Kō, the lay nun of ［国府尼］ (n.d.) ( Kō-ama or Kō-no-ama): A follower of Nichiren who lived in the capital of the island province of Sado in the Sea of Japan. Kō means provincial office or seat of government; hence she and her husband were commonly known, respectively, as the lay nun of Kō and the lay priest of Kō. The government seat of Sado Province is thought to have been at the site of the present-day town of Mano. While Nichiren was in exile on Sado from 1271 through 1274, she converted to his teachings together with her husband. They gave Nichiren offerings and helped protect him. After Nichiren was pardoned and left Sado, she sent her husband to Minobu to visit him and continued to send him offerings.