Reply to Niiama
Background
This letter was written in the second month of the twelfth year of Bun’ei (1275), the year after Nichiren Daishonin returned from his exile to Sado and retired to Mount Minobu. It was the Daishonin’s response to a letter from Niiama and her husband’s mother (or possibly, grandmother), Ōama, requesting that the Daishonin inscribe a Gohonzon for them. In contrast to Ōama (elder nun), the letter’s recipient was called Niiama (younger nun).
Ōama had been the wife of Hōjō Tomotoki, the younger brother of the third regent, Yasutoki. Tomotoki was also the lord of Nagasa District in Awa Province, where the Daishonin was born. Tōjō Village, which later itself became a district, was in this area. Niiama is said to have been the wife of either Tomotoki’s son or grandson. Both women were widows and lived together in Tōjō. The Daishonin’s family was apparently indebted to Ōama for some kindness she had extended to them. Once when Tōjō Kagenobu, the steward of the same area, put pressure on Ōama in an effort to bring Seichō-ji temple under his control, the Daishonin exerted himself on her behalf in order to repay his obligation and to thwart Kagenobu’s attempt.
Soon after the Daishonin proclaimed the correct teaching for the Latter Day of the Law, Ōama became his follower. She was not steadfast, however, and abandoned her faith around the time of the Tatsunokuchi Persecution. After the Daishonin situated himself at Minobu, she again changed her mind and asked him to grant her a Gohonzon. He refused, knowing her faith to be unstable. He did, however, bestow a Gohonzon upon Niiama.
Chapter1(See laver is offered and Daishonin thinks of his home)
I HAVE received the bag of sea laver that you sent. I would also like to express my appreciation for the offering of sea laver from Ōama.
This area is called Mount Minobu. Suruga Province lies to the south, and it is more than a hundred ri from the coast at Ukishimagahara1 in that province to this mountain in the district of Hakiri in Kai Province. The route is more difficult than ten times the distance on an ordinary path. The Fuji River,2 the swiftest in all Japan, runs from north to south. High mountains rise to the east and west of this river, forming a deep valley where huge rocks stand about everywhere like tall folding-screens. The waters of the river rush through the valley like an arrow shot through a tube by a powerful archer. The river is so swift and rocky that sometimes a boat is smashed to pieces as it travels along the banks or attempts to cross the stream. Coming through this dangerous place, you arrive at a large mountain called the peak of Minobu.
To the east stands the peak of Tenshi; to the south, Takatori; to the west, Shichimen; and to the north, Minobu. It is as though four towering folding-screens had been set up. Climbing these peaks, you see a vast stretch of forest below, while going down to the valleys, you find huge rocks lined up side by side. The howls of wolves fill the mountains, the chatter of monkeys echoes through the valleys, stags call plaintively to their does, and the cries of cicadas sound shrilly. Here spring flowers bloom in summer, and trees bear autumn fruit in winter. Occasionally you see a woodcutter gathering firewood, and those who visit from time to time are friends of old. Mount Shang where the Four White-Haired Elders retired from the world, and the deep recesses in the mountains where the Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove3 secluded themselves, must have been like this place.
Climbing the peak, it looks as if seaweed were growing there, but instead you find only an expanse of ferns. Going down to the valley, you think surely it must be laver growing there, but it is only a dense growth of parsley.
Though I have long since ceased to think about my home, seeing this laver brings back many familiar memories, and I am saddened and find it hard to bear. It is the same kind of laver I saw long ago on the shore at Kataumi, Ichikawa, and Kominato.4 I feel an unwarranted resentment that, while the color, shape, and taste of this laver have remained unchanged, my parents have passed away, and I cannot restrain my tears.
Notes
1. An area in eastern Suruga Province (present-day Shizuoka Prefecture) extending from the southern foot of Mount Ashitaka near Numazu to Suzukawa in Fuji City.
2. A river to the west of Mount Fuji flowing south into Suruga Bay. It is about 140 km long.
3. Shan T’ao, Hsi K’ang, Juan Chi, Juan Hsien, Wang Jung, Hsiang Hsiu, and Liu Ling. At the end of the Wei dynasty (220–265), because the government was corrupt and chaotic, they are said to have retired to a bamboo grove where they pursued the study of the philosophy of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu.
4. Places along the Pacific coast in Awa, the Daishonin’s native province.