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.
