I HAVE received the tub of miso that you sent. The medicine Saemon1 sent me has cured my diarrhea. And now, savoring your miso, I feel even fitter than ever. Thank you, thank you!
I am praying to the Lotus Sutra that you will be free from all illness this year.
With my deep respect,
Nichiren
The twenty-sixth day of the sixth month
Reply to Hyōe no Sakan
Background
This letter of appreciation was written by Nichiren Daishonin in 1278 to Ikegami Hyōe no Sakan Munenaga, the younger of the Ikegami brothers, for his offering of miso, or fermented soybean paste, a staple food ingredient. The Daishonin attests to being cured of diarrhea through a remedy Shijō Kingo has sent him, and attributes further improvement of his condition to the miso. In closing, he prays for Munenaga’s health.
Note
1. Saemon refers to Shijō Kingo, a samurai and faithful follower of Nichiren Daishonin. His full name and title was Shijō Nakatsukasa Saburō Saemon-no-jō Yorimoto. (Saemon-no-jō was another name for the title Kingo.) He was well versed in both medicine and the martial arts.