Since his early religious life, Unjō had been devoted to the Mahāyāna teachings. He had always avoided secular affairs and searched for serene place of residence.

He once wished to visit holy places and headed towards Kumano. Passing through Shima Province, he reached the coast in a remote place near the provincial boundary. By the seaside, he found a large cave in a high cliff where he took shelter for the night. Trees were growing profusely over the cave. The deep ravine was connected to the sea and the atmosphere in the valley around the cave seemed quite mysterious. In particular, the area was filled with a bad odor like rotten fish.

The frightened Unjō waited for daybreak by single-mindedly reciting the Hokekyō. Towards midnight, the wind began to blow, the rain started to fall, and the atmosphere changed. The odor increased as the air became lukewarm. Suddenly a huge poisonous serpent appeared and was about to swallow Unjō in a gulp. Seeing this, Unjō with firm faith concentrated on reciting the Hokekyō and prayed, “My life is about to end. By the power of the Hokekyō, may I be reborn in the Pure Land without falling into the Three Lower Realms.” Suddenly the serpent closed its mouth, became merciful, and disappeared without harming Unjō. The rain soon fell violently, the thunder rolled, and the lightning flashed like sunbeams. The mountain was flooded and the rocks and stones were carried away. After a while, the rain stopped and the sky became clear.

A person dressed in courtly attire of the fifth rank appeared in the opening of the cave, respectfully bowed to Unjō and said, “I am the master of this cave. I have harmed numerous living creatures including human beings. Tonight, I was going to devour you. But as soon as I heard you reciting the Hokekyō, my bad karma was altered, and good seeds germinated in me. Tonight’s great rainfall and lightning with rolling thunder were not real, but were the tears flowing from my eyes as the result of the revelation of my sins. Hereafter, I will conceive no more evil. My tears caused a great rainfall. You cannot imagine how it would be for me to reveal my true self.” As the person finished, he disappeared.

Having escaped the danger, Unjō felt the incident most unusual, affirmed his faith, and further concentrated on the Hokekyō. “Even a poisonous serpent developed a good mind by listening to the Hokekyō recitation. Certainly, the people of later generations will benefit by it. They should know that unless faith is put in the Hokekyō, one will soon fall into the mud of sufferings and be mired in it for a long time,” thought Unjō.

Afterwards, Unjō recommended the recitation of the sūtra to others, cultivated himself and others by practicing the Way and accumulating merits, and passed away forever. (Page 43-44)

Kōjitsu was a resident priest of the Senjuin Temple of Tōtō of Mount Hiei. With great admiration for the Law, he prayed to the Three Treasures and single-mindedly memorized the Hokekyō. Finally, he recited the whole copy by heart.

Later Kōjitsu moved to Umedani and was cloistered there for several years. The wife of Regent Michinaga of Fujiwara became devoted to Kōjitsu and repeatedly donated food and clothing to him.

As Kōjitsu aged, he changed his residence to Mount Atago, where he sequestered himself for ascetic practices and recited scores of thousands of copies of the Hokekyō.

On one occasion, Kōjitsu visited the Hachiman Shrine to fulfil his lifelong wish. As he recited the Hokekyō before the shrine altar at night, a person beside him dreamed that the Eight Heavenly Guardian Boys appeared from the inner hall of the shrine, bowed respectfully to Kōjitsu, and joyfully danced while scattering fragrant flowers over him and singing his praises. A voice heard within the shrine said in praise, “The holy man will surely become a Buddha and the light of his merits will illuminate the Way through the long nights to the Land After Death.” On awaking, the person found Kōjitsu reciting the Hokekyō beside him.

In his last moments, Kōjitsu respectfully completed his recitation of a copy of the Hokekyō, and passed away.(Page 50)

Shunmyō was a resident priest of Saitō. He thought of nothing but the recitation of the Hokekyō. He recited it in his room during the day and in the Shaka Hall through the night. He was always poor and had difficulty in providing his daily necessities. Avoiding people and closing the temple gates, he fervently recited the Hokekyō.

At one time, about daybreak when Shunmyō was half asleep, a Heavenly Lady appeared and said to Shunmyō in a soft voice. “In your former life, you were a fox living behind the Hokke Hall of Saitō. From time to time, you played above the ceiling and heard the Hokekyō recitation and the preaching. Thanks to this, you were reborn as a human being, became a priest of this mountain, and have been reciting the Hokekyō. To be born as a human being and to know about the Law is difficult. Exert yourself in reciting and do not neglect good deeds. The sea of suffering is so large and deep. How can one cross to other side without the ship of the Hokekyo?” The Heavenly Lady gave this explanation and said nothing more.

Hearing this, Shunmyō perceived the results linked to his former life and believed in the Way of cause and effect. After that, he recited sixty thousand rolls of the sūtra. He recited many more in later years, but the number of copied rolls was not recorded.

In his last days, he was ill but not seriously so. Reciting the Hokekyō, wishing to end his cycle of life and death, and thinking of nothing else, Shunmyō finally passed away. (Page 53-54)