The Letter of Petition from Yorimoto

Chapter7(On Ryuzo-bo)

You state in your official letter, “After meeting the priest Ryūzō and the elder of Gokuraku-ji temple, I look up to them as I would to Shakyamuni or Amida Buddha.” Addressing this statement, too, with the utmost respect, I must point out that, while in Kyoto, the priest Ryūzō was feeding morning and evening on human flesh; and when this became known, the priests of Enryaku-ji temple on Mount Hiei rose up against him, saying, “The world has entered the latter age, and evil demons are rampant throughout the country. We must subdue them with the power of the Mountain King.”²⁹ They burned down his dwelling and intended to punish him, but he quickly escaped, and no one knew of his whereabouts. At this point he suddenly appeared in Kamakura and was again eating human flesh, causing right-minded people to tremble in fear. Nevertheless, you say you respect him as a Buddha or a bodhisattva. How can I, as your retainer, refrain from pointing out my lord’s error? I wonder what the levelheaded people in our clan think about this matter.

Notes

29. A deity said to be the guardian god of Mount Hiei and the Tendai school.

Lecture

In this chapter, addressing Lord Ema, who revered Ryuzō-bo as if he were Shakyamuni Buddha or Amida Buddha, the Daishonin raises the atrocity of Ryuzō-bo’s cannibalism. He admonishes Lord Ema for his blind belief, emphasizing that it is utterly preposterous to worship and revere such a man as a Buddha or Bodhisattva.

About Ryuzō-bo

As stated at the beginning of this chapter, “revered as if he were Shakyamuni or Amida,” Ryuzō-bo was worshiped to such an extent that his reputation rivaled that of Ryokan of Gokuraku-ji temple. However, people of conscience harbored a deep dread regarding his private life, which defied all human morality. This can be understood from the passage in this chapter that notes: “When it happened in Kamakura that he ate human flesh, people of feeling were struck with terror.”

Who, then, was this monk named Ryuzō-bo? Originally, Ryuzō-bo was a monk residing within the temple complex of Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei. His birth, upbringing, and exact clerical standing were all unknown. The only fact that was entirely clear was that he would secretly descend into the capital of Kyoto to scavenge the bodies of those who had starved to death, habitually consuming human flesh day and night.

Exposure and Banishing from Mount Hiei

Upon discovering this, the monks of Mount Hiei rigorously investigated Ryuzō-bo’s conduct. An entry dated April 27 in the first year of Kenji (1275) in the Tendai Zasu Ki (Chronicle of the Tendai Chief Abbot) describes the event as follows:

“The monks of Mount Hiei descended in a crowd and assembled at Tōkō-ji temple. They dispatched official agents and Inugami-bito (low-ranking shrine laborers) to burn down the residence of Ryuzō-shonin, and the Inugami-bito and others demolished his quarters in Nakayama.”

This chapter similarly describes the event:

“In the capital, it was exposed that he was making human flesh and bones his daily food morning and evening. Consequently, the monks of Mount Hiei rose up, declaring that in this latter age, an evil demon had appeared in the land. Resolving to punish him through the power of Sannō (the guardian deity of Mount Hiei), they burned down his residence and sought to execute him…”

Flight to Kamakura and the Daishonin’s Refutation

Having barely escaped from Kyoto with his life, Ryuzō-bo fled and appeared in the city of Kamakura. It appears that even after entering Kamakura, he continued to consume human flesh in secrecy.

Despite these horrifying atrocities, the public blindly respected Ryuzō-bo as a “shonin” (venerable priest) and trusted him implicitly. The Daishonin stringently points out this grave error and thoroughly refutes their delusion.