Life of Nichiren Daishonin Part 3: Persecutions 1260–1271
From Rissho Ankoku Ron to Persecution
Do you remember the year and date when Nichiren Daishonin submitted his first treatise?
It was July 16, 1260 .
The name of the treatise was Rissho Ankoku Ron — On Establishing Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land .
This was a significant event because it was the first time Nichiren Daishonin directly confronted the authorities with his arguments concerning the establishment of the correct teaching.
This event is also known as his First Remonstration .
The series of persecutions against Nichiren Daishonin began after this treatise.
Nichiren Daishonin understood very well the consequences of confronting the authorities and, in particular, challenging the Nembutsu school of teaching, which was highly prevalent and powerful at the time.
He knew that such actions would bring opposition and persecution.
Yet he remained determined to continue proclaiming Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and would not bow down to what he regarded as inferior teachings.
A Series of Persecutions
The persecutions Nichiren Daishonin faced during this period can be understood as an escalating series of attempts to silence him.
Persecution 1: Matsubagayatsu Persecution
Shortly after July 16, 1260
Soon after Nichiren Daishonin submitted Rissho Ankoku Ron, Nembutsu followers barged into his residence with the intention of killing him.
However, Nichiren Daishonin was able to escape unharmed.
Following this incident, he left Kamakura for a short period of time.
Persecution 2: Izu Exile
May 12, 1261 – February 1263
After returning to Kamakura, Nichiren Daishonin was arrested by the authorities and sentenced to exile in Izu Province .
He remained in exile until he was pardoned in February 1263 , after which he returned to Kamakura.
When attempts to take his life failed, he was instead sent into exile in a distant and isolated place.
Persecution 3: Komatsubara Persecution
November 1264
Nichiren Daishonin went to Awa Province , his home province, to visit his ailing mother.
On November 11 , Nichiren Daishonin and some of his followers were traveling to the residence of another follower.
At a place called Matsubara in Tojo Village , they were ambushed by armed men.
During the attack, Nichiren Daishonin sustained an injury to his head and suffered a broken hand.
One of his followers was killed.
Persecution 4: Tatsunokuchi Persecution
September 12, 1271
The Tatsunokuchi Persecution was one of the major persecutions in Nichiren Daishonin's life.
During this period, one of the predictions he had made in Rissho Ankoku Ron was seen as having come true.
In Rissho Ankoku Ron, Nichiren Daishonin had predicted the possibilities of internal strife and foreign invasion .
It was also during the Tatsunokuchi Persecution that the authorities directly attempted to take Nichiren Daishonin's life.
The significance of this event goes beyond the attempted execution itself.
In triumphing over the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, Nichiren Daishonin cast off his transient status as an ordinary human being and revealed his original and true identity as a Buddha .
The Backdrop to Tatsunokuchi
The Mongol Invasion Threat — "Foreign Invasion"
The story leading to the Tatsunokuchi Persecution begins in 1268 .
An official letter arrived in Kamakura from the Mongols, presenting a challenge to Japan: either give up and become part of the Mongol Empire or perish.
The threat of Mongol invasion was becoming imminent.
Nichiren Daishonin responded by writing eleven letters of remonstration to senior government officials.
In these letters, he reminded them that he had already predicted the possibility of foreign invasion and urged senior priests to engage in a public debate.
Instead of acknowledging his arguments, senior priests and government officials viewed Nichiren Daishonin and his followers as a threat to the existing establishment.
Rather than accepting his advice and engaging in public debate, they deployed priests of the True Word school to conduct prayers for the defeat of the Mongol forces.
Ryokan of Gokuraku-ji Temple in Kamakura was given charge of these prayers. He was highly influential at the time.
Nichiren Daishonin continued to refute the claims and teachings of the True Word school, which he regarded as misleading the public and the authorities.
The Natural Calamity of 1271
The Drought in Kamakura
In the summer of 1271 , the Kamakura region was experiencing a prolonged drought.
The authorities once again turned to Ryokan and asked him to pray for rain.
Upon learning of this, Nichiren Daishonin again reached out to the authorities.
This time, he challenged Ryokan: if Ryokan could bring rain within seven days , Nichiren Daishonin would become his disciple. If he failed, Ryokan should place his faith in the Lotus Sutra .
No rain appeared during the seven days.
Even after an additional seven-day extension, no rain appeared.
Rather than accepting the outcome, Ryokan conspired with the authorities to persecute Nichiren Daishonin.
September 10–12, 1271: The Second Remonstration
On September 10 , Nichiren Daishonin was interrogated by Hei no Saemon-no-jo Yoritsuna .
Two days later, on September 12, 1271 , Nichiren Daishonin was raided and arrested on the charge of being a "traitor."
During both the September 10 and September 12 encounters, Nichiren Daishonin fearlessly remonstrated with the authorities.
He warned them that if they were to topple him—the pillar of Japan —then internal strife and foreign invasion would descend upon the land.
The remonstrations made by Nichiren Daishonin on September 10 and September 12 are referred to in this material as the Second Remonstration with the government authorities.
The Tatsunokuchi Persecution
On the night of September 12, 1271 , Nichiren Daishonin was taken to the outskirts of Kamakura to be secretly beheaded.
As the executioner raised his sword to behead him, a brilliant orb of light burst forth in the sky .
The soldiers were terrified and ran away.
The plan to execute Nichiren Daishonin was abandoned.
The event is regarded in this material as highly significant.
In triumphing over the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, Nichiren Daishonin cast off his transient status and revealed his true identity .
The Tatsunokuchi Persecution therefore represents a major turning point in the life of Nichiren Daishonin.
Key Points to Remember
July 16, 1260 — Nichiren Daishonin submitted Rissho Ankoku Ron to the authorities.
This event is known as the First Remonstration .
The series of persecutions began following the submission of Rissho Ankoku Ron.
Matsubagayatsu Persecution — Nembutsu followers attempted to kill Nichiren Daishonin at his residence.
May 12, 1261 — Nichiren Daishonin was sent into exile in Izu Province .
February 1263 — He was pardoned from exile and returned to Kamakura.
November 1264 — The Komatsubara Persecution took place in Awa Province.
During the Komatsubara attack, Nichiren Daishonin suffered a head injury and a broken hand, and one of his followers was killed.
1268 — The threat of Mongol invasion became imminent.
Nichiren Daishonin wrote eleven letters of remonstration to senior government officials.
Summer 1271 — Kamakura experienced a prolonged drought.
Nichiren Daishonin challenged Ryokan concerning the prayers for rain.
September 10, 1271 — Nichiren Daishonin was interrogated by Hei no Saemon-no-jo Yoritsuna.
September 12, 1271 — Nichiren Daishonin was arrested and taken toward the site of execution.
The events of September 10 and 12 are referred to in this material as the Second Remonstration .
On the night of September 12, Nichiren Daishonin was taken to Tatsunokuchi to be secretly executed.
The execution was abandoned after the appearance of a brilliant orb of light .
The triumph over the Tatsunokuchi Persecution is presented as the point at which Nichiren Daishonin cast off his transient status as an ordinary human being and revealed his original and true identity as a Buddha .
From Remonstration to Tatsunokuchi
The period from 1260 to 1271 shows an escalating confrontation between Nichiren Daishonin's determination to proclaim what he regarded as the correct teaching and the authorities and religious establishments that opposed him.
From the submission of Rissho Ankoku Ron and the First Remonstration, through exile and physical attacks, to the Second Remonstration and the attempted execution at Tatsunokuchi, Nichiren Daishonin continued to uphold his conviction despite repeated persecution.
The Tatsunokuchi Persecution marked a profound turning point in this journey.