The Nichiren Mandala Study Workshop Ken Mandara Regarding Renge Ajari Nichiji and the Gohonzon mandala Original title in Japanese 蓮華阿闍利日持と曼荼羅御本尊について This article examines the life and endeavors of Nichiren s senior disciple Renge Ajari Nichiji and the mandalas believed to be bestowed to him and those he might have possibly authored KEYWORDS: Nichiren Gohonzon Buddhism - Japan Nichiji Ken Mandara is an independent researcher at the Nichiren Mandala Study Workshop in Japan
Not much is known about Nichiji except that he was born in Matsuno, Fuji area of the Suruga province in 1250. He was referred as to Kai-kō ( 甲斐公 ), whereas the kō was honorific indicating an official position or parentage, while his honorific clerical title was Renge Ajari ( 蓮華阿闍梨 ). Rikuge in Nicchō ( 六牙院日潮 1675~1748), the 36th Abbot of Minobusan Kuon-ji reported exhaustively about Nichiji in his Nichiji-den ( 日持伝 ). According to Maeshima Shinji, while it seems ascertained that his mother was the believer known as ama Nichinyo gozen, it is not completely sure that his father was really lord Matsuno Rokurō saemon or someone else in his domain. Another relative, perhaps his aunt is believed to have been identified with ama Kubo gozen, who according to Maeshima, was a daughter of the Misawa house. He entered the priesthood as a Tendai acolyte at the Tsurushi in ( 四十九院 ) in Suruga and became a disciple of his relative Byakuren Ajari Nikkō. After Nichiren s passing, Nichiji entered in a disagreement with Nikkō, as all the rest of the Matsuno clan. It is known that he ventured northbound to areas that are now Akita, Aomori and later crossed the sea to reach Hokkaido Island passing through Hakodate, Esashi-chō, Matsumae-chō and several other places continuing to today s Sakhalin and crossing to the Manchurian part of the continent via Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky town. According to local legends, due to his passage, the local Ainu population named the Honshu- Japanese Shamo (from Shamon 沙門, wandering monk) and also Hokke for a certain fish that they have not previously seen. Rev. Satō Kōshun reports that Nichiji converted at least two Ainu and his book Hokuten Kaikyō Nichiji Shōnin den, even speculated that one Ainu, who initially served in Nichiji s family in Suruga, actually married Oto gozen, the daughter of Myōjō and Toki Jōnin, which is however very unlikely. Regarding the main focus of the Nichiren Mandala Study Workshop, that is the Gohonzon, let us consider the known facts: Actually, there is no extant or certified mandala given to Nichiji. However there are several copies and other scrolls attributed either to him or to Nichiren with a bestowal inscription to Nichiji. - One large world protection mandala stored in Okayama - One okatagi print seemingly his personal one - One scroll treasures of Senka, now stored at Kuon-ji - Two scrolls attributed to him, one in Shizuoka, one in Hokkaido There are however extant original documents with his signature. From other academic research it is known that wherever there is a copy, high probability that an original existed at some point in time. Moreover, each senior disciple had received a large mandala from Nichiren; it would be unreasonable to assume that Nichiji was not granted one Gohonzon.
The Sangoku kyūgo Daimandara We will first briefly examine the Sangoku kyūgo Daimandara ( 三国救護大曼荼羅 ) s large three-sheet Gohonzon inscribed in formal style, very similar to the extant Mannen kyugo Daimandara (Nr. 16), as shown below. It is now stored at Hiraiza Myōkō-ji temple in Okayama. Sangoku kyūgo Daimandara Since his direct supervisor and relative Byakuren Ajari Nikkō most probably received the Mannen kyugo Daimandara (Nr. 16), it is very likely that Nichiji would receive a similar Gohonzon. In fact the world protection mandala offers three hints Same period (Bun ei) Same laudatory inscriptions There is no other extant mandala bestowed upon Nichiji As for the reason why did Nichiji not inscribe any Gohonzon it can be only assumed. Perhaps for the same reasons that the other senior disciple Iyo Ajari Nitchō ( 伊予阿闍梨日頂 1252~1317), also a native of Suruga. While Nikko was teaching at Omosu, they did not have or feel to have permission to inscribe a mandala Gohonzon. The same goes for Nichimoku, who also did not produce any Gohonzon before the formal transmission from Nikkō. The senior in charge of the three, was Nikko, so it can be assumed that they had no authority to inscribe a mandala.
However, it is known that where there is a reproduction, there must have been an original, especially in the case of World protection mandala. Even Yamanaka was not sure if it is an original or not, which hints at the fact that it must have been produced by looking at the original. It is logical to suppose that Nichiji would have received his mandala in the same period as Nikko as a chosen senior disciple. After entering in an apparent dispute with Nikko he left for China, but in any case he left the Suruga territories as others in his group e.g. Nichizen, Nichiben, Nisshū and so on. It can be supposed that Nichiji took necessities with him, while a copy of his large mandala was made. According to Myōkō-ji where the scroll is stored now in Okayama, it was taken there by the offices of Ryūge in Nichijitsu ( 龍華院日実 1318~1378) of Ryūge in Myōkaku-ji in Kyoto. This would hint at Higo Ajari Nichizō or more probably at Shūjin'in Nichiryū, who had contacts with the Fuji school and specifically also with the Kōchō-ji temple in Okamiya. This temple preserves an exact copy of the Gohonzon Nr. 16, which otherwise may hint that a copy was made also from this Sangoku kyūgo Daimandara. The temple was originally in Kagawa prefecture and following the Sanuki Great Earthquake the premises were relocated in 1532. It is ascertained that Nichiryū of the Hokke School had contacts with the Fuji School Honmon-ji temple in Sanuki. There are hence two possible scenarios: Nichiji took the original Nichiren mandala with him to his journey to Manchuria, leaving a copy which was later taken from the Fuji area to Kyoto by Nichiryū and successively to Okayama. Other scrolls related to Nichiji One woodblock print, seemingly the personal mandala of Nichiji, has been popular in the past. It remains difficult to ascertain if this matrix has been originally produced from an original copy or out of a pious forgery. The so-called treasures of Senka, now stored at Kuon-ji are a probable example of forgery made with good intentions, as these were dated around 350 years after Nichiji, probably between 1600 and 1700 C.E., please refer to The Mandala in Nichiren Buddhism third volume. The mandala of Senka attributed to Nichiren
Furthermore there are two mandala scrolls attributed to Nichiji, one in Shizuoka prefecture at Teishōzan Ren ei-ji the temple established by him and another in Hokkaido. The signature on both Gohonzon does not resemble the seal on other extant documents. The mandala attributed to Nichiji at Ren ei-ji In conclusion, while there is much available space for speculations, it is not disputed that Nichiji existed as a real person, as a relative of Nikkō and that he was chosen among the senior disciples. After Nichiren s passing basically half of the successors, namely Nikkō, Nitchō and Nichiji grouped and were active in the Fuji area. Nevertheless, Nikkō could somehow not manage to keep this group together as he perhaps wished to do. Nichiji in any case decided that his mission was to propagate Nichiren s teaching on the Chinese continent. Nichiji must have received a mandala from Nichiren at some point. Even if the extant copies were just produced on hearsay transmitted by those who have actually seen the originals, this is the only trace that remains today.