Vows in the ‘Jōei Code’

[In the sixth month of the 3rd year of the Kenji era (1277), Nichiren Shōnin wrote a letter of explanation in place of Inaba-bō Nichiei, a disciple of Nichiren, and submitted it to Nichiei’s father, Shimoyama Hyōgo Gorō Mitsumoto.]

As we all know, the rulers of Japan are able to do anything they wish. In a lawsuit, the rulers should call both sides to a meeting in order to listen to what each will say to the other to come to a judgement. Why is it when that only in the case of Nichiren Shōnin, they did not hold such a meeting in which he would be allowed to meet in debate against the masters of the other sects before being sentenced to such a serious punishment? This is nothing but a breach in proper conduct!

Even if Nichiren Shōnin were a felon, such illegal treatment would throw the administration of our country into chaos, with peace lost. Looking at the “Jōei Code,” we find fifty-one articles and a written pledge at the end. The first and second articles concern the religions of Shinto and Buddhism. The authorities tried to behead Nichiren Shōnin, who upholds the Lotus Sūtra, the most substantial sūtra of all Shinto and Buddhist scriptures, without allowing him to meet in debate with the monks who slandered him, trusting only in their false accusations. Thus, there might have been many other occurrences in which the shogunate broke their vows in the “Jōei Code,” but the greatest blunder was the one committed against Nichiren Shōnin. Were they inadvertently destroying themselves as well as our country because of their intense hatred of Nichiren Shōnin?

In ancient China, Duke Ai of Lu is believed to have said that the worst kind of forgetfulness was one who moved house but forgot to take one’s wife! To this, Confucius is credited with saying that some even forget who they are, such as the rulers of a country who err in governing. Were the rulers of Japan unaware of this? Even if they were, they cannot escape from their serious crime of being formidable enemies of the Lotus Sūtra.

Shimoyama Goshōsoku, The Shimoyama Letter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 85