As for myself, who has committed no sin whatsoever, I, Nichiren, was blamed of committing the grave sin of chanting Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō at the discretion of the ruler of Japan and was exiled to Izu Province in the first year of Kōchō (1261). Again, on the 12th of the ninth month in the eighth year of Bun’ei (1271), I was paraded around on horseback as a prisoner in front of the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman and was made a laughing stock by all the slanderers of the True Dharma in Japan. Was this not a mistake of the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, who did not stop it from happening? It was not that Hachiman did not remonstrate at all with slanderers of the True Dharma, but the only remonstrance of Hachiman seems to have caused domestic quarrel among members of the Hōjō clan.

The Great Bodhisattva Hachiman was once the wise emperor of Japan, Emperor Ōjin. In addition, he is one of the greatest gods in Japan, competing with Goddess Amaterasu of the Ise Shine for supremacy. I do not believe that there is any god superior to Hachiman and that he can ever be unfair. Nevertheless, according to the rules of all the Buddhist scriptures and the Lotus Sūtra, Hachiman committed a great sin by protecting the slanderers of the True Dharma and refusing to help the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra.

Kangyō Hachiman-shō, Remonstration with Bodhisattva Hachiman, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 268

To begin with, what virtuous acts did you commit in the past existences to cause you to visit me, Nichiren, in this life? Contemplate your past lives, when you accumulated merits to encounter the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra. By all means you should endeavor to get rid of the delusion of life and death in this existence. Cūḍapanthaka, who was unable to memorize even 14 characters in three years, was able to attain Buddhahood. Devadatta, who was able to memorize as many as 60,000 Buddhist teachings, fell into the Hell of Incessant Suffering. This solely represents the world today in the Latter Age of Degeneration. Do not think that it is not a matter of your concern.

San Sanzō Kiu no Koto, Concerning the Prayer Services for Rain by Three Tripiṭaka Masters, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 209.

[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.]

Nichiren Shōnin had long been thinking that in order to repay the favors given by his country he should remonstrate with its rulers three times, and if they would still not heed his advice, he would seclude himself in the woods of a mountain. Following an old saying that it’s best to retreat if one’s remonstrations with a master is rejected three times, Nichiren Shōnin entered Mt. Minobu. Besides, when the rulers of a country will not listen to him, what is the use of preaching to the people below? It does not seem likely that the country will be saved or the people will be helped to attain Buddhahood.

Shimoyama Goshōsoku, The Shimoyama Letter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 87

Lord Śākyamuni Buddha repeatedly states that of the sūtras preached by the Buddha in His lifetime, those preached during the first forty years or so do not reveal the truth. He denigrates such sūtras as the Nirvana Sūtra as sūtras to be preached later and defines the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning as the one being preached at present. The Buddha preaches in this Lotus Sūtra that it is the supreme teaching of all the teachings preached in the past, being preached at present, and those to be preached in the future: “Honestly discarding the expedient teachings, He preached only the supreme way;” and “After preaching the provisional teaching for many years, He will inevitably preach the true teaching.”

Then the Buddha of Many Treasures of the Treasure Purity World emerged from the great earth, attesting to the truth of the Lotus Sūtra. Numerous Buddhas in manifestation from all the worlds throughout the universe all stretched their long and wide tongues touching the Brahma Heaven to prove the truthfulness of the words of the Buddha. The tongues of those manifestation Buddhas as numerous as the number of dust-particles produced by all the worlds throughout the universe were reborn on the red lotus flowers with eight petals due to the merit of observing the precept of not telling a lie. Thus, the doctrine of attainment of Buddhahood by women is proved to be true by Buddhas, not one, two, three, ten or one hundred Buddhas but one thousand, tens of thousands, millions of Buddhas, or numerous Buddhas filling the four hundred, tens of thousands, million, nayuta worlds.

Zemmui-shō, Treatise on Śubhākarasiṃha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 55

Toward the end of the Age of the Semblance Dharma, Bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara (Kannon) and the Medicine King (Yakuō) appeared in this world as Nan-yüeh and T’ien-t’ai respectively, and they thoroughly explained the doctrines of “1,000 aspects contained in 100 realms” and “3,000 existences contained in one thought,” stressing the theoretical section as the central theme and the essential section as its supporting idea. They, however, merely reasoned in the abstract that 3,000 modes of existence are contained in the minds of the unenlightened; they did not practice and have others practice the actual way of realizing it—reciting and upholding the five characters of myō, hō, ren, ge, and kyō, and revering the Most Venerable One as revealed in the essential section of the Lotus Sūtra (hommon no honzon). A few people with the capacity to comprehend the True Dharma did exist, but after all, the time was not ripe for the perfect teaching.

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 161

I myself am a humble man but the Lotus Sūtra is protected by the King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, Sun Deity, Moon Deity, the Four Heavenly Kings, Goddess Amaterasu, and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman. Therefore, those who persecute the believers of the Lotus Sūtra invite disasters as painful as swallowing swords or seizing fire by bare hands. Contemplating these things, it is noble of you to further your faith. It is noble indeed.

Kubo-ama Gozen Gohenji, Response to My Lady, the Nun of Kubo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Page 89

The reason why we continue to transmigrate through the six lower realms without attaining Buddhahood from the eternal past of innumerable kalpa (aeons) till today is that we fail to give up our lives for the sake of the Lotus Sūtra. Gladly Seen Bodhisattva burned himself for 1,200 years as a votive light to the Sun Moon Pure Bright Virtue Buddha and burned his arms for 72,000 years to the Lotus Sūtra. He is Medicine King Bodhisattva today. Never Despising Bodhisattva was abused, disparaged, beaten with sticks and rubble was thrown at him for many kalpa (aeons) in order to disseminate the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra. Did he not become Śākyamuni Buddha in a future existence? Therefore, the way of practicing the sūtra leading to Buddhahood differs according to the times.

Ichinosawa Nyūdō Gosho, A Letter to Lay Priest Ichinosawa, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 162

The Dhārāṇi chapter states that two bodhisattvas, two heavenly kings and ten female rākṣasa demons will protect the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra. The two bodhisattvas are the Bodhisattva Medicine King and the Bodhisattva Brave Donor. The two heavenly kings are Vaiśravaṇa and Dhṛtarāṣṭra. The ten female rākṣasa demons are ten great demons, mothers of all demons in the four quarters of the world. Their mother is Hāriti.

They eat men after the custom of demons. A man’s body is composed of thirty-six substances such as excrement, urine, spittle, flesh, blood, skin, bone, five viscera and six entrails, hair, breath, and spirit. Inferior demons feed on excrement and the like. Mediocre demons feed on bones and the like. Superior demons feed on spiritual essence. The ten female rākṣasa demons have supreme qualities and thus feed on man’s spiritual essence. They are the great demons of epidemic.

Nichinyo Gozen Gohenji, Response to My Lady Nichinyo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 134

The third chapter, “A Parable,” of the Lotus Sūtra points out the graveness of the sin of slandering the True Dharma: “He who does not put faith in this sūtra and slanders it will destroy the seed of Buddhahood of all the people in the world.

I, Nichiren, encountering a severe earthquake, a typhoon, and famine in the Shoka Era (1257-59), and wide-spread epidemics in the first year of the Shōgen Era (1259), predicted that these were omens foretelling the invasion of this country, Japan, by foreign troops. I may sound as though I am singing my own praises, but I dare say this because, should this land of Japan be destroyed, there is no doubt that Buddhism also will be destroyed.

High priests these days, however, are in one mind with slanderers of the True Dharma, or they do not even know the exquisite doctrine of their own schools. I suppose these high priests will probably receive an imperial decree or shogunal order to pray for repulsing foreign invaders, but I am afraid that it will only intensify the anger of the gods and Buddhas, resulting in the destruction of the land of Japan.

I, Nichiren, also know how to repulse the impending foreign invaders. Except for those at Mt. Hiei, I am the only one who knows this in Japan. It is because two sages will not appear at the same time, just as there never will be two suns or two moons. If this is a lie, I will receive the punishment of the ten female rākṣasa demons, guardians of the Lotus Sūtra, which I, Nichiren, uphold. It is solely for the sake of the country, the dharma, and the people; not for myself that I say this to you. I say this to you also because I was able to see you earlier. If you do not accept my words, you will regret it.

Ankoku-ron Gokanyurai, The Reason for Submitting the “Risshō Ankoku-ron,” Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 150