THE PICTORIAL LIFE OF SAINT NICHIREN

Scene 7 Sunrise at Asahi-ga-mori

Rencho not only mastered the teachings of Buddhism available in the representative temples he visited in Kyoto and Nara, but also thoroughly investigated the tenets of Confucianism and the ancient Japanese religion of Shinto. After completing these studies, he again returned to Mt. Hiei. In 1253, at the age of thirty-two, he returned to Mt. Kiyosumi.

One morning as the sun was about to climb above the Pacific horizon, Rencho stood alone on a high bluff, gazing toward the imminent sunrise. The Asahigamori forest spreading out below him was silent and the sky was completely clear. As the first streak of golden, morning sun rays broke the horizon, his thundering voice pierced the silence with the words "Na-mu Myoho-ren-ge-kyo," heralding the new day. It is on this date, April 28^th, 1253, that Rencho established his new Buddhist sect.