Ikegami Munenaga ［池上宗長］ (d. 1283): A follower of Nichiren. His full name and title were Ikegami Hyōe no Sakan Munenaga. He was the younger son of Ikegami Saemon no Tayū Yasumitsu (also, Ikegami Saemon no Taifu Yasumitsu), who held an important post in the Office of Construction and Repairs of the Kamakura shogunate. He is thought to have embraced Nichiren’s teachings around 1256, shortly after the conversion of his elder brother, Munenaka. Their father was an ardent supporter of Ryōkan, chief priest of Gokuraku-ji temple of the True Word Precepts (Shingon–Ritsu) school, and violently objected to their practice. Twice he disowned Munenaka when the latter refused to give up his faith in Nichiren’s teachings, each time tempting Munenaga to abandon his faith and take his brother’s place as the next head of the family. Though Munenaga may have wavered temporarily on this account, ultimately he persisted in his beliefs and, together with his brother, finally converted their father to Nichiren’s teachings in 1278.