This year marks 750 years since the writing of Rissho ankoku ron (the Treatise for Spreading Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing the True Teaching). Lamenting a nation in crisis, the Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222-1282), at age thirty-nine, authored and submitted Rissho ankoku ron to the former regent of the Kamakura shogunate Hojo Tokiyori (1227-1263) in Bun'o 1 (1260). Due to this act, Nichiren was exiled to the island of Sado, where he was forced to suffer the predicament alone. Meanwhile, the "calamity of invasion from foreign lands" prophesized in his treatise came true with the Mongolian invasions in 1274 and 1281 (the Battles of the Bun'ei and Koan Eras), which further deepened his belief in the powers of the Lotus Sutra.     To commemorate the anniversary of Rissho ankoku ron, the Kyoto National Museum will hold the special exhibition Nichiren and the Treasures of the Lotus Sect: The Efflorescent Culture of Kyoto's Townspeople. This exhibition traces the footsteps of Nichiren, one of the founders of the new schools of Kamakura Buddhism, and introduces the activities of his disciples--in particular, the proselytizing of his disciple's disciple Nichizo and later figures. The role of the various Nichiren schools in forming the culture of the Kyoto townspeople, which rivaled that of the court, is also examined here.     Undeterred even after three exiles from Kyoto, Nichizo achieved his wish to propagate Nichiren's teachings in the imperial capital of Kyoto and found an outstanding successor Daikaku Daisojo Myojitsu (1298-1364), thereby establishing a stronghold for the Nichiren (Lotus) sect in Kyoto. In the Muromachi period (1333-1573), the Lotus sect spread primarily through the townspeople and Kyoto even came to called Daimoku no chimata (the "quarters of the title of the Lotus Sutra"). At the same time, its strength and popularity caused its relations with the Tendai sect on Mount Hiei, the center of Buddhist world at the time, to deteriorate. Finally, in Tenbun 5 (1536), the fires of antagonism were flamed by the Tenbun Lotus Uprising, causing the followers of the Nichiren sect to withdraw from Kyoto, though shortly thereafter, they were given permission to return to the capital and again gained influence there. However, they later encountered difficulties with the government. In Tensho 7 (1579), they lost to the Pure Land sect in the religious debate held in Azuchi by the warlord Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582). In Bunroku 4 (1595), orders to comply with participation in a memorial service for the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden) at Hoko-ji Temple caused internal dissent. Incidentally, the Kyoto National Museum stands on a part of the site of the former Hoko-ji, which is designated a historic site.     After undergoing such vicissitudes, sixteen head temples in Kyoto stand today, and the culture of early modern Kyoto, which was largely formed by the townspeople who supported the Nichiren sect, continues to inspire. Artists such as Kano Motonobu (1476-1559), Hasegawa Tohaku (1539-1610), Hon'ami Koetsu (1558-1637), Tawaraya Sotatsu (n.d.), Ogata Korin (1658-1743), and Ogata Kenzan (1663-1743) were adherents. In brief, many members of the Kano, Hasegawa, Rinpa, and other preeminent painting schools were closely connected to the Nichiren sect.     This exhibition is one of the first to explore the Nichiren sect in depth. The religious and cultural aspects of this influential sect and its ties with the Kyoto townspeople will be examined through masterpieces inspired by the Lotus Sutra as well as works by celebrated early modern Japanese artists. New discoveries have also been made during preliminary surveys of the sixteen head temples. Among them include objects worthy of the Important Cultural Property designation. This opportunity presents many of these works for the first time.