For Seven days, he knelt in fervent prayer among the muted pines, preparing himself for the restoration of the true teaching of the Buddha to the people. Finally, on the night of April 27, 1253, his mind clear, his actions fully planned, he rose to his feet and made his way upward to a high peak where the forest of Asahi-ga-mori and the Pacific Ocean spread before him in the sheltering, voiceless darkness.

As the first rays of the morning sun brushed across the horizon, driving away the night and spreading a golden hush across the land, Rencho stood, motionless, facing eastward, his hands clasped in gassho, his face aglow with the truth. Nothing broke the stillness of this high place, neither wind, nor wave, nor song of bird. The world was silent as though it held its breath in patient expectation. And then the silence shattered as a resounding cry echoed from the young priest’s lips: “Namu Myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo!” “Adoration to the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law!” The words thundered and resounded through the clear, mountain air.

It was the morning of April 28, 1253 – the beginning of a new day. The first step in restoring the truth had finally been taken.