The Exile on Izu Peninsula

by Jack Christensen

As Nichiren was placed aboard the government boat at Yuigahama Beach, Nichiro, his young disciple, begged to accompany his master; but he was struck down with a heavy oar wielded by one of the officers. As Nichiren called to the boy, first chastising him for his behavior and then comforting him with words from the Lotus Sutra, the boat embarked on its illegal journey.

At about 4 p.m., on the afternoon of that same day, May 12th, the boat reached Mana-ita (or "Butcher's Block") Reef, a tiny spur of rock which jutted above the ocean waves. Some distance from shore, the reef, at low tide, was connected to the land by a narrow sandbar. At high tide, however, the relentless ocean waves rose to cover the barren rock completely. And it was here, at the approach of the incoming tide, that Nichiren was left - alone and unprotected.

As the incoming tide rose higher and higher on the isolated point of Mana-ita Reef, Nichiren would surely have drowned if it had not been for Yasaburo, an old fisherman whose home was at Ito on the mainland beach some distance away.

Returning from a day at sea, the old man had suddenly caught sight of the doomed figure standing atop the slippery reef, the rising waters already lapping around his feet. Maneuvering his fishing boat carefully through the underwater hazards of the now-submerged rock, the brave old man approached the stranded priest and, just in time, drew him up from the watery death to which he had been left by the ship's crew who were anxious to return home before dark.

Once on land, the bruised but thankful Nichiren was made welcome in their simple home by Yasaburo and his wife. Fearing for the priest's life here in this primitive region, the old couple urged him, begged him, to make his home with them, But Nichiren refused.

He was not the first man to be banished by the Kamakura government to this wild and rugged peninsula. Many political prisoners before him had suffered the same punishment, and he knew that the penalty for aiding such prisoners was swift and severe. So, out of concern for the old people's safety, Nichiren declined their offer of refuge.

Sadly, Yasaburo and his wife watched as the tired priest, his shoulders bent beneath the ordeal of his recent escape from death, disappeared into the oncoming night. Where would he find food? Where would he find shelter? Somehow, they must do something to help him.

The people of Ito had, of course, heard of this fanatical priest who had reviled the powerful rulers in Kamakura. Yet, even if they had not, the fact that he was here under political banishment would have been cause enough for avoiding him; and anyone daring to associate with such a lawless criminal was made an immediate outcast from the village.

Even though such a threat hung, like a dark cloud, over Yasaburo and his wife, they felt a deep sorrow for the condemned priest; so, hurrying after him, they led him to the warmth and safety of a small grotto near the beach. During the following months, in the secrecy of night, the two old people brought food and water to Nichiren; and their kindness and love touched him so deeply that he was moved to write to them:

"On the twelfth of the fifth month, I was marooned on a beach, the name of which was unknown to me. I suffered much, and you came to my rescue. What was the relation between you and me in our previous existence? Did you practice the teachings of the Lotus Sutra in your previous life? You are a man, and a man can be courageous. I was surprised that your wife was as brave as you in serving an exile. She gave me food, water, and any other necessities. You and your wife took faith in the Lotus Sutra and made offerings to me for more than thirty days. The people of the village hated me more than the people of Kamakura. In and around the fifth month, rice is scarce; but you served me with much of it. Are you two the reincarnations of my parents? Did my parents reappear at Kawana in the Province of Izu in the forms of you two?"

NOTE: The above quotation is from St. Nichiren written by Jack Christensen. The second edition, which changed the title to NICHIREN, will be published from Nichiren Buddhist International Center in June. Please look forward to reading the 2nd edition.