No Person Designated as Chief Priest of Kuonji Temple by Nichiren

Nichiren selected the Six Senior Disciples: Nisshô Nichirô Nikkô Nikô, Nitchô and Nichiji, on his deathbed at Ikegami on September 8, 1282. He requested them to bury his relics at Minobu, and to take turns in taking care of his tomb and Kuonji Temple in two-month shifts.

Nichiren entered Parinirvâna on the 13th day of next month. His ashes were buried at Minobu on October 26. On January 23, 1283, the one hundredth day memorial service was held for Nichiren at Minobu. Many disciples and lay followers of Nichiren assembled there, but Nikô, and Nitchô were absent. The disciples present discussed their duties at Minobu. The problem was the location of Minobu. Nikkô lived within 60 kilometers from Minobu; and Nichiji, within 80 kilometers. But all the other Senior Disciples lived in farther districts. Kamakura, where Nisshô and Nichirô lived, was 200 kilometers from Minobu; Mama, the residence of Nitchô 280 kilometers; and Mobara, the abode of Nikô, 330 kilometers. In those days travelling was very hard work. It took four days to transport Nichiren's ashes from Ikegami to Minobu. The disciples talked over the problem and decided that twelve more fellow disciples be added to the list of priests on duty, and that the term of shifts be shortened to one month. Thus the schedule of attendance was arranged as follows: January, Nisshô February, Nichirô March, Echizenkô and Awajikô; April, Nitchô May, Nichiji; June, Shimotsukekô and Echigokô; July, Igakô and Chikuzenkô; August, Nichiji and Izumikô; September, Nikkô October, Nikô, November, Nichijitsu and Nichimoku; and December, Jakunichibô and Tambakô. The document of this schedule, which was signed by Nisshô Nichirô Nikkô and Nichiji, is still preserved today. Nikkô signed his name as he was the secretary of the meeting.

The assigned priests attended at Minobu regularly for about one year, but later the priests living in Kamakura were adamant to leave town because they had to defend themselves against the suppression of Nichiren Buddhism which was resumed by the Kamakura Government after the death of Nichiren.

Nichiren Buddhism in Kamakura Threatened to Be Eliminated

Nagasaki Yoritsuna attempted to eliminate the Daimoku-chanting Buddhists from the city of Kamakura upon the occasion of Nichiren's death. He requested the temples of various sects in Kamakura, including Nichiren temples, to pray for the defense of Japan against another possible Mongolian invasion and also for the peace of the Hôjô family. There were only two Nichiren temples in Kamakura at that time: Nisshô's Hokkeji at Hamado, and Nichirô's Myôhonji at Hikigayatsu.

Nisshô and Nichirô refused to pray for the peace of the Hôjô family because the Hôjôs did not chant the Daimoku but persecuted Nichiren Buddhists. Yoritsuna had anticipated their refusal and intended to make it a pretext for suppressing them. He said that, if they disobeyed the government order, they would be banished from the city, and their temples would be destroyed. For fear that Nichiren Buddhism would be eradicated from the city, Nisshô and Nichirô finally yielded to the order. In 1285 with the petition that the priests of all the sects in Kamakura be assembled to conduct a public debate with Nichiren priests as to what teaching of the Buddha should be considered the most excellent one.

When Nikkô heard of the suppression of Nichiren Buddhism in Kamakura, he sympathized with Nisshô and Nichirô and made up his mind to take care of Nichiren's tomb and Kuonji Temple on their behalf. He wrote to Mimasakabô, one of his friends, on October 18, 1284:

"There is a serious incident (in Kamakura).... Our friends in Kamakura are investigated.... Here we are not troubled.... The tomb at Minobu is trampled by deer. It is too miserable to look at. I do not mean to say that I ignore the duty of the other Senior Disciples ......
Nikkô stayed at Minobu continuously since late 1285. Soon afterwards, Nikô, came to Minobu to help. Nambu Sanenaga, Lord of Minobu, favored Nikô In time, a rift formed between Nikkô and Sanenaga, forcing Nikkô to leave on December 5, 1288.

Nikkô had a disciple called Nichimoku. Nanjô Tokimitsu, Nichimoku's uncle, invited Nikkô to his residence at Taiseki-ga-hara, Ueno, in the Province of Suruga (Shizuoka-ken), and built Taisakiji Temple for Nikkô in 1290. He also helped to build another temple, Hommonji for Nikkô at Omosu, Kitayama, only two kilometers away from Taisekiji Temple, with the cooperation of Ishikawa Yoshitada and others in 1298. Nikkô moved to Kitayama Hommonji in 1298, and spent the rest of his life there.

The Orthodoxy Question

Taisekiji Temple preserves the so-called "Two-Transfer Documents." According to the Dictionary of Buddhist Terms and Concepts, published by Nichiren Shôshû International Center in 1983, these documents are: 1. Nichiren Ichigo Guhô Fuzoku Shû written by Nichiren at Minobu in September 1282, in which Nichiren transferred the entirety of his teachings to Nikkô and entrusted him with the mission of propagating true Buddhism, and 2. Minobusan Fuzoku Shû written by Nichiren at the residence of Ikegami Munenaka on October 13, 1282, in which Nichiren appointed Nikkô as the High Priest of Minobusan Kuonji, and proclaimed that all the disciples of Nichiren should follow Nikkô. The two documents are given as the Minobu Sôjô and the Ikegami Sôjô respectively in the Nichiren Shû Shûgaku Zensho, Vol. 11.

The existence of the two documents was mentioned for the first time in the Hyakugojikkajô, written by Nikkyô (1428-1489) in 1480, but the contents of the two documents in this mentioning are different from what are preserved at Taisekiji Temple today. This shows that several forgeries had already been made by the time of Nikkyô. It is interesting to see that Nichidô (1283-1341), the fourth Chief Priest of Taisekiji Temple, clearly states in his Nikkô Shônin Goden Sôan (The Biography of Nikkô) that Nikkô stayed at Minobu for three years, not for six years.

The Minobu Sôjô bears the statement that the Hommon no Kaidan (the Precepts Platform of True Buddhism) should be established at Fujisan Hommonji. Fujisan Hommonji is another name for Nishiyama Hommonji, which was founded by Nichidai (1294-1394), who had been ousted from Kitayama Hommonji because of a succession dispute. The Minobu Sôjô may have been created by a successor of the chief priesthood of Nishiyama Hommonji. At one time, Nishiyama Hommonji was friendly with Taisekiji. Therefore, Taisekiji had no objection to keeping the document although the place of the Kaidan was assigned to Nishiyama Hommonji, and not to Taisekiji. The two temples became hostile with each other after Taisekiji produced the Ita-honzon. Incidentally, the dictionary published by the Nichiren Shôshû on-tits the statement about Fujisan Hommonji in the Minobu Sôjô that the Hommon no Kaidan should be established at Fujisan Hommonji.

These forgeries were made not by Nikkô but by some of his successors who wished to justify their schools by claiming that it was orthodox while the other branches of Nichiren Buddhism were not. The orthodoxy question was an outcome of the unstable political condition of the time. There were two factions in the Imperial family in those days. The split was fomented as early as 1259, when the Ex-Emperor Gosaga dethroned the Emperor Gofukakusa, his first son, in favor of his second son, who became the Emperor Kameyama. Gofukakusa became the head of the Jimyôintô House; and Kameyama, that of the Daikakujitô House. When the Emperor Godaigo of the Daikakujitô House fled to Yoshino, south of Kyoto, in 1336, the Daikakujitô House was called the Southern Dynasty, and the Jimyôintô House, who installed the Emperor Kômyô in Kyoto, was called the Northern Dynasty. Kitabatake Chikafusa (1293-1354) wrote the Jinnô-shôtô-ki in 1339, in which he contended that the Southern Dynasty was the orthodox lineage of the Imperial family. The Southern Dynasty was amalgamated into the Northern Dynasty in 1392, but some people were still active in their attempts to restore the Southern Dynasty.

Nichiren Identified with the True Buddha

Nichiren was first identified with the True Buddha by Nichigen (-1486) of Nishiyama Hommonji.

According to the Lotus sûtra Sâkyamuni Buddha, who was in the Stûpa of Prabhûataratna Buddha, transmitted the Dharma to Visistacâritra Bodhisattva (Jôgyô Bosatsu). Nikkô held that Nichiren was the reincarnation of (Jôgyô Bosatsu. So did his disciple Nichizon (1265-1345), who founded Jôgyô -in Temple in Kyoto, the temple being named after the Bodhisattva. But his disciple Hongaku Nichidai (1309-1369), went so far as to say that Nichiren himself entered the stûpa and received the Dharma directly from Sâkyamuni Buddha. This misinterpretation of the Lotus Sûtra) finally culminated in the creation of the Nichiren-Is-True-Buddha theory by Nichigen.

According to Nichigen, Sâkyamuni Buddha saved people by the teachings of the Lotus Sûtra The Lotus Sûtra) was good only for the people living in the lifetime of Sâkyamuni Buddha. We are now in the Age of Degeneration. The True Dharma, which is applicable to the people of this age, is not the Lotus Sûtra but the word Myôhô Renge Kyô. The word Myôhô Renge Kyô is the seed of Buddhahood to be sown in the minds of people by the Original Buddha. The Nichiren Shôshû holds that only Nichiren sowed the seed of Buddhahood in the minds of people, and therefore, that Nichiren is the Original Buddha, the True Buddha.

Those of the Nichiren Shôshû Sect never refer to Nichiren as "Nichiren Daibosatsu (Great Bodhisattva)" because they hold that Nichiren is the Buddha. We, on the other hand, worship Nichiren as the representative of the Samgha. They replace Nichiren with Nikkô as the representative of the Samgha.

In those days usurpation was frequent. The lower dominated the upper very often. The Emperor Gokomatsu was enthroned in 1382. His father, the Ex-Emperor Goenyû, died in 1393. The Gokomatsu's mother died in 1406. It was believed to be ill-omened to hold an official Imperial funeral twice during the regnal years of an emperor. There was a regulation that, if the Empress Dowager died after the Ex-Emperor during the regnal years of an emperor, a lady of the Imperial family should be installed as the mother-in-law of the emperor, and that the funeral of the natural mother of the emperor should be held unofficially. The Shôgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu violated this regulation. He appointed his wife, who was not a member of the Imperial family, as the mother-in-law of the Emperor Gokomatsu. Thus, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu became the father-in-law of the emperor. On April 25, 1408, Yoshimitsu held a ceremony of manhood for his second son Yoshitsugu. The ceremony was exactly the same as that performed when one is appointed Crown Prince. If Yoshimitsu had not died three days later, he would have obtained the title of Emperor or Ex-Emperor. He failed in his plot, but Nichigen succeeded in making Nichiren the True Buddha.

Extreme Exclusivism

It was about this time that the Ita-honzon was created by Nichi-u (1409-1482), the ninth Chief Priest of Taisekiji Temple. The Ita-honzon is a Great Mandala engraved on a camphor wood plank. It is claimed that the Great Mandala was written by Nichiren on October 12, 1279. The Ita-honzon has a note that this Great Mandala was given to Yashiro. Nichi-u claimed that this Ita-mandala was the most legitimate Honzon that Nichiren intended to inscribe, and that all the other Mandalas written on paper by Nichiren and the other priests were worthless. Nichiren and Nikkô, however, never wrote the Mandala on a plank. Nikkô prohibited making an Ita-honzon in his Fuji-isseki-monto-zonji-no-koto, claiming that an engraving on a plank would belittle the value of handwriting.

Nichi-u also said that this Ita-honzon was transferred from Yashiro to Taisekiji, therefore making Taisekiji the only temple which preserves the most legitimate Honzon handed down from Nichiren. His claim of orthodoxy offended the other temples founded by Nikkô or his successors.

Kôzôin Nisshin (1508-1576), Chief Priest of Yôbôji Temple of the Nikkô School in Kyoto, made efforts to make peace between the temples belonging to the Nikkô School. Friendship between them seemed to be restored for some time, but after his death the Nikkô School fell into anarchy again. Under the pressure of the Meiji Government, Taisekiji joined the Nichiren Shi! Kômon Ha, which was organized by the temples of the Nikkô School, in 1876. The name of this sect was changed to Hommon Shû in 1899. Later, Taisekiji seceded from the Hommon Shû in 1900, and called itself Nichiren Shû Fuji Ha. The name of the sect was changed to Nichiren Shôshû in 1912. The Hommon Shû was amalgamated into the Nichiren Shû in 1941. Yôbôji of Kyoto, which had been one of the main temples of the Hommon Shû seceded from the Nichiren Shû in 1953, and called itself Nichiren Honshû.

The Nichiren Shôshû was a small organization of about seventy temples before the war. Now the number of temples has rapidly soared up to more than four hundred because of the explosion of the population of the Sôkagakkai, which is or was supporting the Nichiren Shoshu.

What Nichiren most ardently desired to realize in his life was to approach the Emperor in Kyoto for the purpose of converting him to the Faith in the Wonderful Dharma. On his deathbed, Nichiren summoned Nichizô (1269-1342), a disciple of Nichirô and commissioned him to propagate the Daimoku in the Imperial city.

Nichizô entered Kyoto on April 14, 1294. In those days Kyoto was one of the most prosperous commercial centers of Japan. Nichizô preached on the street, chanting the Daimoku. This new type of Buddhism attracted merchants and craftsmen. The group of Daimoku-chanting Buddhists led by Nichizô grew from day to day to a size remarkable enough to draw the attention of the monk army of Hieizan, who disliked new Buddhist movements. The monk army had already opposed Nembutsu-chanting Buddhists led by Hônen in 1204 in such a way that the army appealed to the Regent Ex-Emperor Gotoba to suppress them. In the same way, they appealed to the Regent Ex-Emperor Gouda to suppress Nichiren Buddhists in 1307.

Gouda issued an order to exile Nichizô to Hata in the Province of Tosa (Kôchi-ken) Nichizô left Kyoto for Hata, but when he reached Yamasaki, a suburb of Kyoto, he realized that the monk army was satisfied with Nichizô's mere disappearance from Kyoto. So he decided not to proceed further, and remained at Yamasaki, to propagate the Daimoku. In 1309, he was pardoned and returned to Kyoto. However, he was again banished from Kyoto in 1310 and sent to Shishinose in the Province of Kii (Wakayama-ken). In 1311, he was pardoned once more, and returned to Kyoto.

In 1313, Myôjitsu (1297-1364) became a disciple of Nichizô Myôjitsu was a member of the Konoye family, which was closely connected with the Imperial family. This demonstrates that Nichiren Buddhism in Kyoto had already become attractive enough to invite a member of the nobility.

In 1321, Nichizô was for the third time ousted from the city. But this banishment seemed to be only a device to avert a temporary threat by the monk army because he was pardoned only two weeks later. Contrary to the punishment, he was officially permitted to propagate the Daimoku by the Emperor Godaigo (1268-1339). Nichizô would found Myôkenji, Temple in the city that year.

Nichiren Buddhism in Kyoto rapidly developed in the reign of the Emperor Godaigo, who wished to restore the Imperial regime by overthrowing the Kamakura Government. In 1326, the Emperor had his son Prince Morinaga (1308-1335) become a priest, and next year he appointed him the Chief Abbot of Enryakuji Temple of Hieizan to seize the leadership of the monk army. With this act, the head temple of the Tendai Sect turned into the headquarters of the Imperial army. In May 133 1, the Emperor attempted to raise his army against the Kamakura Government, but the plot was revealed, and the Emperor fled to Kasagi in the Province of Yamato (Nara-ken) in August that year. In a month, the Kamakura Government enthroned a prince of the Jimyôbintô House without proper ceremony because the Sanshu-no-jingi, which was the symbol of the throne, was still in the hands of the Emperor Godaigo. In the same month, Godaigo was captured and brought back to Kyoto, and was compelled to hand the symbol of the throne to the prince, who became the Emperor Kogon. But Godaigo never gave up calling himself Emperor. Thus, this period saw the existence of two emperors. Godaigo was exiled to Oki Island in March, 1332.

In November 1332, Prince Morinaga abandoned his priesthood, left Hieizan, reached Yoshino, and raised an army against the Kamakura Government. But he was defeated in February 1333, upon which he would flee to Kôyasan. In the same month, the Emperor Godaigo escaped from Oki Island, and organized his army on the mainland.

In May 1333, Prince Morinaga dispatched messengers from Yoshino to various temples, and ordered them to pray for the return of the Emperor Godaigo to Kyoto. On this occasion, Myôkenji, was included in the list of the temples. This shows that Myôkenji, had already grown up to a temple remarkable enough to receive the order of the prince.

In the same month, the Imperial army, joined by that of the prince, marched into Kyoto. Next month, the Emperor Godaigo returned to the city, and dethroned Kogon. Prince Morinaga was appointed Shôgun On April 14,1334, Myôkenji, was given the rank of Chokuganji, or the "Imperial-Prayer-Temple" by the Emperor Godaigo.

In 1387, Myôkenji, was destroyed by the monk army of Hieizan. Nissei, the chief priest of the temple, fled to Obama in the Province of Wakasa (Fukui-ken). Through the reconciliation of the Shôgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the monk army consented that the temple would be allowed to be restored on the condition that the name of the temple be changed. Accordingly, the temple had its name changed to Myôhonji, and was rebuilt in 1397. The original name Myôkenji, was recovered as late as 1519.

3. Honkokuji and the Ashikaga Family

The second largest Nichiren temple in Kyoto was Honkokuji, which was founded in 1345. This temple was closely connected with the Ashikaga family. In order to explain the relationship between the temple and the Ashikaga family, we must go back to the story of Nichi-in (1264-1328), one of the Nine Senior Disciples of Nichirô

Nichirô died in 1320. When the first year memorial service for him was held at Myôhonji in Kamakura in 1321, Nichi-in did not attend the service but held the same service at Honshôji, which he had already founded in the same city. This meant that Nichi-in declared independence from Myôhonji

Nichi-in transferred Honshôji, to his disciple Nichijô (1298-1369) in 1327. Nichijô was Aahikaga Takauji's (1304-1358) uncle.

When the Emperor Godaigo raised his army against the Kamakura Government in 1333, Aahikaga Takauji was a general of the Kamakura Government army. When the government army proceeded to Shinomura in the Province of Tamba (Kyoto-fu) to attack the Imperial army, Takauji changed his mind, sided with the Emperor, and marched into Kyoto with the Imperial army. When the Kamakura Government collapsed that year, Takauji thought that he would be appointed Shôgun Contrary to his expectation, Prince Morinaga was appointed Shôgun Seeing this, Takauji changed his mind again, and established his own government called Bugyôsho in the same city.

In order to compromise with Takauji, the Emperor Godaigo discharged Prince Morinaga from the Shogunate, and sent him as a hostage to Takauji's garrison in Kamakura under the care of his brother Ashikaga Tadayoshi (1306-1352). But the Emperor hesitated in appointing Takauji Shôgun because Takauji was not a member of the Imperial family.

In February 1335, Hôjô Tokiyuki, a surviving member of the Hôjô family, occupied Kamakura in an attempt to restore the Kamakura Government. Takauji hurried back to Kamakura and killed Tokiyuki. On this occasion, Takauji killed Prince Morinaga as well, called his brother to raise an army against the Emperor, and then marched into Kyoto in June of 1336. The Emperor fled to Hieizan, whereby Takauji enthroned the Emperor Kômyô a brother of the Ex-Emperor Kogon. Takauji captured Godaigo, and compelled him to hand the symbol of the throne to the new Emperor Kômyô. In November 1336, Takauji was finally appointed the First Shôgun of the Ashikaga Government by the Emperor Kômyô In December 1336, Godaigo escaped from Kyoto, ran to Yoshino, south of Kyoto, where he founded the Southern Dynasty. Godaigo died in 1339, and the throne of the Southern Dynasty was transferred to his last son, who was called the Emperor Gomurakami.

Nichijô entered Kyoto in 1341, and founded Honkokuji Temple in 1345 under the patronage of Ashikaga Takauji. Nichijô announced that Honkokuji was not a new temple but a new name given to Honshôji, Temple of Kamakura, which was moved to Kyoto. On this occasion, Honshôji, of Kamakura changed its name to Chôshôji.

4. Toki Tsunenobu and Nakayama Hokekyôji

Toki Tsunenobu (1216-1299), who lived at Wakamiya in the Province of Shimousa (Chiba-ken), was acquainted with Nichiren's family before Nichiren was born. He became a follower of Nichiren soon after Nichiren founded the Order of the Wonderful Dharma. Toki was a servant of the provincial governor, who was the head of the Chiba family. The office of the provincial government was at Chiba.

Toki Tsunenobu married widow of a samurai, who lived at Omosu, Kitayama, in the Province of Suruga (Shizuoka-ken). She had two sons, who were adopted by Tsunenobu. The Tsunenobu's family temple was Guhôji of the Tendai Sect at Mama in the same province. Tsunenobu entered his first son-in-law into Guhôji as a novice priest. However, after Toki became a follower of Nichiren, his son-in-law also followed Nichiren. Nichiren named the new disciple Nitchô

In 1278, Nitchô refuted the chief priest of Guhôji in a debate. The chief priest retired, and Nitchô would become the chief priest of the temple. However, in dispute with his father-in-law, Nitchô left Mama to live in his home town, Omosu, in 1292. Tsunenobu then became a priest by the name of Nichijô, and took care of Guhôji He also remodeled his residence at Wakamiya into a temple called Hokkeji. Hokkeji. was adjacent to the residence of Ota Jômyô, who was also a follower of Nichiren. A son of Ota Jômyô would become a disciple of Nichijô Nichikô by name. After Nichijô died in 1299, Nichikô made the residence of his father into a temple called Hommyôji, and became its chief priest. Nichikô also oversaw Hokkeji at Wakamiya.

Chiba Tanesada, the head of the Chiba family, would become a follower of Nichikô Since then Nichiren Buddhism in the Province of Shimousa rapidly developed under the patronage of the Chiba family. Hokkeji of Wakamiya and Hommyôji, of Nakayama were united into Nakayama Hokekyôji in 1545.

5. Nichiji and the Kempon Hokke Sect

Before becoming a member of the Nichiren Sect, Nichiji (1312-1392) was a Tendai priest called Gemmyô. He was born at Kurokawa (Aizu-Wakamatsu) in the Province of Aizu (Fukushima-ken). In 1332, he entered Hieizan for study. In 1351, he would become a nôke or teacher of the monastic school of Hieizan.

During his stay there, he was acquainted with Nichi-in, a Nichiren priest connected with Taisekiji Temple. Nichi-in was the chief priest of Jissôji Temple affiliated with Taisekiji Temple at Kurokawa, the home town of Gemmyô. Gemmyô. learned much of Nichiren Buddhism from him.

Gemmyô. returned to his home town in 1371, and became the chief priest of Tôkôji Temple of the Tendai Sect in the city. He opened a school of Tendai Buddhism in his temple, and received many students from around the district.

In 1379, Gemmyô. happened to read Nichiren's Kaimokushô and Nyosetsu-shugyô-shô, and was deeply moved by these writings. He decided to convert himself to Nichiren Buddhism, and changed his name to Nichijû. At that time he was already 67 years old. He visited Jitsujôji Temple to see Nichi-in, who had however already passed away. Hearing that Nissô of Guhôji Temple at Mama in the Province of Shimousa (Chiba-ken) was a noted scholar of Nichiren Buddhism, he visited Nissô with his six disciples in 1360. Nissô warmly received them, and appointed Nichijû as the head of the school of his temple.

Nichijû realized that remonstrance with the government was one of the most important duties of Nichiren Buddhists since Nichiren remonstrated with the Hôjô Government of Kamakura by submitting the Risshô-ankoku-ron to Hôjô Tokiyori. Many Nichiren Buddhists followed Nichiren in this respect. Nikkô wrote a letter to the Kamakura Government in 1289. So did Nitchô in 1291, Nichiben in 1293, and Nikô in 1329. In 1333, Nichimoku, a disciple of Nikkô left Taisekiji for Kyoto to see the Emperor in person, but died of illness at Tarui on his way to Kyoto.

During the time, Guhôji Temple was associated with Hommyôji, at Nakayama. Nichijô visited Hommyôji, and paid his respect to Nisson, the chief priest of the temple.

In 1381, Nichiji decided to visit Kyoto to approach the Emperor. He lodged at the residence of a merchant called Tennôji Tsûmyô. Acting as a deputy of Nisson, Chief Priest of Hommyôji, Temple, he visited the Imperial Court, and submitted a letter to the Imperial secretary, beseeching the Emperor to convert to the faith of the Wonderful Dharma. The Emperor acknowledged Nichijû's visit, and conferred a priest-rank on him. Nichijô rejoiced at the Imperial gift, and reported it to the tomb of Nichiren at Minobu on his way back to Mama although he could not confirm that the Emperor was converted.

In 1382, he founded Honkôji Temple at Umorebashi in Kamakura. In the same year, he visited Kyoto again. In 1383, he made his third visit to Kyoto, but at this time he did not act as a deputy of Nisson, but as the Chief Priest of Honkôji Temple. This signifies that he had already intended to depart from Nakayama Hommyôji, Tennôji Tsûmyô built a hermitage for him. In 1378, Nissô of Gumyôji Temple at Mama would pass away. Soon thereafter Nichiji declared independence from Nakayama Hommyôji, The hermitage built by Tennôji Tsûmyô was enlarged and made into a temple called Myômanji, which is now the head temple of the Kempon Hokke Sect.