NICHIREN

born March 30, 1222, Kominato, Japan died Nov. 14, 1282, Ikegami original name Zennichi, also called Zenshobo Rencho, posthumous name Rissho Daishi militant Japanese Buddhist prophet who contributed significantly to the adaptation of Buddhism to the Japanese mentality and who remains one of the most controversial and influential figures in Japanese Buddhist history. After an exhaustive study of the various forms of Buddhism, he concluded (in 1253) that the Lotus Sutra teaching was the only true doctrine suitable for his age and predicted calamity for Japan if all other sects were not banished. He wrote his systematic work, Kaimokusho (1272), while in exile for his radical teachings. Additional reading Masaharu Anesaki, Nichiren, the Buddhist Prophet (1916, reissued 1966).