Nichiren’s Historical View of Buddhism and the Sangoku shishi 三国四師

Abstract

Śākyamuni, Zhiyi, Saichō and Nichiren are described as the “four teachers of the three countries,” Sangoku shishi 三国四師, in Nichiren’s Kenbutsu mirai-ki 顕仏未来記. This usage indicates that Nichiren understood himself to be an orthodox monk. What is the ground of his self-awareness? This paper aims to analyze the meaning of Sangoku shishi in Nichiren’s historical view.