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)