Q: Nichiren Daishonin spent his last years in Mt. Minobu. Then why did Nikko Shonin feel compelled to leave Mount Minobu where his teacher had spent his last years?
A: The direct cause of Nikko Shonin’s departure from Mount Minobu lies in the so-called four slanderous acts of Hakiri Sanenaga, the steward of Minobu.
Hakiri contradicted the Daishonin’s teachings in four ways:
- He had a statue of Shakyamuni made and regarded it as an object of devotion.
- He visited a Shinto shrine.
- He made an offering to a stupa1 of the Nembutsu sect.
- He built a place of religious practice for the Nembutsu sect.
Although Nikko Shonin strongly admonished Hakiri for his errors, he would not listen.