Scene 1 Birth of Zen-nichi-maro

In the small fishing village of Kominato lived Shigetada and Umegiku Nukina. Shigetada was a veteran bushi (warrior) turned fisherman. He and his wife were known as humble and religious people in their attitudes concerning life in general. It is said that one night Umegiku had a dream wherein a miniature sun cradled in petals of a lotus blossom descended upon her and entered her womb.... whereupon awakened, she found herself about to give birth to their fourth child. On the morning of February 16^th, 1222, their fourth son was born. At that time, although they were out of season, lotus blossoms miraculously bloomed on the beach, adorning his birth. The child was given the name Zennichimaro.

Raised a fisherman's son, Zennichimaro was a healthy boy, but it was his keen mind and constant concern for human matters that impressed his parents and the villagers. There were too many inconsistencies in the social status of people, and the ignorance among the populace was overwhelming. This led to spiritual questions such as, "Who is the Buddha?" Sakyamuni? Amitabha? Vairocana? Questions led to more questions but with few, if any, satisfying answers What course was left for one who sought answers to such questions?