On the Long Rains
HERE in the mountains the long rains, I need hardly say, make things very tiresome. I was happy to receive the gift of peas. I hope Kakushō-bō1 will convey my delight and appreciation.
With my deep respect,
Nichiren
The twenty-second day of the fifth month
Written in reply
Background
It is most probable that Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter in 1278, a year of prolonged rainfall at Minobu. In One Horseload of Salt, a letter sent to Nanjō Tokimitsu in the ninth month of the same year, the Daishonin says, “It has rained every day since the first month this year” . The Daishonin expresses his gratitude for an offering of peas. The recipient is unknown, and only this fragment of the letter is extant.
Note
1. Kakushō-bō was a disciple of Nichiren Daishonin, but little is known about him. Only a fragment of one letter the Daishonin wrote to him, Reply to Kakushō-bō (see below), remains today.