Introduction
This letter is dated on the 13th day of the 5th month without any mention of the year of writing, but it is thought that it was written in the second year of Kōan (1279). The final page of the original manuscript exists in the Jōsenji Temple in Tokyo. Nichiren makes a strong plea in the letter, but its meaning is not entirely clear as the preceding part of the document is unavailable.

A Letter of a Matter of Importance

(heretofore missing) Please speak earnestly. This is a matter of importance to me, Nichiren.

On the 13th day of the fifth month

Nichiren (signature)

Above I’ve reproduced the entirety of page 116 of Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Disciples, Volume 5. I’m using the Ichidaiji Gosho as an example to illustrate Ven. Kenjo Igarashi’s explanation of why so many of Nichiren’s letters are in pieces (like the one above) or are disputed as forgeries.

Rev. Igarashi offered this explanation during the Sacarmento Nichiren Buddhist Church service April 8. The subject of Nichiren Shōnin’s letters came up in the context of Rev. Igarashi’s studies after talking his original vow to become a monk 50 years ago on April 28, 1968. I’m paraphrasing and rearranging things a bit.

During the Edo Period (between 1603 and 1868), Nichiren’s letters were thought to have medicinal value. It was widely believed that Nichiren was able to extend the life of his mother several years by writing out the entire Lotus Sūtra, burning the pages and having his mother drink the ashes from a glass of water. As a result, people who were seriously ill would take small clippings from Nichiren’s letters, burn them and drink the ashes. The market for Nichiren’s letters exploded, making them extremely expensive, which in turn attracted opportunistic forgers to meet the demand.

(For another view of medicinal value of the Lotus Sūtra, see Day 52 of 100.)
100 Days of Study