The One-Sheet Document
Posted: January 23, 2009 Filed under: Buddhism, Japanese, Jodo Shu, Language, Religion 8 Comments »Today marks the date in Japanese history when the founder of Jodo Shu, or “Pure Land” Buddhism, Hōnen, recorded his last testament, the One-Sheet Document or ichimai-kishōmon (一枚起請文). This occurred in the year 1212. Recently, when I came back from Japan, I brought back a Jodo Shu service book that contains the One-Sheet Document, as it is a popular thing to recite for followers.
So, I’ve decided to type up the document in Japanese (as presented in the service book), romaji and English in honor of Honen’s contributions to Japanese Buddhism. You can also hear it online here too (look toward the very bottom for the ichimai kishimon):
Japanese:
唐土我朝に、もろもろの智者達の、沙汰し申さるる観念の念にもあらず。また学問して、念のこころを悟りて申す念仏にもあらず。ただ往生極楽のためには南無阿弥陀仏と申して、うたがいなく往生するぞと思い取りて申す外には別なの仔細候わず。ただし三心四修と申すことの候うは、皆決定して南無阿弥陀仏にて往生するぞと思ううちにこもり候うなり。この外に奥ふかき事を存ぜば、二尊のあわれみにはずれ、本願にもれ候うべし。念仏を信ぜん人は、たとい一代の法をよくよく学すとも、一文不知の愚鈍の身になして、尼入道の無知のともがらに同じうして、知者のふるまいをせずしてただ一向に念仏すべし。証のために両手印をもってす。浄土宗の安心起行この一紙に至極せり。源空が所存、この外に全く別義を存ぜず、滅後の邪義をふせがんがために所存をしるし畢んね。
建暦二年正月二十三日 大師在御判
Romaji:
morokoshi wagachō ni, moro moro no chishatachi no, satashi mōsaruru kannen no nen ni mo arazu. mata gakumon wo shite, nen no kokoro wo satorite mōsu nenbutsu ni mo arazu. tada ōjōgokuraku no tame ni wa, namuamidabutsu to mōshite, utagainaku ōjōsuru zoto omoitorite mōsu hoka ni wa betsu no shisaisōrawazu. tadashi sanjin shishu to mōsu koto no sōrau wa, minaketsujōshite namuamidabutsu ni te ōjōsuruzo to omō uchi ni komori sōrōnari. kono hoka ni okufukaki koto wo zonzeba, nizon no awareminihazure, hongan ni mo re sōrōbeshi. nenbutsu wo shinzen hito wa tatoi ichidai no hō wo yokuyoku gakusutomo, ichimon fuchi no gudon no mi ni nashite, amanyūdō no muchi no tomo ga rani onaji ushite, chisha no furumai wo sezushite tada ikkō ni nenbutsu subeshi. shō no tame ni ryōshuin wo mottesu. jōdoshū no anjin kigyō kono isshi ni shigoku seri. genkūga shozon kono hoka ni mattaku betsugi wo zonzezu, metsugo no jagi wo fusegan ga tame ni shozon wo shirushi owanne.
kenryaku ni nen shōgatsu nijūnsan nichi daishizaigohan
English (translation provided here):
“In China and Japan, many Buddhist masters and scholars understand that the nembutsu is to meditate deeply on Amida Buddha and the Pure Land. However, I do not understand the nembutsu in this way. Reciting the nembutsu does not come from studying and understanding its meaning. There is no other reason or cause by which we can utterly believe in attaining birth in the Pure Land than the nembutsu itself. Reciting the nembutsu and believing in birth in the Pure Land naturally gives rise to the three minds (sanjin) and the four modes of practice (shishu). If I am withholding any deeper knowledge beyond simple recitation of the nembutsu, then may I lose sight of the compassion of Shakyamuni and Amida Buddha and slip through the embrace of Amida’s original vow. Even if those who believe in the nembutsu study the teaching which Shakyamuni taught his whole life, they should not put on any airs and should sincerely practice the nembutsu, just as an illiterate fool, a nun or one who is ignorant of Buddhism. I hereby authorize this document with my hand print. The Jodo Shu way of the established mind (anjin) is completely imparted here. I, Genku, have no other teaching than this. In order to prevent misinterpretation after my passing away, I make this final testament.” January 23, the Second Year of Kenryaku (1212)
It’s interesting to imagine this document being written 797 years ago on this very day.
Namu Amida Butsu
Hello, this blog is about my life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile / Koreaphile. Any useful information I can pass along will hopefully make the 
Wow, in 3 years it will be the 800th anniversary of Honen’s passing.
Funny you should mention that. 2012 celebrates the 800th memorial of Honen, and the 750th memorial of Shinran. My wife and I have already planned on visiting Kyoto around then.
Kyoto is pricey, so we’ll be preparing early. 
I linked to this site from Japanesepod101.com will read through it more, I probably won’t be able to read your Kanji letters, but you do offer the Romaji (which as I lear Hiragana is harder for me to read, oddly enough).
Nice blog…thanks for sharing.
Hello All,
The 750th memorial for Shinran Shonin is a year earlier starting in May 2011 though the observances will continue until January 2012.
Kinyobi Welcome! This particular post is more oriented toward Buddhism, particularly Japanese Buddhism, so you would find the Kanji both difficult, archaic, and not always practical, though interestingly a lot of it remains in modern Japanese, but with changed meanings or contexts.
Jishin That’s good to know. I thought they overlapped more or less. I know we’re going to see the Shinran 750th memorial, but I was hoping to see Honen’s as well.
Yes, 2011 is the 800th memorial for Honen Shonin. Chion-in will be celebrating Gyoki from 27 March to the 25th of April. There will be numerous other events held at different times and different head Temples will be having their Gyoki at different times. So I hope you do get the time to visit Chion-in or Chion-ji or Konkai Komyoji, I might meet up with you when I go to pay my respects to Shinran.
The reason is because Japanese memorials have a special counting system. The Funeral is considered the first memorial so one year later would be the second memorial.
Stephen
Thank you so much, Doug, for publishing the One Sheet Document from Honen Shonin, in English translation from jodo.org. During the weekly services and dharma talks in our temple, jikōji in Antwerp (Belgium), we try to use the original text (Japanese and romaji versions – if possible), with the English and Dutch translation – side by side. So, whenever we chant a hymn or discuss a subject, we can refer to the mother tongue of our members (Dutch), while we still have the other language versions available for non-Dutch speakers.
Now, in Belgium, Buddhism is in the process of being officially recognized as a religion. Within a couple of years we will be able to give courses of Buddhism in the regular school classes. Next to the many Tibetan and Zen Buddhist groups in Belgium, we are the only Pure Land group (in fact not Jodo-Shu but Jodo-Shinshu, belonging to Nishi Hongwanji – so we are visiting the 750 years Shinran Shonin celebrations in September 2011! We hope to be able to visit the Konkai Komyo-ji, Kyoto also).
Therefore, it’s really nice to have found your blog… Indeed, we are intended to use the Ichimai-kishōmon as basic text for training the future teachers of Buddhist courses in Spring 2012 [for the French speaking future teachers] and later on [for the Dutch speaking future teachers].
Please, Doug, can we get your permission to use your blog entrance for our internal activities and for the training sessions in 2012? Thank you so much for all your work.
Keep on spreading the Buddha Dharma
In gassho
Fons Martens
Hello Fons and welcome to the JLR,
I didn’t quite understand your request. Are you asking if you can use the materials here for training? If so, yes, please feel free to use anything here. Please note that I have also posted a “Field Manual” for Buddhists in general:
http://japanlifeandreligion.com/the-buddhists-field-manual/
This is intended various topics, and also has links to various sutras and text (including this page
). The purpose of this manual is to provide resources for Buddhists in general, so please feel free to use this “manual” as much as you like. If you have suggestions or requests, please let me know.
Thanks again,
Doug