Sairen-bō ［最蓮房］ (n.d.): Also known as Sairen-bō Nichijō. A disciple of Nichiren (1222–1282). Born in Kyoto, Japan, he was a priest of the Tendai school who, for an unknown reason, had been exiled to Sado Island. There he met Nichiren and converted to his teachings in the second month of 1272, shortly after the Tsukahara Debate. From the letters Nichiren sent to him, it appears that he had a profound knowledge of Buddhism but was in poor health. After Nichiren left Sado and went to live at Mount Minobu in 1274, Sairen-bō was also pardoned and returned to Kyoto. Thereafter he is said to have gone to Shimoyama in Kai Province and founded Honkoku-ji temple. He received from Nichiren a number of important writings including The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life, The Enlightenment of Plants, On Prayer, The True Aspect of All Phenomena, The Entity of the Mystic Law, and On the Eighteen Perfections.