The Hero of the World

Background

Around the third year of Kenji (1277), when this letter was written, Shijō Kingo was in great personal danger, having incurred the wrath of his lord Ema. Lord Ema’s antagonism toward Shijō Kingo dated back to the Kuwagayatsu Debate, which took place in the sixth month, 1277. Taking advantage of their discord, Kingo’s colleagues were watching for a chance to do away with him. In response to Kingo’s report on the plight in which he was placed, Nichiren Daishonin wrote a petition to Lord Ema on Kingo’s behalf, explaining what had happened at the Kuwagayatsu Debate and the relative superiority of the Buddhist teachings.

In the present letter, the Daishonin clarifies the difference between Buddhism and government. Reward and punishment are means that a government employs to pursue its goals, while there is no such conscious manipulation in the world of Buddhism. Buddhism, based on an absolute Law, means victory or defeat—in other words, happiness or unhappiness—depending on whether one supports it or opposes it. In the last part of the letter, the Daishonin strongly advises Kingo to take great care to avoid being attacked by his enemies.