The Letter of Petition from Yorimoto

Background

This petition was written by Nichiren Daishonin in the sixth month of 1277 on behalf of his loyal follower Shijō Nakatsukasa Saburō Saemon-no-jō Yorimoto, or Shijō Kingo, who had been served an official letter of reprimand from his lord, Ema Chikatoki. The petition, addressed to Lord Ema, asserts that Shijō Kingo was being subjected to unjustified slander.

On the ninth day of the sixth month, 1277, a religious debate took place at Kuwagayatsu in Kamakura, in which Sammi-kō (also known by the more commonly used name Sammi-bō), a disciple of Nichiren Daishonin, soundly defeated Ryūzō-bō, a Tendai priest who had been expelled from Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei and had later come to Kamakura where he won the patronage of Ryōkan of Gokuraku-ji temple. The audience was so pleased that they begged Sammi-bō to remain and preach for them.

Shijō Kingo had been present at this debate merely as a member of the audience. His enemies, however, told Lord Ema that he had forcibly disrupted the debate and shown contempt for Ryūzō-bō and Ryūzō-bō’s teacher, Ryōkan—whom Lord Ema revered. About two weeks later, he was suddenly served an official letter from his lord accusing him of these things. The letter further charged Kingo with disobeying his lord, in defiance of both Buddhist and secular custom, and ordered him to write an oath to the effect that he would discard his faith in the Lotus Sutra. If he refused to do so, Lord Ema threatened, his fief would be confiscated and he would be banished.

Shijō Kingo immediately wrote a report of the entire affair and sent it with Lord Ema’s official letter to Nichiren Daishonin at Minobu. In his report he expressed his firm resolve never to write an oath discarding his faith, even if his fief were to be confiscated.

Kingo’s messenger left Kamakura on the afternoon of the twenty-fifth and arrived at Minobu on the evening of the twenty-seventh. Nichiren Daishonin was delighted to learn that his disciple was determined to uphold his faith and propagate the Law even at the cost of his life. He also perceived the machinations of Ryōkan and Ryūzō-bō behind this incident. He therefore wrote this letter of petition to encourage Kingo and sent it addressed to Lord Ema in which he defended. This petition, however, was apparently never submitted.

In it the Daishonin sought to correct Lord Ema’s misunderstanding about Kingo’s behavior during the debate, and to expose the real intentions of the priests Ryōkan and Ryūzō-bō and enable Lord Ema to understand the error of their teachings. The petition also clarifies what true loyalty from a vassal to his lord really means—in both Buddhist and secular terms.