翻刻
病気弥不快三城目へ罷帰養生相叶候処御存念之通矢吹へ罷越候
夫ゟ房州小湊へ出奔致し小湊貫主日孝上人は初谷中瑞輪寺
住職已後下総飯高檀林之能化ニ相勤候俗姓は織田信長公の浪人
之子息にて京都松葉屋長左衛門後生子ニ被改越前国日琢上人の弟子ニ
被成十六才にて京都深草瑞光寺元政上人弟子ニ被成此元政法師は井伊
掃部様御家人廿七才にて発心後武州池上貫主日峰上人之御弟子にて
宗門始而弐百五十戒之律議を建立被成和漢之才に達し文章は近
代学生之評判にも日本開闢已来文章の棟梁は菅家元享釈書
之作者ニは禅宗の虎関和尚扨元政上人に越たる文雅は無之由ニ
申伝候尤元政の文草草山集卅巻其外仏書等数十巻作被致候
廿七之出家四十六才之示寂不思議は御徳有之候日孝上人其弟子にて
水戸黄門公ゟ資縁金被下置候又仙臺御門李【閑子？】解之院家并松葉屋よりの
資縁にて出世被致房州小湊は祖師日蓮大菩薩御出生之霊地ゆへ
寺号も小湊山誕生寺と申候八年御住山六十七歳にて御示寂被成候御一
生之御作水雲集先開板之分若干巻之内二巻世に流布致し是は
詩文にて御座候釈氏蒙求或は宗祖之御書と申て銀内百四十八通之内
五大部等片仮名を漢文ニ翻訳被成置候手跡之文【義？】は一宗にて古今之
能書ニ有之候身延山へ入草被致候人に候へは一両年寿命不足にて小湊
切にて遷化被申候私十一才之年ゟ高恩言語ニ難申尽奉存候唯今明日は
相果候はゝ必御尋申候詞被成共御 次思（本ノマヽ）奉謝奉願候我等事は御遷化已後
資法日貞師へ野木伊右衛門子息頼申込候へは任其意殊更ニ伊右衛門殿より
資縁結り水戸久昌寺の檀処へ横入致し文句ノ御請（本ノマヽ）蒙【家？】候日孝在
現代語訳
病気がますます悪化したので三城目へ帰り療養したところ回復したが、御存じの通り矢吹へ行った。それから房州小湊へ出奔し、小湊の貫主日孝上人は最初は谷中瑞輪寺の住職で、その後下総飯高檀林の能化を務めた。俗姓は織田信長公の浪人の子息で、京都松葉屋長左衛門の後生子に改められ、越前国の日琢上人の弟子となった。十六歳で京都深草瑞光寺の元政上人の弟子となったが、この元政法師は井伊掃部様の御家人で、二十七歳で発心し、その後武州池上の貫主日峰上人の御弟子となった。
宗門で初めて二百五十戒の律議を建立し、和漢の才に達し、文章は近代学生の評判でも、日本開闢以来文章の棟梁は菅家、元亨釈書の作者には禅宗の虎関和尚、さて元政上人に勝る文雅はないと申し伝えられている。もっとも元政の文草「草山集」三十巻、その外仏書等数十巻を作られた。二十七歳の出家、四十六歳の示寂で、不思議な御徳があった。日孝上人はその弟子である。
水戸黄門公から資縁金を下し置かれ、また仙台御門主解脱院家並びに松葉屋よりの資縁で出世された。房州小湊は祖師日蓮大菩薩御出生の霊地ゆえに、寺号も小湊山誕生寺と申す。八年御住山され、六十七歳で御示寂された。御一生の御作「水雲集」の先行開版分若干巻の内二巻が世に流布しており、これは詩文である。「釈氏蒙求」或いは宗祖の御書と申して、全百四十八通の内、五大部等の片仮名を漢文に翻訳されている。手跡の文義は一宗にて古今の能書である。身延山へ入山されるはずの人であったが、一両年寿命が足りず小湊で遷化された。
私は十一歳の年から高恩を受け、言語に尽くし難く存じている。ただ今明日は相果てるならば、必ず御尋ね申すお言葉をいただいても、御恩を謝し奉り願っている。我等のことは御遷化の後、嗣法日貞師へ野木伊右衛門の子息が頼み申し込んだところ、その意に任せ、殊更に伊右衛門殿より資縁を結び、水戸久昌寺の檀所へ横入りし、文句の御請けを蒙った。日孝在
英語訳
My illness worsened further, so I returned to Sanjōme for recuperation. When I recovered, as you know, I went to Yabuki. From there I fled to Kominato in Bōshū Province. The head priest Nichikō of Kominato was initially the chief priest of Zuirin-ji temple in Yanaka, and later served as the superior (nōka) of Iitaka Danrin in Shimōsa Province. His lay surname was that of a son of a rōnin of Lord Oda Nobunaga, later adopted as the posthumous child of Matsuba-ya Chōzaemon in Kyoto, and became a disciple of the venerable Nitaku of Echizen Province. At sixteen, he became a disciple of the venerable Genpolitsu at Zuikō-ji temple in Fukakusa, Kyoto. This monk Genpolitsu was a retainer of Lord Ii Kamon-no-kami, took the tonsure at twenty-seven, and later became a disciple of the venerable Nichihō, head priest of Ikegami in Musashi Province.
He was the first in the sect to establish the ritual discussion of 250 precepts, mastered both Japanese and Chinese learning, and regarding his writing, even by the standards of modern students, it is said that since the founding of Japan, the pillars of literature have been the Kan family, and for the author of the Genkō Shakusho, the Zen monk Kokan, but there is no literary elegance surpassing that of the venerable Genpolitsu. Indeed, Genpolitsu wrote thirty volumes of literary works called "Sōzan-shū" and dozens of other Buddhist texts. His taking of orders at twenty-seven and death at forty-six showed mysterious virtue. The venerable Nichikō was his disciple.
He received financial support from Lord Mito Kōmon, and also achieved prominence through patronage from the Sendai lord's Gedatsu-in family and the Matsuba-ya. Kominato in Bōshū is the sacred birthplace of the patriarch Nichiren Daibosatsu, so the temple is called Kominatosan Tanjō-ji (Kominato Mountain Birth Temple). He resided there for eight years and passed away at sixty-seven. Of his lifelong work "Suiun-shū," several volumes of the initial printing were published, of which two volumes circulated in the world - these were poetry and prose. Regarding the "Shakushi Mōgyū" or the writings of the sect founder, among the total 148 letters, he translated the five major works from katakana to Chinese characters. His calligraphy was considered the finest in the sect throughout history. Though he was meant to enter Mount Minobu, his lifespan fell short by a year or two, and he passed away at Kominato.
From the age of eleven, I received his great kindness, which is impossible to express in words. Even now, if tomorrow I should die, I would certainly ask about you - though you might speak such words, I humbly thank you for your kindness and make this request. Regarding our matter, after his death, when Nogi Iemon's son made a request to the dharma successor Nichitei, he agreed to it. Moreover, through Iemon's patronage, I gained entry to the temple community of Kyūshō-ji in Mito and received formal acceptance. During Nichikō's time...