Ikegami Munenaka ［池上宗仲］ (d. 1293): A follower of Nichiren. His full name and title were Ikegami Uemon no Tayū Munenaka. He was the elder 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. Munenaka is thought to have become Nichiren’s follower around 1256, and his younger brother, Munenaga, shortly thereafter. Their father, Yasumitsu, was an earnest supporter of Ryōkan, chief priest of Gokuraku-ji temple of the True Word Precepts (Shingon–Ritsu) school, and vehemently opposed their beliefs for more than twenty years. When Munenaka refused to renounce his faith in Nichiren’s teachings in 1275, Yasumitsu disowned him. Nichiren sent a letter to Munenaka and Munenaga, titled Letter to the Brothers, encouraging them to unite their efforts and persist in faith. Around 1276 Munenaka was forgiven, but the next year, he was disowned again. Although Munenaka faced this hardship courageously, his younger brother, Munenaga, seems to have wavered in his faith for a while. During this trying period, Nichiren sent the brothers and their wives letters of guidance and encouragement. In 1278 the brothers finally succeeded in converting their father to Nichiren’s teachings. Nichiren died in Munenaka’s residence in Ikegami in present-day Tokyo in 1282.