Nichiko (a Buddhist priest) (日高 (僧侶))
Nichiko (1257-June 9, 1314) was a priest of Nichiren sect of Buddhism and supposedly the second Kanju (or Kanshu, meaning the head priest) of Hokekyo-ji Temple, who lived in the later Kamakura period. Nichiko was a direct disciple of Nichiren from whom important teachings had been passed down by word of mouth. Nichiko's father was Jomyo OTA who was a feudal retainer of the Chiba clan of Shimousa Province and was Nichiren's powerful supporter ('Danetsu' in Japanese). Nichiko was commonly called Sotsu-ko (literally, Lord Leader).
Jomyo OTA, together with his colleague Jonin (Tsunenobu) TOKI (who was called Nichijo as Buddhist priest), became known after accepting Nichiren, who had been under persecution, to his territory in Yawatanosho of Shimousa Province (present-day Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture). When inviting Nichiren in, Jomyo donated a Jibutsu-do (temple building enshrining a Buddhist statue for private, individual worship) named 'Honmyo-ji Temple'in Nakayama, and Jonin built 'Hokke-ji Temple' in Wakamiya, a village next to Nakayama. Those two temples (i.e. the Honmyo-ji Temple and the Hokke-ji Temple), were to become the base of later Hokekyo-ji Temple.
Nichiko took care of Nichiren, who lived in seclusion in Mt. Minobu, while learning Nichiren's teachings directly from him. It is commonly believed that Nichiko became the pupil of Nichiren in 1275, and there remains such a passage in the "Bendono Goshosoku" (a collection of letters from Nichiren to Ben no ajari [acarya or Master Ben, referring to Nissho]) in 1272, which is attributed to Nichiren, that Nichiren called Nichiko "Sotsu." Nichiko continued taking care of his master Nichiren until the time when he was 26 and attended the master on his deathbed.
After Nichiren's death, Nichiko returned home and entered Honmyo-ji Temple. At that time, Jonin (Tsunenobu) TOKI, who had entered Buddhist priesthood and called himself 'Nichijo,' was actively engaged in the propagation of Buddhism at Hokke-ji Temple, and Nichiko became the pupil of Nichijo, with whom he had a common acquaintance to his father Jomyo OTA, and started to assist Nichijo at Hokke-ji Temple. In 1299, Nichijo died of illness, who left a will to designate Nichiko to the office of Kanju (or Kanshu, the head priest) of Hokke-ji Temple while remaining at Honmyo-ji Temple, thereby establishing a rule that a single individual was appointed Kanju of both Honmyo-ji and Hokke-ji Temples since then, which laid the foundation for development of the two temples to be united to form single Nakayama Hokekyo-ji Temple.
Nichiko, on one hand, devoted himself to dissemination of Nichiren's teachings that he had been taught directly by word of mouth, and on the other hand, greatly contributed to development of his temples by inviting Tanesada CHIBA, who was the former employer of Nichijo and was a potential successor to head of the Chiba clan, to an office of Zoku betto (lay administrator) for the purposes of increasing branch temples in number based on Tanesada's donation of plentiful landholdings in Sendasho, Shimousa Province, and stabilizing the finance of his temples. Further, Nichiko nominated Nichiyu, who was a yushi (a nephew or an adopted son) of Tanesada, to be the next head priest. Nichiyu is known as a distinguished priest due to his achievement of establishing the Nakayama-monryu school, which is still highly estimated today, thus proving that Nichiko had a sharp eye for his pupils. Nichiyu, however, left a bitter legacy such that his close adherence to Tanesada CHIBA entangled his school in conflict over succession of the Chiba family head among the potential successors, which resulted in his school adopting a policy which gave priority to carry on the school while having a cooperative relationship with secular powers and the other sects. This became a remote cause of severe criticism by Nisshin who was a future generation preceptor of the Nakayama-monryu school and known as a passionate supporter of the Fuju-fuse-gi (a slogan of "Accept nothing from non-believers and give nothing to them").