Now, I, as the messenger of Lord Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, and Buddhas in manifestation in all the worlds in the universe, only spread the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra without committing any worldly crime. The Kamakura Shogunate, nevertheless, not only allowed all the people in Japan to hate me but also exiled me twice, disgracing me by taking me along the streets of Kamakura in broad daylight as though I were a national traitor. Besides, they tore down my hermitage enshrining Śākyamuni Buddha as the Most Venerable One (honzon) and all the Buddhist scriptures. They made people not only trample the statue of the Buddha and scrolls of sūtras but also threw them in the mud and excrement. Furthermore, they took out the Lotus Sūtra from my bosom and hit me on the head with it mercilessly. My persecution as severe as this was neither due to any long-standing enmity nor any crime I have committed. It was solely due to my disseminating the Lotus Sūtra that I have been persecuted so severely.

Shinkoku-ō Gosho, Sovereigns of Our Divine Land, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 184