In China, Grand Master T’ien-t’ai defeated the Northern and Southern ten masters and was revered as a great master during the reign of the Ch’ên dynasty. As stated in the Effects of T’ien-t’ai on the Buddhist Schools, he was superior to various masters and was outstanding in T’ang China.

In Japan, Grand Master Dengyō defeated the six schools of Nara in debate and was appointed the first Grand Master in Japan. Throughout India, China, and Japan these three were the only persons who deserved to be called “the first among all the people.” Therefore, it is said in the Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sūtra:

“The Buddha Śākyamuni has stated that it is easy to keep provisional sūtras preached before the Lotus Sūtra and hard to uphold the Lotus Sūtra. It is the way of a brave man to challenge the hard and leave the easy. Grand Master T’ien-t’ai, therefore, spread the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra in China, believing in and practicing the teaching of Śākyamuni Buddha. Our men of Mt. Hiei follow Grand Master T’ien-t’ai and propagate the Lotus Sūtra throughout Japan.”

During the 1,800 years after the extinction of the Buddha Śākyamuni there has been only one practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in China, and one in Japan, two in all. Adding the Buddha Śākyamuni to them, there have been three in all.

A non-Buddhist scripture says: “A sage appears once in one thousand years. A man of wisdom appears once in five hundred years. The Yellow River, with its tributaries of Wei and Ching, will be half clear in five hundred years. It will take one thousand years to be all clear.” This is true indeed.

Hōon-jō, Essay on Gratitude, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 28.