25. The Showdown by the Rain in Gokurakuji Ryoukan and Nichiren.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Japanese edition

　

Contraction/Desiccation cracks in dry earth. By Wikipedia.

It is the eighth year of the Bun'ei era (1271). Nichiren had become 50 years old.

The sun glared down relentlessly. The fields have begun to dry up.

The air was full of flying grit. The horse which lost weight became limp.

A sweaty farmer digs the soil with a hoe, but the soil, like sand, has no response. He gave up plowing soil.

A drought began in every field. The people unconsciously recalled the great famine and the major contagious disease of the spring in the first year of Shogen era about ten years ago.

A farmer patted each leaf anxiously. And he looked up at the bright red sun bitterly.

The people in Kamakura hung out at the shadow of a tree and the house under the scorching sun.

Everybody watched the sky reproachfully.

The Shogunate's vassals of Yasumori Adachi, Yoritsuna Tairano and Hojo Nobutoki were gathered in the Tokimune Hojo's mansion. Everybody is busy waving a folding fan.

Although Yasumori was overwhelmed with heat, he finally started the meeting.

“Information that famine is spreading to the countries is arriving to us frequently.”

Yoritsuna belongs.

“The land stewards weaken. They lend a seedling and the money to a farmer, but it becomes decisive for both to go under together when it does not rain at all."

Nobutoki follows with.

“Disputes over water rights happened in each place. This became more difficult than Mongolia's case."

Yasumori asked Tokimune.

“The messenger of Mongolia comes to Dazaifu again. What should we do?"

“Let it go. It is more famine than it. Are there not any bright ideas? The minds of the people will be confused more and more if there is a bad harvest again this year. It is a time when a country must be in one now. It is more than Mongolia's issue. Rack your brains."

As if Hojo Nobutoki had been waiting for him, he spoke up.

"My lord, what are your thoughts on letting the priest Ryoukan of Gokurakuji pray?"

Nobutoki is a parishioner of the temple of Ryoukan and is a member of Nembutsu sect.

Yasumori clapped his hands.

“That's a good idea! There was a priest named Ryoukan. He's a master of rainmaking. He has remarkable results. If it is that priest, he should be good at bringing rain."

“My lord, please appoint the Buddhist priest Ryoukan by the instruction of the Shogunate. If we do so, it becomes fortunate for both the lord and the Shogunate.”

Tokimune remained silent.

Yasumori sensed it as the consent and commanded.

“Summon the priest Ryoukan to the administrative office immediately."

Gokurakuji Ryoukan arrived at the parlor of the government office soon after. Suo-bo and Irusawa Nyudo of the disciple wait near him.

Yasumori Adachi and Nobutoki Hojo entered the parlor with an imperative sentence in a hurry.

Yasumori read aloud the imperative sentence that Tokimune wrote at just before time.

“The countries are damaged by a drought. It is not the real intention that our Shogunate is confused by it. Therefore, we give thou Gokurakuji Ryoukan an order for a rainy prayer. The grain abundant harvest is the wish of the monarch and is a request of people from ancient times. We hope that thou express the efficacy of the Law and work for people for the Shogunate."

Ryokan's answer is polite.

“Those are precious words. I have received your order. I think that it is not easy to bring rain, but I would heartily like to pray to Amida to be able to answer hope by all means.”

Ryokan and Hojo Nobutoki had eyes on each other.

　Believers, samurais and a great number of people, including the townsman, heard a rumor that the priest Ryoukan was ordered to pray for the rain when the Shogunate met the party of Ryoukan.

Everybody puts hands together in front of Ryoukan.

Hojo Mitsutoki, the wealthy supporter of this temple, lowers his head. He is the lord of Shijo Kingo.

“Teacher, are you given an order to start a rainy prayer by the lord Tokimune?”

Ryoukan nodded.

“It is not an easy thing, but, by the vows of Amida Buddha, the prayer will unmistakably come true."

A townsman puts hands together.

" Priest Ryoukan, we are begging you! The crops produced on farms in Kamakura are exterminated if kept on like this. Please give us a blessing by the power of the shonin!”

Ryoukan was satisfactory.

"Please leave it to me. I will bring rain. But I am anxious about Nichiren who says 'Nembutsu is the hell of incessant suffering, and the sect of precepts is the traitor of the nation'. I hope to give the priests, men and women of Japan the precepts and to stop the liquor of the world and the killing creature of a whole country but Nichiren is disturbing this wish. This is the matter that is deplorable for this Japan”

56-year-old Ryoukan had the utmost protection of the Kamakura shogunate and he was in his glory now.

He had influence on the regent Tokimune too.

Ryoukan got a right of the collection of the harbor dues from Iijima and a right of the collection of the transitional duty of the seven roads of Kamakura and paid a tax to the Shogunate. Therefore, he was a religious backbone for the protection of the nation and he existed to have a strong influence against the Shogunate and the inseparable relationship economically, too.

I quote it from an article by Mr. Kenji Matsuo again.

Matsuo points out that the charity work of Ryoukan was at one with the Shogunate.

“Kuwagayatsu Valley is the north of the valley of the current Kosokuji Temple, and is adjacent to the east of Gokurakuji too. It was the planned site of the construction of Gokurakuji at first, and probably it was the land of the Shigetoki Hojo's clan. That is why Ryoukan built a hospital there and probably worked hard at the treatment activity of the sick.

By the way, it had a big meaning to not only the contribution of believers, but also the support of the Kamakura Shogunate, having supported charity relief activities of such Ryoukan. (Omission). In the medical treatment place of Kuwagayatsu Valley, 46,800 people have been treated for 20 years, but a dead person is 10,450 people, and it is said that four-fifth person healed here surprisingly. Tokimune Hojo decided on such a treatment activity, and Ryoukan helped him and carried it out.

That is why Tokimune Hojo gave the farm of Osato of the Tosa country (Kochi) to Ryoukan, and it is said that Tokimune let him allot it for the expense that the treatment activity in Matsuba Valley takes. An illness inn (a hospital) was certain in Gokurakuji and it was probably easy to perform it at an illness inn in Gokurakuji. However, he makes a hospital outside Gokurakuji called the Matuba Valley not only an illness inn in Gokurakuji, and he performs activity of the treatment for 46,800 people for 20 years. As this fact, the treatment activity in Kuwagayatsu Valley had a meaning for the intention of Tokimune who was the direct descendant of Hojo, and it was not merely an activity of Gokurakuji it. In other words, Tokimune Hojo, who was the chief executive of the Shogunate, let Ryoukan act for relief work."

　The Gokurakuji Ryoukan cut into the center of the state power. He doesn't have any enemies. If there is an enemy for him, it was only one Nichiren, but it is the degree of a trifling quarrel between each believer. He did not care entirely about Nichiren, who was a simple monk without rank or position.

Nichiren, who became 50 years old, began a sermon in that evening. His short hair was nearing gray.

A great number of the audience waves a folding fan because it is hot, and wipes sweat.

Suo-bo and Ilusawa Nyudo of Ryoukan's disciple were there. Two people came to reconnoiter the enemy's movements. If Nichiren moved, they reported it to Ryoukan immediately.

The sermon of Nichiren adds to strictness.

“There is a Buddhist monk called Ryoukan in this Kamakura. He is in shabby clothes, and he keeps 250 religious precepts firmly, and has correct behavior. Not to mention a monk and layman of ignorance, he is respected from a ruler to all the people as saying that he is the living Buddha. But when I see the Lotus Sutra, it is preached that the three powerful enemies appear before the person who will spread the Lotus Sutra in the Latter-Day of the Law. I consider the most intense third enemy among them is this priest Ryoukan.”

Suo-bo couldn't resist and interrupted his preaching.

“Please, wait. What is your basis for such nonsense?"

Nichiren picked the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra slowly and opened the thirteenth chapter of the ‘Encouraging’ and read.

"Preferably, please never worry.

We will preach it widely in the world of fear and unreason, after the Buddha passed away.

Various ignorant people will give us calumny and blame, in addition, they will use a sword and a stick and persecute us.

We, everybody will endure it.

After Buddha passed away, there will be one priest.

He pretends that he keeps religious precepts, and while he slightly reads the sutra, he is absorbed with eating and drinking and makes a living.

Even though he wears a priest's robe, while facing a believer, he seems like a hunter aims at a deer or seems like a cat tries for a mouse.

Furthermore, this Buddhist priest will always advocate these words; "I got Buddhahood.

Though it expresses intelligence and virtuous outside, inside holds greed.

Like a Baramon only opening mouth, he will express the form of the Buddhist priest, though it is not a priest in truth, and he will spread a wicked view and will slander the teachings of Buddha."

Ilusawa Nyudo mocked.

“No matter what you say, our priest Ryoukan is the first-rate priest in Kamakura that lord Tokimune recognizes. He was ordered to pray for rain the other day from the shogunate. Perhaps I shouldn't say so, but even if the Priest Nichiren hopes, it does not come true.”

Suo-bo, too, lightly laughed and asserted it.

“After all, we and a Nichiren shonin are water and oil, aren't we? Even if you said something, the people do not recognize you at all. We will leave you now. We must make preparations to pray for rain from now on."

At that moment, Nichiren stopped them from standing up.

“Please wait. I heard that a rainy prayer will be performed from June 18. If Priest Ryokan sends rain in seven days, I will be his disciple.”

The audience was not able to hide a surprising voice to Nichiren's remark of doing a confrontation of the rain.

Suo-bo exchanged looks with Ilusawa and sat down again.

Nichiren continues.

“If Priest Ryoukan could sprinkle even a single drop of rain in seven days, Nichiren would become a disciple of him, have a thorough knowledge of the 250 precepts, and will profess that I was wrong when I said that the Nembutsu is an uninterrupted hell and that the precepts are national pirates.”

The audience was taken aback by Nichiren's words. They did not expect him to be confronted by a master rainmaker.

Suo-bo doesn't quite believe the evolution that occurred unexpectedly.

“Shonin Nichiren. I hope you don't lie to me.”

Nichiren asserted that it was true.

“If I showed him allegiance, Japan, including my disciple, would bow to the priest Ryoukan. On the contrary, it is clear that religious precepts of the priest Ryoukan are mistaken if it does not rain. Please surrender to the Lotus Sutra disinterestedly."

The two held each other's hands in an unexpected turn of events.

“That's very hard to believe. Do you really try to confront the priest Ryoukan really? Do you not have judiciousness?”

Nichiren was calm as always.

“There are several examples which had determined a win and a defeat by praying for rain from the old days. It is namely the Great Teacher Dengyou and Gomyo, also Shubin and Kobo. Let's settle it with this!”

The two of them reminded Nichiren, incredulous.

“You cannot retract the present words. Please do not forget!”

Disciples of Nichiren were dumbfounded.

Daishinbo, one of them, came running at the top of his speed.

“Master, the priest Ryoukan is a master of praying for rain. I think no one can match him in praying!"

Nichiren turned his head straight ahead.

“I will bring it to an end with a result of reality. I will defeat his great arrogance and save him from the torments of the unremitting hell!”

While Suo-bo and Ilusawa Nyudo guffaw, they run on the main street with quick light steps.

Two people thought.

The enemy of our priest Ryoukan disappeared in this. They had been attacked severely by Nichiren so far, but Nichiren attempted a reckless challenge. Cannot stop laughing.

Continued

Life of Nichiren. Vol. 1. Contents