Ōama ［大尼］ (n.d.): A follower of Nichiren (1222–1282). The wife of the lord of Tōjō Village of Nagasa District in Awa Province, Japan. In his writings, Nichiren also refers to her simply as “the wife of the lord of the manor” and as the lay nun of Ryōke, ryōke meaning the family of the local proprietary lord who owned and managed the estate. She had known Nichiren and his parents and is said to have helped him enter Seichō-ji temple. Later Ōama became a believer in Nichiren’s teaching but abandoned her faith around the time of the Tatsunokuchi Persecution in 1271. After Nichiren returned from his exile on Sado Island and situated himself at Minobu in 1274, she again changed her mind and asked Nichiren to inscribe the object of devotion called Gohonzon for her. He refused, however, knowing her faith to be unstable. He did nevertheless present a Gohonzon to her daughter-in-law, Niiama (Younger Nun). She was called Ōama (Elder Nun) in relation to Niiama. Though Ōama and the lay nun of Nagoe were previously regarded as the same person, further research has shown there is no certain evidence to support this.