At any rate, the Venerable Master and his wife revered each other as embodiments of Kannon Bosatsu in this world. That’s why I believe theirs must be considered an ideal marriage. Another very impressive comment in another of “Esshin-ni’s Letters” is her statement that regardless of the way in the Venerable Master left this world, there is absolutely no doubt that he was “born in the Pure Land” (ojo). This letter was written in response to a letter from Kakushin-ni in which the particulars of how the Venerable Master left this world was described. Because Kakushin-ni’s letter does not remain today, we can only speculate that bright lights did not flash, nor music heard (as is often the case in describing the deaths of outstanding Buddhist monks), or whether or not the Venerable Master suffered even a little in deathbed. But in response to Kakushin-ni’s letter, Esshin-ni was adamant in telling her daughter that regardless of the Venerable Master’s last moments, there was no doubt that he was born in the Pure Land. She obviously had no doubt that in his everyday life, the Venerable Master spent his days absolutely confident that his birth in the Pure Land was assured because his shinjin was settled. This is referred to as being in “(the group of) those guaranteed to be born (in the Pure Land) from which there is no retrogression” (shojoju futaiten). I believe this is indeed a wonderful thing.

When the Venerable Master was 39 years of age – on the 17th day of the 11th lunar month during the year 1211 CE (Kenryaku 1), five years after being exiled -he and Master Honen were pardoned. I believe the Venerable Master wished to return to Kyoto as soon as possible and be reunited with his revered teacher, Master H?nen, and planned to do so soon after the new year began and the deep snows of Echigo Province had melted.

Master Honen had already returned to Kyoto by then. It is said that he had found a place to stay on the second floor of Katsuo Temple in Settsu by the 8th day of the 12th lunar month of the year he was pardoned. Unfortunately, he passed away on the 25th day of the 1st lunar month of 1212 CE (Kenryaku 2).

The Venerable Master remained in Echigo Province after learning of Master Honen’s passing. About the year 1214 CE (Kempo 2), however, when he was 42 years of age, the Venerable Master decided to move to the then frontier area of the Kanto(general area around modern Tokyo).

In the Kanto area, he made the town of Inada (in modern Ibaraki Prefecture) his headquarters, and began spreading the Nembutsu teaching.

The Venerable Master spent some twenty years in the Kanto area, during which time many disciples and followers gathered around him. About eighty of his direct disciples were said to have been formally initiated as monks. The followers of his direct disciples were said to number in the tens of thousands.

Many stories are told about the Venerable Master while he was in the Kanto area. Among them is the story of Bennen (later Myoho – bo) of Mt. Inada. Bennen was a mountain ascetic who became jealous of the following that was gathering around the Venerable Master, and determined to kill him. He forced his way into the Venerable Master’s hut in Inada. The moment Bennen saw the Venerable Master’s serene and composed attitude, however, he dropped his weapons and became the Venerable Master’s disciple.