Each of you who claims to be my disciple should never be a coward. Do not think of your parents, wife and children, or your fiefs for the sake of the Lotus Sūtra. Since numerous kalpa in the past till today, I have sacrificed my life more times than the number of dust particles on the earth for the sake of my parents, children and fiefs. However, I never lost my life for the Lotus Sūtra. Though I practiced this sūtra more or less in the past, I stopped it whenever I encountered any danger to my life. It is like adding cold water into a kettle of boiling water and ceasing to strike flints before starting a fire. We shall never have hot water or get the fire started.

Shuju Onfurumai Gosho, Reminiscences: from Tatsunokuchi to Minobu, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Disciples, Volume 5, Pages 24