Nichiji

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Nichiji ( Japanese 日 持 ; * 1250 ; † approx. 1304 ), also known as Kaikō , was born in the province of Suruga and was one of the six older students of Nichiren and later also a student of Nikkō . He is the only one of Nichiren's closest disciples to whom no foundation of a particular lineage within Nichiren Buddhism can be assigned.

After Nichiren's death, he founded the Eishō-ji temple in Shizuoka , now known as the Ren'ei-ji temple. Shortly after his relationship with Nikkō had deteriorated, he went on a trip to Hokkaidō . Further trips took him to Siberia and China . For a long time it was not certain whether Nichiji's overseas activities belonged to the realm of legend. In 1936, however, a Gohonzon and some other remains were found in the Chinese province of Hebei , which in 1989 were classified as, with high probability, authentic at the University of Tokyo. Inscriptions on the artifacts suggest that he arrived in China in 1298 and also founded a temple, the Lìhuà .

Due to his overseas activities, Nichiji is considered a kind of patron saint in the Nichiren-shū , for their work outside of Japan .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tomohiro Matsuda: A Dictionary of Buddhist Terms and Concepts . Nichiren Shoshu International Center, Tokyo 1991, ISBN 4-88872-014-2 , p. 291
  2. ^ Fire in The Lotus , Daniel B. Montgomery, Mandala 1991 p. 156, ISBN 1-85274-091-4
  3. ^ Daniel B. Montgomery: Fire in The Lotus. The dynamic Buddhism of Nichiren . Mandala Press, London 1991, ISBN 1-85274-091-4 , p. 155
personal data
SURNAME Nichiji
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 日 持 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION japanese monk
DATE OF BIRTH 1250
DATE OF DEATH around 1304