Nichiren Fuji School Nichirenism NST Sanmibo Atsuhara Niko

Nikko Shonin

Brief

Nikko Shonin: (1246-1333) Byakuren Ajari Nikko, One of Nichiren Daishonin's successors and considered his direct successor by the Fuji School. According to them, he is the one who inherited the true Kechimyaku of the Law from his teacher, Nichiren. He is listed as the second High priest of the Fuji lineage. He is also given mention as having been a chief priest of Mt. Minobu Temple.

Nikko Shonin was one of the six priests who followed Nichiren Daishonin and who were appointed to succeed him. He is also acknowledged to have been the first Rector of Kuon-ji after Nichiren died since the other priests were all "too busy" with their respective geographical duties to take turns watching his grave or administering the Minobu school. Nikko Shonin was a dedicated and "strict" teacher, who is said to have exiled a student for watching a leaf fall while hearing a lecture. Aside from collecting, annotating, and helping Nichiren write some of his Gosho, Nikko is said to have established an oral tradition in his school that eventually produced a number of works ranging from the "Ongi Kuden" (compellation of oral teachings) to possibly apocryphal works. He is said to have authored the Twenty six admonitions just before passing in 1333.

Nikko left Mt. Minobu, and in the process he opened a schism with his fellow Senior priests which continues to this day. His school subsequently developed, known as the "Fuji School", transfer documents "proving" that he had been appointed direct successor, but unfortunately either the originals were stolen and lost, or the works that "prove" his role as successor were apocryphal in the first place.

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Table of Contents
Topics on This page:Outside linked pages:
Early Years of Nikko Shonin Issues regarding the transfer documents
Conversion Nichiren and his biography
Years at Mt. Minobu and occurences there The six priests
Fight with Niko Shonin Page on Niko Shonin
Departure from Minobu More on the Fuji Schools
Life at the Base of Mt. MinobuFuji Legacy of Nichiren's schools

Early years

The second high priest of Nichiren Shoshu and the founder of its head temple, Taiseki-ji, and of what was to be known as the "Fuji School". He was born at Kajikazawa in Koma District of Kai Province. His father's name was O[h]i no Kitsuroku and his mother belonged to the Yui family in Fuji. When he was four or five, his father passed away, and his mother remarried to man named Tsunashima Kurotaro Nyudo. So he was raised by his maternal grandfather. At the age of seven he entered Shijuku-in, a Tendai temple in Suruga Province, where, in addition to the Tendai doctrine, he studied the Chinese classics, Japanese literature, poetry, calligraphy and other subjects. Shijuku-in was closely affiliated with Jisso-ji, another Tendai temple in nearby Iwamoto.1

Conversion

In 1258 Nichiren Daishonin visited Jisso-ji to do research in its sutra library in preparation for the writing of his "Rissho Ankoku Ron." While authoring Rissho Ankoku Ron, Nichiren Daishonin lived at Jissoji Temple in the second month of 1258, while he perused all the sutras. Nikko Shonin became his disciple during his stay. Nikko Shonin became Nichiren Daishonin's disciple when the former was between 13 and 15 years old. Nikko had an opportunity to serve him there, and was moved to become the Daishonin's disciple, receiving the name Hoki-bo Nikko.

Activities as a Disciple

From that time on, he devotedly served the Daishonin. He joined the Daishonin in his exile to Izu, where he converted the Shingon priest Kongo-in Gyoman who then took the name Nichigyo and renamed his temple Daijo-ji (Mahayana temple). Nichido Shonin records in Biographies of the Three Masters, that when the Daishonin was punished on the twelfth day of the ninth month of the eighth year of Bunei[1272], (Nikko Shonin) served him on Sado Island. He was 26 years old. Hoki-bo (Nikko Shonin) served him at the place of exile for four years, and when the Daishonin was pardoned on the fourth day of the second month of the eleventh year of Bunnei, he accompanied the Daishonin to Kamakura on the twenty-six day of the third month.

With the Daishonin to Minobu

After the Daishonin returned from Sado and had his third remonstration with the government, he decided to leave Kamakura. At that time Lord Hakiri Sanenaga, who also was one of Nikko's converts, the steward of the area that included Mt. Minobu, for the Daishonin to live in retirement there. The Daishonin departed Kamakura on the twelfth day of the fifth month. He left stating,

It is a rule of wise men and sages to enter the mountains if, after three remonstrations to the nation, their words are not heeded.

He went to Mt. Minobu of Hakiri Village of Iinomimaki in Kai Province, to a fief of Nanbu Rokuro Nyudo, a believer converted by Nikko Shonin.1

Nikko Shonin, like the other senior disciples, was quite active. Since his home base was "Suruga" and was near both Mt. Fuji and Mt. Minobu, he was able to cycle between his childhood temple at Shijuku-In where he was registered as a priest and Minobu, where his master was staying. He also carried out efforts in propagation centered in Kai, Suruga and Izu.

Recording the Ongi Kuden

The Fuji School tells us that he recorded the lectures on the Lotus Sutra which the Daishonin gave to his disciples at Minobu and compiled them as the "Ongi Kuden". This is possible as he and other Suruga based disciples were in and out of Minobu Temple constantly. (Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings) in January 1278. Only trouble is with the timeline. This was also the time of the Atsuhara persecution The Atsuhara persecution began in 1276 when Nikko petitioned to remove the chief priest Gyoichi of Ryuzenji Temple. It continued until late in 1279 culminating in October in the famed execution of the three villagers by Hei No Saemon.

Such lessons are referred to as "kuden" (or oral teachings), and like all such "kuden" teachings, they are an inherited tradition of Nichiren and Tendai schools and not necesarilly even the words of Nikko alone. Because they were initially oral and secret will never know how much of those lectures actually came from Nichiren himself and how much are later interpolations. There are similar teachings at Minobu, which tells me that at least they share a common history. Kuden teachings were passed down as "secret teachings" meant for selected disciples and often later teachers would add, subtract, and otherwise creatively rewrite them. Over the centuries works attributed to Nichiren came to look suspiciously like works attributed to Tendai scholars. What little argument for pure fealty rests on the fact that the "Ongi Kuden" are very similar to Kuden teachings claimed to have been recorded by his rival (Sado-bo or Minbu Niko Shonin) and kept in Mt. Minobu. However, the content of those lectures shows the obvious marks of years of editing and reworking. Like all oral traditions its actual origins with Nichiren are doubtful. Rather it is the product of the "Lineage" itself.(For more on this see literal.html or apocryphal.html). We may never know which of these teachings originated with Nichiren, Nikko, or later disciples.

For more on this visit:
Literal page, or apocryphal, and Fuji School
Sanmibo Nichijo
Atsuhara Persecution

Propagation activities And Atsuhara Persecution

What we do know is that in starting in 1275 and reaching peaks in 1278/1279 he was having problems in the temple he had registered at. He had converted several of his fellow resident priests, including his younger colleague Nichiji, who later became one of the six seniors (and seems to have died in China). In doing so, however, he drew the suspicious eye of the temple's administrator Gon'yo, who petitioned the government in 1278 to have Nikko Shonin and the others expelled on the grounds that they were spreading heresy. Nichiren Daishonin wrote an appeal calling for a debate to settle the issue, but it was ignored.2

Nikko had to leave his childhood temple. He next went to a small temple at Atsuhara named Ryusen-ji temple. Apparantly he took some priests with him and he also began to convert people, and again he fell into conflict with the local administration. This time in the person of a "Nyudo" monk, who was probably really the local "Jito" named Gyochi. converted to the Daishonin's teaching. As the number of converts, including farmers, increased, so did the pressure on the Daishonin's followers. First among them to be persecuted were young priests who were expelled from Shijuku-in. The deputy chief priest Gyochi threatened the priests, including Nisshu, Nichiben and Nichizen, whom Nikko Shonin had converted, and he harassed their lay converts. Nikko wrote a petition that attacked Gyochi, and Gyochi retaliated by trumping up charges against both the lay disciples and the ordained ones, and then appealing to Kamakura. Hei no Saemon rounded up the local "renegade priests" (priests who were basically declared enemies of Nichiren often while continuing to claim to be "disciples" on some doctrinal matters) and travelled to Atsuhara. Nichiren sent his disciples to help Nikko, including Sadobo and Sanmibo. Eventually Gyochi had twenty farmers who were believers arrested on September 21, 1279, and the three of them were beheaded on October 15. Sadobo Niko helped Nikko deal with the situation as did other visitors and a local Jito named Nanjo Tokimitsu. But Sanmibo Nichigyo betrayed the Daishonin, possibly out of unwillingness to share the "lead" with Nikko. He joined the renegade priests, and tragically he and two others died miserable deaths after being thrown from their horses. For more on this incident read about Sanmibo.

This incident is known as the Atsuhara Persecution. Both he and Sado-bo (Niko) were praised for the "itai doshin" with which they resolved the crises. And the Jito of a nearby village, Ueno village, Nanjo Tokimitsu, who was then extremely young, was praised for his role as "sage" Ueno. All these were very young men, they gave hope to Nichiren that the banner would be passed and never dropped.

Succession and years at Minobu

According to the traditions of the Fuji School, Nichiren Daishonin, feeling that his death was near, designated Nikko Shonin as his successor in two transfer documents(for more on the transfer documents follow this link: transfer.html), one written in September 1282 at Minobu and the other on the day of his death, October 13, 1282, at Ikegami. The latter document also stated that Nikko Shonin should be high priest of Kuon-ji temple at Minobu. He also appointed six priests to be "senior priests" because that is how many it takes to perform a Mahayana Ordination Ceremony and he wanted to establish his own ordination platform. (See Nichirenism or sixpriests.html) If these documents were actually written, they were disregarded, because Nissho and Nichiro both regarded him as "junior" in seniority, and you don't see much mention of them in the verified correspondences between the priests. These transfer documents may well have been written later in order to bolster Nikko's case that his was the only correct lineage of Nichiren's teachings subsequent to Nichiren's death.

Chief Priest of Minobu Temple

After the Daishonin's funeral, Nikko Shonin and the other priests brought his ashes to Minobu and placed them in a tomb. On the hundredth day following Nichiren Daishonin death, he held a memorial service. At that time eighteen priests - the six senior priests and twelve of their disciples - were appointed to attend the tomb on a rotation basis, one of the six seniors or two of his disciples watching over it each month. This "rotational system" was designed to provide a chance for reflection and study for the priests, and probably to enforce unity between them. Nikko and his leading disciples took it seriously from the beginning, the other priests seemed to feel "too busy" to take the rotational system seriously. As a result of illness Nikko even had to stay at Minobu when it was the other priests turn. He didn't like that they didn't come to "relieve him" as promised.

The Problematic Lord Hakiri

Lord Hakiri had always been a problematic, if generous, Jito. According to one version of the story of what happened after Nichiren's death, this became a reason for a time for the other 5 priests to refuse to visit Minobu. This left Nikko and his disciples to tend Minobu almost full time for nearly 3 years from 1282-1285. Nikko complains about this in a letter written around 1284 to one, in "Reply to Mimasaka-bo," written on the eighteenth day of the tenth month in 1284, shortly after the memorial service commemorating the third anniversary of the passing of Nichiren Daishonin.(see Mimisaka) Also (see hara and sixpriests.html).

Since I had been intending to contact you, I am very pleased to have this opportunity to write to you. This year marks the third anniversary of the Daishonin's passing, but I have taken ill and have not been feeling well. When I recovered and regained my health, I had been intending to travel to any location to partake in the memorial services for our Master. But I have not recovered and have been unable to do as I had planned. I am disappointed and regret the fact that I have been unable to go everywhere I please to attend the services.

"The succession has changed and the third anniversary marking the passing of the Daishonin has already come and gone. The government must have taken some action with the treatise "On Securing the Peace of the Land Through the Propagation of True Buddhism (Rissho ankoku ron)," but do you have any information? The government will undoubtedly handle the treatise in some way, but I have recently been unable to go to Kamakura to get apprised of the latest news.

"Even now, my ill health has been preventing me from engaging in many activities. Thus, I have been unable to listen to what you have to say in person and have been left pretty much in the dark. Since the fall of this year, I have consulted Jakunichi-bo on many occasions to arrange to visit you at your residence, but I have been unable to go. More than anything else, it is absolutely deplorable that the Daishonin's grave site in the valley of Minobu has totally dilapidated from neglect and is defaced by the hoof tracks of deer. The Daishonin told me in his will:

"If the steward Hakiri turns his back to the Law, my spirit will cease to reside in Minobu."

I have not observed any particularly inappropriate behavior on his part, however. Moreover, I, Nikko, have on my person a letter from our Master stating:

"In all of Japan, not a single person was willing to accept me, but Lord Hakiri accepted me. Thus, I would like my grave site to be within Hakiri's domain, since trouble will undoubtedly arise while the head of state is unwilling to embrace true Buddhism." This is a matter that has been determined for generations to come, so how can one even posit the notion that the Daishonin's spirit does not reside in Minobu? After all, if there is unlawful behavior on the part of the steward, then it is only right to set him straight. How, then, can we even consider abandoning his tomb? Even the lowest of common folk in society will be critical of us if we forsake the Daishonin, our true Master. while we upheld the doctrine to never abandon the Master." (Nichiren Shoshu Seiten p. 554)

Arguments with the other Leaders

Nikko argued with the other priests that they should take the rotational system seriously. Nichiren had intended them to take turns in "retreat" from worldly concerns and chanting the daimoku. Such "retreats" would have allowed them to refresh themselves in mind, spirit, and unity. But they don't seem to have taken that idea seriously, or even understood it. Instead two of them, Nissho and Nichiro, instead of visiting Minobu on Nichiren's second anniversary (one year after his parinirvana ceremony and thus 1 year and 100 days after his death) decided to rewrite the Rissho Ankoku Ron. This they submitted in 1284. Nissho submitted this revised Rissho Ankoku Ron, (what Nikko refers to in the second paragraph), that incorporated Nichiren's criticisms of Shingon and Tendai Esotericism.

Nikko knew this would be controversial. He felt, presciently it turns out, that that would set off new controversies and maybe even persecutions. Nichiren had warned that only a person of "great wisdom" should directly confront Tendai and Shingon. Nichiren had been angling towards a formal debate where such things could be discussed in context. As a consequence he had made each of his letters criticizing Tendai and Shingon "secret" transmissions so that the content of those debates wouldn't be compromised by public distortion. This was a wise course and that is demonstrated by the fact that Nichiren monks won practically every fair debate they engaged in. There are a considerable number of Nichiren Temples that entered the Sangha in that manner.

Sure enough a direct confronation was a mistake that would have bitter consequences and sure enough it was. The "five elder priests" were forced to take the position that they were Tendai Priests in order to avoid being defrocked and possibly even killed by the Kamakura authorities. By making overt criticisms they had at one and the same time made Tendai their bitter rivals, closed any chance of getting Nichirenism accepted within the Tendai System and at the same time forced themselves to declare themselves as Tendai Priests! It was the worst of actions.

After that they were unable to come to Minobu even if they wanted to. None of them returned regularly to fulfill their obligation of attending the Daishonin's tomb. Within a few years the tomb was dilapidated and in bad shape. I suspect that Nikko was complaining as much about their stupidity in taking unilateral action as he was complaining about the conditions of his tomb when he wrote his letter. (See hara.html)

Enter Niko Shonin

Nikko had been friends with Niko Shonin and indeed with all the priests. Before the Daishonin's death they had worked well together and been praised in the Gosho "On Itai Doshin". Niko was known as "Sado-bo" for accompanying Nichiren to Sado Island, and Nikko was known as "Hokkibo" probably for the purity of his attitude towards Buddhism. On the other hand he was out of town when Nichiren's health began to fail, and so was one of two of the six senior priests who was unable to attend to him at Ikegami Munenaki's house. Nikko was glad when Niko travelled to join him from Mobara. No doubt he had even asked for his help. Nikko Shonin immediately appointed him chief instructor of the priests. Later he would come to regret doing so. Later he (or his disciples in apocrypha) would allege that under Niko's influence, Hakiri Sanenaga commissioned a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, made pilgrimages to Shinto shrines, contributed to the building of a Nembutsu monument and even had a Nembutsu temple erected. Niko would later explain that he did no such thing, but merely had tried to guide Lord Hakiri to practicing Nichiren's teachings without offending him. He maintained that his face saving solutions to Lord Hakiri's problems had been entirely appropriate. Here is Jacqueline Stone says:

She goes on to write about the schism between Nikko and the other 5 elder priests:

"The Fuji school was the product of the first schism within the Hokkeshu, which is said to have occurred in the following manner. After Nichiren 's death, in accordance with his wishes, the six senior disciples established a rotating custodianship of his grave on Mt. Minobu. Each of the six was to watch over the grave for two months out of the year. However, each had his own local following to attend to, and those in Kamakura had to contend with suppression from bakufu officials, which had been renewed following Nichiren 's death. The watch was soon reduced from two months to one, and additional monks were added to the rotation. For logistical reasons, these additional monks came largely from among Nikko's followers, who were based chiefly in Kai and Suruga provinces. Even with these modifications, however, the watch proved difficult to maintain. Within two years, the custodianship system seems to have broken down entirely. When Nikko arrived at Minobu in 1284 for the founders third annual memorial service (that is, two years after Nichiren 's death), he found the gravesite desolate and neglected and resolved to reside permanently on the mountain in order to protect it. Not long after, Minbu Ajari Niko, another of the six leading disciples, was able to return to Minobu and took up residence there. While Nikko held overall responsibility for Kuonji, the temple that had been established on Minobu, Niko became its doctrinal instructor (gakuto). Before long, friction developed between the two. According to Fuji sectarian histories, their disagreement concerned the behavior of Hakii Nanbu Rokuro Sanenaga, the jito or steward of Minobu and lay patron of Nichiren while the latter had lived on the mountain. Sanenaga is said to have committed the following acts, which in Nikko's mind violated the pure exclusivism of Nichiren 's teaching:

  1. ) He enshrined an image of Sakyamuni and refused to heed Nikko's admonition that such an image was not that of the original Buddha of the "Fathoming the Lifespan" chapter, unless flanked by additional images of the four bodhisattvas;
  2. ) he visited and worshiped at a shrine in Mishima, which Nikko saw as a violation of Nichiren 's teaching, expressed in the Rissho ankoku ron, that the kami have abandoned the country
  3. ) he made offerings for the construction of a Pure Land stupa in Fuji.

Though it was Nikko who had originally converted Sanenaga, the jito now refused to accept his remontrances and eventually transferred his allegiance to Niko, whose more tolerant, accommodating attitude contrasted with Nikko's strict purism. This, it is said, led to a rupture between the two and Nikko's departure."

Qualifications

She goes on to write:

"However, this traditional account may be subject to qualification. It is possible that Nikko felt compelled to leave Minobu not on account of Sanenaga's "slanderous acts," but because, despite Nikko's own close connections to the mountain, Minbu Ajari Niko had been chosen over him by the other leading disciples to be Minobu's chief abbot. Whatever the reason, Nikko felt he could no longer reasonably remain on Minobu, and he left early in 1289. A letter written from him to a follower laments the necessity of his departure. Returning to his home in Suruga Province, he established two temples; the Taisekiji in the Fuji district, and the Honmonji in the neighboring district of Omosu. Most of this life was spent at Omosu, where he established a seminary and trained a number of talented followers" 2

Stephanie Maltz, writing on the basis of other sources says

"Modern scholars generally downplay the rivalry between Nikko and the rest of the elders. They give reasons other than Sanenaga's three slanderous acts to explain Nikko's departure. They cite the personality conflict between Nikko and Niko, the relative isolation of Nikko from the rest of his collegues, and the Fuji-line (Nikko's) desire to monopolize legitimacy."

The odd thing is that these are the same scholars who deny that there is any justification to that claim by Nikko and his school. And these are the same scholars who refuse to openly criticize Nissho or Nichiro for what could only have seemed an act of unpreparedness. In any case Nikko had reasons for conflicts with them. Nissho and Nichiro had both signed themselves as "Tendai shamon" (Tendai monk)."maltz back in 1284. Nissho and Nichiro did more than merely declare themselves to be priests of the Tendai sect. They genuinely seem to have felt that Nichiren's teachings had been in the true spirit of that school. Expecially after a mob nearly burned their temples and killed them for criticizing Tendai. Doing so was the only way they could avoid brutal suppression of the whole school. They seem to have genuinely felt that Nichiren's mission was to reform the Tendai Sect and bring it back to proper appreciation of the Lotus Sutra. But they might not have had to do this if they hadn't incited the Tendai And Shingon sects by openly criticizing them in public rather than pressing for a debate where differences could be settled in a more measured and formal context. (for more on this see page on Nissho and Nichiro)

It was only natural that they should take Niko's side in his desire to become a "permanent" chief rector when Lord Hakiri suggested that that was the best thing to do. The conflict had built from 1283, when they had refused to come to take their turns tending Nichiren's grave, to 1289 when they finally ended Nikko's isolation by forcing him to leave Minobu.

A Place of Slander

Whoever instigated the situation, the truth is that Niko did indeed undermine Nikko's position with Lord Hakiri. Niko, who when he was in Kamakura had sided with the 4 other elder priests that Lord Hakiri was slandering the Dharma with his behavior, when he was supposed to be working with Nikko to get Lord Hakiri to redress his behavior, instead of supporting Nikko's efforts, suddenly came up with a way for Lord Hakiri to save face and won his "favor." Niko simply had Lord Hakiri do various acts of repentance, such as placing a Lotus Sutra in the Statue of Shakyamuni he had donated, and allowing him to rationalize his donation of materials for a Jodo Temple as being simple "humanitarian aide." This made Niko look good, and Nikko look like someone who was ungreatful and doctrinaire. Nikko Shonin had repeatedly had warned Lord Hakiri that such acts were in flagrant contradiction to the Daishonin's Buddhism, so when Niko supported him in this way, Nikko felt that he'd been undermined. He rightly blamed Niko more than Lord Hakiri.

By 1288 Nikko Shonin had been thoroughly undermined. At the seventh anniversary of Nichiren's passing (probably January 1289) Lord Hakiri proposed that Niko be made permanent rector, despite the fact that Niko already had a base of operations in Mobara and Nikko had been Nichiren's "secretary" and thus defacto head of Minobu since before Nichiren's passing. Nikko could no longer maintain any kind of authority. He concluded that Minobu had become a "place of slander." This was in 1289. In essence he had been "upstaged" and betrayed by his junior and former friend, Minbu Niko. Where there had been true unity, there was unilateralism, jockeying for position, and religious politics. Niko, who should have consulted with him and worked with him, or at least supported his efforts with Lord Hakiri had succeeded in undermining him instead.

Departure from Minobu

Seeing his situation was untennable and feeling that he could no longer protect the Daishonin's teachings at Mt. Minobu, Nikko Shonin left in the spring of 1289 acccording to fuji tradition, taking the Dai-Gohonzon, the Daishonin's ashes and other treasures with him. He also -- undoubtedly -- took a number of acolytes and junior priests with him (at least half). Thus this was a genuine and soon to be permanent schism and he had not simply left in a huff over face issues. Nearly as soon as he left, the five elder priests sure enough allowed Lord Hakiri to appoint Niko as the permanent rector of Minobu Temple. They wouldn't have to take turns in the rotation anymore, and they could later feign genuine surprise when Nikko castigated them for going against Buddhism.

Nikko after, almost immediately began lumping them together and criticizing them all severely. He genuinely felt that he was the only one who truly understood Nichiren's teachings "correctly." That attitude was the foundation of the fujischool.html

Nikko was also seeking a place where he could practice unobstructed and that was lovely enough to serve as "honmonji" in the event they ever converted the "emperor." He stayed for a while at the home of his maternal grandfather in Kawai of Fuji District, but soon moved to Nanjo Tokimitsu's estate at the latter's invitation. Nikko Shonin built a small temple known as the Dai-bo at Oishigahara, a tract of land donated by Lord Nanjo. His disciples also established their lodging temples surrounding the head temple of Nichiren Shoshu.2 This temple was to be dominated by the Tokimitsu clan up up until the present day.

Omosu Seminary

Nikko remained at Taisekiji only about a year, however, and then moved two miles away to the village of Omosu. In 1298 he remodelled his hermitage into a temple, which he called (Kitayama) Hommon-ji. He hoped that this temple would be completely independent and was trying to avoid having family issues over his head such as he had had at Minobu or at Taiseki-ji. The second temple was paid for by several wealthy laymen, but the principal donors, the Ishikawa family, eventually became dominant there and made it their clan temple. This "clan" influence would play a role in later issues of the Fuji School lineages that developed from his teachings. Nikko made the Kitayama Hommon-ji the center of his teaching activities, and there he remained until his death 35 years later.

He was joined by Toki Jonin's younger son Nitcho and Nitcho was to run this temple until his untimely death in 1217.

Nikko And the Pear Tree

On the other hand, there is strong evidence of Nikko's emphasis on the "strictness" with which one should follow the path of "mentor/disciple." There is a famous story about one of his own disciples, a certain Nisson was distracted by falling leaves from a Pear tree near where he was lecturing, and Nikko made him leave the temple. As always, there are different versions of the legend. In the one in the Human Revolution, Nisson sought repentance by travelling the country building temples. In the popular legend, he merely hung around outside the group continuing to listen and was eventually forgiven. In the Human Revolution, Josei Toda visited one of the Temples he founded as part of his penance for his failure to pay attention. He took its failure to have a Gohonzon as main object of worship as evidence that Nisson hadn't been paying attention.

The pear tree is still preserved on the grounds of the Temple and graces the front of an elementary school also on those grounds.

See:
http://www.fujinomiya-shizuoka.ed.jp/jh-kitayama/eng/greeting.htm

Continued Conflict

Nikko's relationship with Nissho, Nichiro, and Niko remained adversarial for the rest of their lives. Nikko feel that, under pressure from the authorities, plus their own shallow understanding and hubris, they were gradually began to drift away from what Nikko considered the orthodoxy of the Daishonin's teachings. As mentioned above, Nikko felt they had betrayed Nichiren's spirit by rewriting the Rissho Ankoku Ron, challenging the Government with it, and then retreating to the status of "Tendai Monks." He also felt that they didn't understand the meaning of the "Object of worship" and erred by worshiping statues of Shakyamuni instead of the Calligraphic Mandala. His disciples would add that they had usurped Nikko's inheritance, and among other accusations, there were ones of drunkeness, destruction of Gosho, and just plain malfeasance.

Nikko As Master

While modern day Nichirenists are quick to point out that the initial division between Nikko and the other elder priests had a "wall" of apparant solidity. Both Nichiji and Nitcho had been direct disciples of Nikko's before becoming Nichiren's direct disciples. They both were junior to Nikko, and it is telling that neither founded his own lineage. It is also telling that the split among the "second tier" of disciples was nearly 50/50. Many of Nichiren's disciples were also Nikko's disciples. He had a claim to both Minobu and to the Fuji area, and to a certain leadership, since the days shortly before Nichiren died when the Atsuhara affair happened and his most possible rival, Sanmibo Nichijo died.

Nitcho Shonin comes home

Further proof is the fact that sometime after 1292, one of the elder priests Nitcho joined him after his own dispute with his step-father(Toki Jonin), who had deposed him from his own temple. Nitcho came to live with Nikko Shonin. The Nichiren Shu deny that this had anything to do with the other issues regarding the succession, but Nitcho's break with Toki Jonin, now renamed and replacing Nitcho in the list of the "erroneous five elder priests" -- followed shortly after Nikko's break instigated by the same persons. Nitcho had been from Kitayama, and so his staying at Kitayama Omosu Honmon-ji was a sort of "coming home" for him. At this point Toki Jonin and the priests of Kamakura and Minobu formed one "axis" of the then schism, while Nikko, Nitcho, and other less senior priests such as Nichimoku Shonin and Nippo Shonin formed a second "axis". Nichimoku was related to Nanjo Tokimitsu. By the time of Nikko's death in 1332, these rivalries had already entered into a new generation. With the son of Ota Jomyo leading the forces of Shimosa, where Nakayama is located. While Sammibo Nichijun received an inheritance from Nikko and Nitcho at Omosu. All these temples were to find themselves warding off familly interference in later years while the center of action moved to Kyoto. For more on their activities see sixpriests.html, < a href="nichirenism.html">Nichirenism, Fuji School page and of course for more on Nitcho visit his page nitcho.html.

Calligraphic Mandala

Nikko seems to have seen the importance of the calligraphical mandala more clearly than the other priests. To this day you find Nichiren Shu priests placing Statues in front of Gohonzon, and most schools strongly influenced by Nikko placing emphasis on the calligraphic Gohonzon. He didn't say to discard other "honzon" but in one letter to a follower he suggested strongly that it would be better to use the calligraphic Honzon and to save making statue arrangements (Shakyamuni plus four other buddhas to symbolize the "eternal Buddha" as opposed to the historical one) for sometime in the future. The school at Taisekiji gradually focused on the importance of the Calligraphic mandala. And that seems to have started with Nikko and his attitude that it was superior to carving statues of Shakyamuni.

The Legacy of Nikko

To this day there are major differences between the interpretation of Nichiren's message of both schools, though both have borrowed from one another and have much more in common than they will admit. Nikko and his disciples felt that Nikko had inherited the true lineage from Nichiren Daishonin and saw him as a great sage[Dai-Shonin]. And the Taisekiji school uses its transfer documents to prove it, regardless of authenticity questions. The other priests and Toki Jonin (who had become a major priest("abbot") of his own) didn't go along with that and each formed their own lineage. They generally referred to him as "Great Teacher" [Dai-Shi] or simply as "Shonin" [Sage]. All the schools went through ups, downs, ascendancies -- and declines. Minobu continued to be a center of Nichiren Buddhism, specifically the "Itchi" or (unified) school, despite the departure of Nikko Shonin. Indeed it was "reformed" more than once, eventually being bought out from the Hakiri family by one of its successor chief priests. Nikko's concerns were validated to some extent, and they were also incorporated "surreptuously" into the doctrines of the schools whose founders he had criticized. Few would argue that they are merely orthdox Tendai Teachers in our age.

Gohonzon and Dai-Gohonzon

The "Dai Gohonzon" of Nichiren at that time was represented by a number of Paper Gohonzon in Nichiren's hand itself. The tradition of the Fuji School claims that Nikko Shonin possessed it, but there is little direct evidence of such possession of a wooden Gohonzon until the time of Nichiu Shonin. There is indirect evidence, in the form of Hokkeko members in the Fuji Area who converted their Gohonzon from paper to wood. This seems to have been a practice that began spontaneously among the layfolk during Nikko's time. He didn't entirely approve of it. We don't know if the Wooden Dai-Gohonzon originated during Nichiren's or Nikko's lifetime or not, but he certainly valued the Dai-Honzon that he did have, when you refer to the Dai-Gohonzon as meaning the calligraphic Gohonzon itself. Nikko is even said to have decried the carving of paper Gohonzon into wood ones. There is no doubt that all the disciples carved wood Gohonzon tablets. The story of Nippo's log could even be true. Whatever that, Nikko did indeed value the calligraphic Gohonzon over statues and said as much.

For more on these things visit:
Nichiren Shoshu
Page on Dai-Gohonzon

Fact and Fiction

Another legacy of the conflict is that it is hard, even now, to seperate fact from fiction in the various accounts. For instance, when I first read about Nitcho Shonin in a reference in the Gosho (volume 1 of the old translation) it actually claimed that there were two Nitcho's. One who was one of the elder priests and another fathered after Toki Jonin married his mother. Yet other accounts refered to them as if they are the same person. It turns out that both brothers ended up at Omosu Seminary. Nitcho the younger was loyal to Nikko and accompanied him to there in 1291-1292, helping him build Omosu. Nikko the older seems to have joined him later after a break with Toki Jonin. The confusion seems to reflect later conflicts. You also see attempts to hide the fact that priest Nichijo and Lord Toki of the Nakayama sect are the same person. Non Fuji School people are often unwilling to acknowledge that many of their current doctrines owe more to Nikko than to the other five elder priests, or that Nikko's criticisms were on target. And at the same time, all are singularly unable to acknowledge that people change minds, make mistakes, or may occasionaly disagree on an issue while remaining friends. Rather each side seems to want to spin out what they don't want to notice.

Nikko as "True Successor

The Fuji School claims that Nichiren also gave a direct transmission to Nikko Shonin are based on controversial Gosho that were allegedly stolen (see transfer.html. These possibly (see this link: apocryphal.html) texts are not the only basis for thinking of Nikko as Nichiren's true successor. As we have seen above there is abundant circumstantial evidence that in actions at least, the other priests were carrying on with a decided lack of common sense. (See six priests for more). We can unfortunately safely dismiss the transfer documents as probable actual holographs since there would be a record of the priests arguing about such a text if these texts had actually been written by Nichiren as succession matters were hotly disputed by these same immediate disciples. What we have here is the result of an ancient succession fight that broke out once Nichiren had died. It isn't very likely that the legend of an actual written transference of teachings to Nikko is true. Had there been such a transference, it would have been referred to quite loudly in subsequent succession debates. The fact of the matter is that all 6 of the Daishonin's battles were distracted from their mission of Kosenrufu by a mix of personal and doctrinal issues and succession matters. Nichiren had insisted that they take turns tending his gravesite after he died, and this notion had fallen apart in the face of persecutions and the sheer difficulty of the attendant logistics. Nichiren had stressed the importance of literal, Theoretical, and Actual proofs, but some of his disciples didn't seem to get the importance of this message or ignored it in subsequent generations as they sought to define the "canon" of their schools. Sometimes that seems to have meant creating Gosho.

Nevertheless the case can be made that Nikko Shonin was a true disciple of Nichiren's. He seems to have been right about at least some of the issues of his day. Nichiren wasn't simply or only a reformer fo Tendai, as the two senior priests taught, and the Gosho needed to be valued in their entirety and not just the ones written in proper Chinese Characters. All the disciples valued the Gosho, but some seem to have placed more emphasis on Nichiren's doctrinal works. We are fortunate that we have his more "common works" as these show a man with considerable common sense, passion, compassion, and wit. Still it would have been better for Nichiren's tradition, if his disciples had developed a true unity. Those early succession battles were only amplified over time.

For more on the various schools and successor religions:
Fuji School:
Soka Gakkai
Apocryphal matters Transfer Document issues

Nikko's succession

Nikko Shonin later appointed six main disciples (Nichimoku, Nikke, Nisshu, Nichizen, Nissen and Nichijo) as his disciples. According to NST tradition, to protect the Dai-Gohonzon at Taiseki-ji. In 1298 he established the nearby Omosu Seminary (later known as Kitayama Honmonji), where he devoted himself to training the six new disciples (Nichidai, Nitcho, Nichido, Nichimyo, Nichigo and Nichijo), whom he charged with the task of propagation after his death. Shortly before his death he wrote the "Nikko Yuikai Okimon" (26 admonitions) as an admonishment to priests and lay believers to maintain the purity of the Daishonin's teachings. He transferred the entirety of the Daishonin's Buddhism to the third high priest, Nichimoku Shonin, and died at the age of eighty-eight.

When we view Nikko Shonin's records regarding the conferral of Gohonzons, it seems that nearly all of Nikko Shonin's family and relatives converted to Nichiren Daishonin�s teachings, received the Gohonzon and were diligent in practice and study under Nikko Shonin following Nichiren Daishonins death. It was Nikko Shonin and his school who first recognized the importance of the Gohonzon and exclusive practice to it as primary objectization of the object of worship.

After Nikko's death, Nichimoku only lived one more year. Long enough to travel to Kyoto to seek to rememnstrate with the new Emperor and die enroute. As often happened when someone travelled, he brought someone trusted along with him and left someone else in charge while he was gone. And as also frequently happened in Japan at that time, the result was a succession fight. There were seperate and related succession fights over his temple at Taisekiji and also at his temple at Omosu Seminary. These succession fights were echoed in each of the lineages of the other six priests (and also see nichirenism.html).

One of the results of these succession fights was what appears to be the forging of documents. One such document the �Document for Entrusting Kuon Temple at Mount Minobu,� dated October 13, 1282, the Daishonin is said to state:

�The teachings expounded by Shakyamuni for fifty years I have transferred to Byakuren Ajari Nikko. He shall be chief priest of Kuon temple at Mount Minobu. Those who betray him, be they lay believers or priests, shall be known as slanderers of the Law� (GZ, p. 1600).[From the Untold History]

Had Nichiren actually written such a document, Nikko would have referred to it in his disputes with the other senior priests. That alone, even without all the allegations that began from the moment it was first unveiled, shows it's a forgery.

Footnotes

I acquired the quote from Dr. Stone's book from a webpost, but I also verified it with a copy of the book before putting it here.

  1. http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&threadm=a3tpm0%241b2ib5%241%40ID-107238.news.dfncis.de&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dalt.religion.buddhism.nichiren%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch%26site%3Dgroups
Further readings
Nichiren Daishonin Fuji School Nichirenism six priests Gosho Lotus Sutra Main Index
Nissho Shonin Nichiro Shonin Niko Shonin Nitcho Nichiji Toki/Nichijo Lord Hakiri
Nichimoku Shonin Nichiu Shonin Dai Gohonzon Apocryphal Disputed Gosho The Transfer Documents Fuji Lineage Timeline
Master/disciple relationships Tendai Shingon Gohonzon NSA NST sokagakkai

Sources

For sources visit:
Sources page
For more discussion of the "lineage" visit:
lineage.html and Discussion of the Transfer documents and the lineage.
Back to Index | More information
Some of the accusations leveled at Niko Shonin are retold in "The Untold History of the Fuji School."Since the "Untold History" is a collection of "oral" legends, and letters of sometimes doubtful authenticity. The actual circumstances await better scholarship by people allowed to properly validate the source materials (Nichiren Shoshu is notorious for not allowing proper scholarship by outsiders). For a long time I could only find one chapter of that book, but a new website at "Soka Spirit" has the entire book in PDF format. The relevent chapters are:
01_UHFS_Chapter_1.pdf
and
02_UHFS_Chapter_2.pdf
Additionally, the Kempon Hokke Kai mounts a rather strong attack on Nikko at this page:
http://www.geocities.com/bukkokukai/identityofnichiren.html
They think it is heretical to describe Nikko as the "treasure of the priest" and make Nichiren the "True Buddha":
http://www.geocities.com/bukkokukai/returntoshakya.html
And cite this Gosho:
http://www.geocities.com/cultawareness/Consecrating_shakyamuni.htm
Fire in the Lotus talks about the founders of Nichirenism throughout.
Fire in the Lotus, Chapter 13 is one of my sources.
An "Oko" or priestly lecture on Nikko Shonin from a Nichiren Shoshu priest
(Complete Writings of the Successive High Priests, Vol. 1, page 265)
Also:
http://www.nstmyosenji.org/sermons/1997/koshi.htm
This Oko was given by the new priest in San Francisco
More on the 26 Admonitions:
http://www.cebunet.com/nst/h26admonitions.html
Twenty Six Admonitions
http://www.nstmyosenji.org/sermons/2001/koshie01.htm
More on Nisson and the Pear:
http://www.fujinomiya-shizuoka.ed.jp/jh-kitayama/eng/top.htm
This page tells his story and a little of Nichimoku's (and a bit of the author's) as well:
http://www.nstmyosenji.org/sermons/1997/koshi.htm
This sermon makes an even better case for Nikko's succession:
http://www.nstmyosenji.org/sermons/2004/newyear04.htm
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

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