Here, we would like to briefly introduce Mt. Minobu, the spiritual home of Nichiren Shu Buddhists where the head temple of Nichiren Shu, Kuonji, is located; as well as the nearby Mt. Shichimen, where the protective deity of believers of the Lotus Sutra, the goddess Shichimen Tennyo (Shichimen Daimyojin), lives.
Nichiren Shōnin entered Minobu on 17th May, 1274, with the support of Lord Hakii, also known as Nanbu Sanenaga, who was the steward of the southern part of the province of Kai (present-day Yamanashi Prefecture).
On 17th June the same year the construction of a three-ken square hermitage in the western valley of Mt. Minobu was completed. (One ken is about six feet, the length of the longer side of a tatami mat, meaning the hermitage was about 18 feet x 18 feet, or 324 square feet). This day is regarded as the day Kuonji temple was founded.
In October of 1281 a larger temple lodging of ten-ken square (3,600 square feet) was built, and it was named “Minobusan Myōhō Kaku-in Kuonji”.
After Nichiren Shōnin passed away a tomb was erected on Mt. Minobu in accordance with his will, and his remains installed within.
The tomb was initially taken care of using a rotation system centred around Nichiren Shōnin’s Six Senior Disciples, however when the rotation system broke down it was decided that Nikō Shōnin would reside permanently on the mountain in order to take care of the master’s tomb, and he became the second Hossu (Abbot) of Kuonji.
Later, during the time of the 11th Abbot, Gyōgaku-in Nisshō Shōnin, the temple expanded and was relocated from the Western Valley to its present location. Since the Edo period (1602-1868), and the time of Shinshō-in Nichion Shōnin, various temple buildings have been erected and maintained thanks to the efforts of successive Hossu. However in 1875 many buildings unfortunately burned down due to a great fire.
On the occasion of the 700th anniversary of Nichiren Shōnin’s passing (1982), the rebuilding of the Great Main Hall (Dai Hondō) was completed. With a frontage of 17 and a half ken, and a depth of 28 ken, its beauty and size made it a fitting building to be the Main Hall of the Head Temple, and it remains in use to this day.
When Nichiren Shōnin entered Mt. Minobu his disciples built their own hermitages on the mountain. These temple lodgings were places from which they could serve Nichiren Shōnin and devote themselves to practising and studying the way. From here they were able to welcome and educate their own followers, and they later became important shrines for believers to visit in themselves. Today, there are thirty-two shukubō (temple lodgings) on Mt. Minobu where visitors and pilgrims can stay.
The Sōmon gate stands on the ground marking Nichiren Shōnin’s first steps as he entered Mt. Minobu. It was built by the 28th Hossu, Nichiden Shōnin, in 1665. Describing the significance of the Opening Ceremony of the Entrance Gate, the 36th Hossu Nitchō Shōnin, later wrote that based on the Lotus Sūtra’s teaching that all people can become Buddhas through the Lotus Sūtra, the gate signifies that all people, by passing through it, enter the way to Buddhahood.
These steps leading up to the Main Hall were completed at the request of a believer from Sado island called Nizo. They are called the Bodaitei, or “Steps of Enlightenment” because even though it is difficult to climb up the set of 287 steep steps which are 58m high, they are divided into seven sections based on the seven characters of the Odaimoku: “Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo”. The supreme and prefect enlightenment of the Buddha can be approached and arrived at with the Odaimoku.
This is the grave of Nichiren Shōnin, where his spirit resides. Also on Mt Minobu are other important graves, such as those of Toki Jōnin’s mother, Abutsubo (Nittoku Shōnin), and Nanbu Sanenaga.
This is the site of Nichiren Shōnin’s original hermitage. Originally three-ken square, it was later expanded to ten-ken sqaure. It is the birthplace of Mt. Minobu’s Kuonji Temple.
Mt. Shichimen, located about 20 kilometres west of Kuonji Temple, has an altitude of 1,982 metres. At the summit is a great cliff which Nichiren Shōnin said had "only seven sides”. Although the surrounding area belongs to Hayakawa Town, the mountain is an enclave of Minobu Town and is owned by Kuonji Temple. Shichimen Tennyo, the guardian deity of Mt. Minobu, is enshrined there.
After the death of the Nichiren Shōnin, on September 19th 1297, his disciple Nichirō Shōnin and the lay believer Nanbu Sanenaga summited the mountain and established a temple there. A festival is held annually on that day.
Oman-no-Kata (1580-1653), who was the concubine of the Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, and grandmother of Tokugawa Mitsukuni, put an end to a prohibition on women entering the mountain.
In November 1277, when he was age 56, Nichiren Shōnin was expounding the Dharma from atop a large stone (Koza-seki) near his hermitage on Mt. Minobu.
In the audience was a beautiful girl who had not been seen before, listening to him preach. The Shōnin said, “Everyone is wondering who you are. Show me your true form." She said, "I am the Goddess of Shichimen. I guard the demon gate of Mt. Minobu and protect and give peace of mind and satisfaction to those who practise the Lotus Sutra. Please give me some water."
When he poured water on her from the vase beside him, the girl suddenly transformed into a dragon and flew away towards Mt. Shichimen.