Nichiren’s sangha series Lay Disciples: Ikegami Munenaka and Munenaga

The Ikegami brothers and their wives were among of the four families that gave full support to Nichiren and his sangha along with Toki Jōnin, Nanjō Shichirō Jirō Tokimitsu and Nakatsukasa Saburō saemon-no-jō Yoritomo. While the Hagii clan provided shelter on their property, the aforementioned believers were way more involved in logistics and communication. However judging from the various thankful notes for the offers Nichiren received from his supporters on about a monthly basis, it becomes clear that these could barely suffice for the community of 40 to 60 people residing with him. The Ikegami brothers actively supported Nichiren through their whole life in addition to donating land and means for the Honmon-ji temple, where descendants of the clan tenured as Abbots and some in their extended families are still believers up to this day. This research will provide a broader factual and historical perspective outside of sectarian considerations and present the whole family into a new light.