T n HE Lotus Sutra2 is one of the most influential and popular sutras among Mahayana Buddhists in East Asia. Its authorship and date are both unknown; the most popular version is the Chinese translation made by Kumarajiva, 350-409. The sutra propagates veneration and faith among believers not only in the compassionate bodhisattvas but also in the sutra itself; as the verse quoted above suggests, Shakyamuni promises merit and reward for all those who honor this scripture. In China popular devotion to the Lotus Sutra appears to date back to the T'ang dynasty. Various works relating to the scripture, such as Hung tsanfa hua ch'uan by Hui Siang and Fa hua ch'uan chi by Seng Siang,3 were compiled; the former work contains biographies of 129 devotees of the Lotus Sutra and the latter includes 180. Belief in the Hokekyo, the Japanese name of the scripture, has been widespread in Japan since the time of Prince Shotoku,4 who desired to establish a united nation under the Buddhist Law with salvation for all sentient beings, as taught in the sutra. In 741, Emperor Shomu ordered that each province was to build a seven-storied pagoda, in which ten copies of the Konkomyo SaishoIogyo and the