Nevertheless, for what purpose did you take the trouble of sending a messenger all the way to this island? It was for the purpose of sending me the articles of offering in memory of the third-year memorial service for your beloved mother, which is an important matter in your life. To me, however, it was like a dream for a few days. I felt like Priest Shunkan of the Hosshōji Temple when he encountered his former boy servant of many years on Yuōjima Island [sic], where he had been exiled. When Duke Yang of a northern barbarian country was taken prisoner by the Chinese and brought southward from the north, he saw the wild geese flying northward, and sighed, saying, “They must be flying to my homeland.” I am sure that the sorrow the Duke Yang experienced then is not comparable to what I am undergoing today.

Nevertheless, it is preached in the Lotus Sūtra, “The Teacher of the Dharma” chapter, “Suppose there is a good person, man or woman, who can secretly preach even a phrase of the Lotus Sūtra for just one person after My (the Buddha’s) passing. You should know that such a person is a messenger of the Buddha, one who has been dispatched by the Buddha to carry out the work of the Buddha.” He who chants even one word or phrase of the Lotus Sūtra or explains it for the people is an envoy of the Lord Śākyamuni Buddha. Therefore, I am the person who has come to this country under the decree of the Lord Śākyamuni Buddha, though my social standing is humble. Accordingly, those who speak ill of me, even one word, will fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering while those who speak even a word or phrase for me will gain the merits superior to that which is received by supporting numerous Buddhas.

Shijō Kingo-dono Gohenji, Response to Lord Shijō Kingo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 117