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日蓮大聖人『御書』解説

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2020年 07月 18日

7. Three Disasters and Seven Calamities (Great disaster attacks Japan) 4

                    Japanese edition

7. Three Disasters and Seven Calamities (Great disaster attacks Japan) 4_f0301354_17170429.jpg

The seated statue of Toki Jonin. Constructed during the Tensho era (1573-1592). Possessed by the Nakayama Hokekyoji Temple. By Wikipedia.

On the other hand, Toki Jonin who became a believer of Nichiren was working for the Chiba's mansion in Kamakura. Toki is senior to Nichiren by 6 years. As such, he was a man of sense.

Chiba, who was a lord of Toki had domains in the whole country. There were territories in Kinki and Kyushu including Shimousa. Jonin was busy with the handling of the trial, the collection of the land tax, the transportation of supplies, financial management as a bureaucrat of lord Chiba.

Father of Toki is from Inaba (Tottori) originally. There was the original territory in the Toki district of the Inaba country. Because father served the Chiba, Jonin of the child entered Kanto and he worked either.

Parent and child of Toki were able bureaucrats. The dispute of Zhokyu is already over, stability of the reign is the urgent business. The influential person like Chiba clan had been seeking a talented government official.

An administrative official displayed desk in the Chiba office and did a writing. The busyness of the work is the same as a modern company. A horse and a cart went in and out to the plaza busily.

Toki Jonin makes a document on a desk in the office. A co-worker took a look at the documents on the side. He read the imperative sentence that just arrived. It is a bitter face

“Oh, an instruction of the construction has reached from lord Kamakura!”

Everybody looks at each other as like saying "Again!"

“Wait a minute! The family of Chiba is the military governor, but the finance is tight. Is there not the way to refuse somehow? Where is it?”

“Kyoto, Lotus Flower King Temple.”

“It is a so money-consuming matter.”

Jonin considers.

“At first we must raise money for the trip to the Kyoto of our lord. It is roughly estimated at 200 kan.”

A co-worker lamented.

“Neither Shimousa nor Kamakura has such a money!”

Everybody crossed an arm.

Jonin said.

“Why don't you procure from a land tax of Kyushu?”

A co-worker clapped his hands.

“You're right. We will borrow the money from a merchant and will let him collect it for the liquidation in Kyushu.”

The provincial financial difficulty is not the thing which began from now. The people of the Middle Ages have been in trouble, too. They freely have used the forwarding agent, and merchant who was called Bashaku, and digested instructions of the Shogunate. If the crop of the land tax is a distant place, Bashaku collects it. It was a kind of the money order.

His colleagues all laughed.

“However, it is costly, isn't it? Our lord has just finished to act as a military guard of Kyoto. We are driven hard. Lord of Kamakura works his men too hard.”

Jonin corrects for him.

“What? You shouldn't speak like that. Lord of Kamakura is contributing to the peace and security of our lord. We must take measures by every means for our master.”

Hiscolleagues all laughed.

"What you say is all very well. We will certainly comply with your request. We are no match for Mr. Toki who is a strong sect believer of the Lotus Sutra.”

Toki's belief in the Lotus Sutra is well known. Everyone resumed their job with a bitter smile.

Also, when they sort out a document, they have been throwing away papers which they had finished using. Jonin picked up that paper and gathered it.

The co-worker looked at him with a dubious look. What does he use the used document for?


The sunset shined in the thatched hut of the Matsuba Valley.

Nichiren takes the writing brush. He writes into a document which were taken from Jonin. The paper's surface has already been written in, but the back side is still usable. The papers had been used by the government official of the Chiba clan including Jonin.

A paper was precious in those days. It was sometimes used so as to recycle and re-use.

Jonin sent miscellaneous papers, and Nichiren and disciples copied the Buddhist sutras or Tientai's writing into the back side of this poor-quality paper and studied.
By the way, thanks to this, the document of the Chiba clan written to the surface has come until the present day, it becomes precious documents which are able to know the Kamakura era.


Continued to Birth of Disciples and Believers who Supported the Life of Nichiren


Life of Nichiren. Vol. 1. Contents





by johsei1129 | 2020-07-18 17:23 | LIFE OF NICHIREN | Trackback | Comments(0)


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