Regarding the mountain scenery at Minobu, there are Mt. Shichimen in the west, Mt. Tenshigatake in the east, Mt. Minobu in the north and Mt. Takatori in the south. These four mountains are so steep and as high as the heavens that birds can barely fly over them. Through the narrow spaces between these mountains four rivers flow: Fujigawa, Hayakawa, Ōshirogawa and Minobugawa. In an open-space about one hundred meters square my retreat was built. The mountains are so tall that I can barely see the sun in the day or the moon at night. There is heavy snowfall in the winter and grasses grow high in the summer. Few people visit me, as it is difficult for anyone to travail through the grasses and make their way. Especially since the snow is deep this year, no visitors have come to see me.

Shuju Onfurumai Gosho, Reminiscences: from Tatsunokuchi to Minobu, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Disciples, Volume 5, Pages 45-46