31The Postscript to “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land”

I COMPILED the above work in the first year of the Bunnō era (1260), with the cyclical sign kanoe-saru. That is, I began the work during the Shōka era (1257–1259) and completed it in the first year of Bunnō.

In the first year of the Shōka era, cyclical sign hinoto-mi, on the twenty-third day of the eighth month, at the time when the hour of the dog gives way to the hour of the boar (around 9:00 p.m.), there was a severe earthquake. Observing this event, I conceived the work. Later, in the first year of Bunnō, cyclical sign kanoe-saru, on the sixteenth day of the seventh month, I presented it to His Lordship, the lay priest of Saimyō-ji,¹ who is now deceased, by way of the lay priest Yadoya.² Still later, in the first year of the Bun’ei era (1264), cyclical sign kinoe-ne, on the fifth day of the seventh month, when a great comet appeared, I became even more certain of the origins of these disasters. Then, on the eighteenth day of the intercalary first month of the fifth year of Bun’ei, cyclical sign tsuchinoe-tatsu, nine years after the first year of Bunnō [when I submitted On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land], an official letter came from the great kingdom of the Mongols that lies to the west, threatening to attack our country. Again, in the sixth year of the same era (1269), a second letter arrived. Thus the prediction that I made in my memorial [On Establishing the Correct Teaching] has already proved to be true. In view of this, we may suppose that the predictions I made will continue to come true in the future as well.

This work of mine has now been substantiated by fact. But this is not solely due to Nichiren’s power. Rather it has come about as a response to the true words of the Lotus Sutra.

I copied this work on the eighth day of the twelfth month in the sixth year of Bun’ei (1269), cyclical sign tsuchinoto-mi.