a letter came from a barbarian country in the west called Great Mongolia on the eighteenth of the first month. I foretold in the Rissho-ankoku-ron, which I wrote some years ago, that a foreign army would invade Japan. My prophecy has come true. I may not be far from a saint because I knew what had not yet happened. I will tell you again. Stop supporting the temples of Kenchoji, Jufukuii, Gokurakuji, Tahoji, Jokomyoji, and Daibutsu-den at once. Otherwise enemies will attack Japan from the four corners of the world. Defeat the Mongols and secure the peace of our country. I am the right man to pray for that. A country of which the government is ready to accept the remonstration submitted by a subject is always just and righteous; a family which has a son courageous enough to advise his father keeps always the right way of life. The peace of a country depends on the righteousness of the administration of the country. The truthfulness of a Buddhist teaching is approved by the words of sutras. Japan is the country of gods. The gods do not receive discourtesy. The seven-generation gods of heaven, the five-generation gods of earth, and all the other gods of Japan are protectors of the One Vehicle. Their food is the Lotus Sutra; and their strength, righteousness. They will be angry if we give up the teaching of the One Vehicle. In the Ninno-kyo Sutra it says that the seven difficulties will take place when the saints take leave. Now Japan is about to be ravaged by the Mongolians. How lamentable! How dreadful! You will regret unless you listen to me. I am the messenger of the Lotus Sutra. I also have written to some others. Collect them and have them discuss this matter. Stop requesting the other priests to pray. Collect the representatives of all sects, have them debate, and decide which teaching is right. A good carpenter finds the long pinewood lying in the bottom of a river. A wise man sees the beauty of brocade in the darkness. I do not say this for myself. I say this for the sake of the gods, for the sake of the country, for the sake of the Buddha, and for the sake of all the people of Japan.”
In his letter to Yadoya-saemon-no-jo he says:
”The prophecy which I made in the Rissho-ankoku-ron some years ago has turned out true. I hear that a letter came from a barbarian country in the west called Great Mongolia on the eighteenth of the first month. Judging from this, I may be a saint. But I have not yet received any response to my appeal. Stop following the other priests and convert yourself to the Lotus Sutra. Otherwise, you will regret later. I wrote to eleven persons altogether.”
His letter to Nagasaki Yoritsuna runs:
“I want to say something about the letter which came from Mongolia. The prophecy which I made in the Rissho-ankoku-ron some years ago has come true. You are the leader of the people of Japan. You know that Japan is now about to be destroyed. Be quick in expelling the enemies, in suppressing the slanderers of the right teachings of the Buddha. The Lotus Sutra reveals the One-Vehicle, the truth attained by the Buddhas. It provides food for the gods. When you receive this sutra by faith, the seven difficulties and the three calamities will be eliminated. I told this to you before, and you exiled me. It is natural that the sun, the moon and the stars should punish this country. Banish the priests you are following, and the gods will protect you. I wrote to eleven persons: Kamakura-dono (Hojo Tokimine); Yadoya-nyudo-dono; the chief priests of the temples of Kenchoji, Jufukuji, Gokurakuji, Daibutsuden, Chorakuji, Tahoji, and Jokomyoji; Yagenta-dono, and you. Discuss the matter with them, and reply. I do not say this for myself. I say this for the sake of the gods, for the sake of the Emperor, for the sake of the Buddha, and for the sake of all the people of Japan.”
He wrote to Hojo Yagenta as follows:
“All the people of Japan were surprised at the news that a letter came from Mongolia, but no one knows why. I already knew this long ago. I wrote a treatise about it and submitted it to the government. Coming events cast their shadows before. The earthquake which took place on the evening of the twenty-third of the eighth month of the first year of Shoka was a warning against the Mongolian invasion. Stop supporting the other sects and receive the Lotus Sutra by faith. Japan is about to be destroyed by the teachings of the Jodo, Shingon, Zen, and Ritsu Sects. Collect the representatives of those sects and decide which sutra is best. Defeat the Mongolian army and secure the peace of our country. Anyone who slanders the Lotus Sutra is the enemy of the Buddhas. The letter has come from Mongolia probably because the gods Tensho Daijin and Hachiman Daibosatsu ceased to protect our country. You may be captured and enslaved by the Mongols.”
To Doryu of Kenchoji Temple he wrote:
“Nowadays, Buddhist temples are built side by side, and sutras are heard at every household. Buddhism prospers in Japan more than in India or China, and the priests behave themselves like the Arhats of India. But they do not know which sutra is the most excellent. They do not know that Buddha Sakyamuni is our lord, teacher and parent. They worship some other Buddhas or Bodhisattvas. The Nembutsu Sect is the way to hell; the Zen Sect is an invention of maras; and the Ritsu Sect is hazardous to our country. I wrote the Rissho-ankoku-ron in the first year of Bunno and submitted it to the late Saimyoji-dono (Hoio Tokiyori) through the hands of Yadoya-nyudo. I wrote in this treatise that disasters took place one after another because the people of Japan believed in the teachings of the Nembutsu, Shingon, Zen, and Ritsu Sects and that Japan would be invaded by a foreign army for the same reason. A letter came from Mongolia on the eighteenth of the first month of this year. This shows that my prophecy has come true. Are the Mongols coming because the prayers of the priests became less effective or because their teachings are wrong? Now the people of Kamakura respect you like a Buddha. They honor Ryokan-Shonin like an Arhat. The chief priests of the temples of Jufukuji, Tahoji, Jokomyoji, Chorakuji, and Daibutsu-den are arrogant. They should not pray for the defense of our country against the great army of Mongolia. If they do, the people of Japan will be captured. Those priests will destroy Japan and go to hell after their death. I already wrote to Kamakura-dono, Yadoya-nyudo-dono, and Hei-no-saemon-dono that they would regret unless they accept my advice. Collect those priests and discuss the matter with them. This is not my personal opinion, but a conclusion arrived at by the words of sutras and commentaries. I hope I can tell you more when I see you again.”
His letter to Ryokan of Gokurakuji Temple runs:
“I already wrote to Kamakura-dono and others about the letter from the Great Mongolia, a barbarian country in the west. My prophecy which I made in the Rissho-ankoku-ron in the first year of Bunno has come true. Stop mocking at me. Follow me at once. You being a high priest submitted a false report on me to the government. This is what you should not do. It is presumptuous of you to do this. You are a traitor. You will go to hell in your next life. If you feel sorry for that, follow me. The best way to decide which view is right is to have a public debate. To compare the teachings of the Lotus Sutra with those resembling the Lesser Vehicle is to compare the Yang-tze River with small streams or to compare Mt. Sumeru with small mountains. You should know how to pray for the victory over Mongolia. I am the first-ranked practicer of the Lotus Sutra in Japan. I am the head of the army to defeat Mongolia.”
A Mongolian envoy came to Japan in 1268 soon after the return of the Korean one. He returned home empty-handed, so did the second one who came in 1269. At the end of the year, Nichiren wrote a postscript to the Rissho-ankoku-ron, which runs:
“I began to write this treatise in the years of Shoka and completed it in the first year of Bunno (1260). Eight years after that, that is, on the eighteenth of the first leap month of the fifth year of Bunnei, a letter came from the Great Mongolia in the west. It says in the letter that the army of that country will attack our country. Another letter of the same contents came this year. My prophecy given in the Rissho-ankoku-ron has come true. I think I can make more prophecies hereafter. This treatise is approved by facts. I wrote this not by my own power but by my faith in the Lotus Sutra. I write this postscript on the eighth of the twelfth month of the sixth year of Bunncl.”
About this time Nichiren was troubled more and more by the priests and laymen of other sects. He describes this in his autobiography:
“The Nembutsu, Ritsu, and Shingon priests realized that they were not intelligent enough to debate with me, and that, to their disappointment, their appeal to the government against me was not heard. Now they approached the ladies of high officials and made a false report on me to them. They said, ‘Nichiren says that the late Saimyoji-nyudo-dono (Hojo Tokiyori) and Gokurakuji-nyudo-dono (Hojo Shigetoki) are now in hell. He says that the temples of Kenchoji, Jufukuji, Gokurakuji, Chorakuji, and Daibutsuden should be burnt and that Doryu and Ryokan should be heheaded.’ How could it be that I was not to be punished.”