Very near to Mount Minobu stands Mount Shichimen, 1,982 metres (6,503 feet) high. There are two temples on Mount Shichimen; popular places for believers to visit.

Above: The gate at the bottom of the path going up Mt. Shichimen.

Above: Pilgrims walk up the steep mountain path to visit Keishin-in Temple at the top of Mount Shichimen.

Above: A statue of a nun, Lady Oman-no-kata who was granted permission to visit the waterfall at the foot of the mountain; and having bathed in its water in the traditional purification ritual, she then proceeded to climb up the mountain. She was the first woman to do so. She did this three times during her life, her last ascent being when she was aged seventy four.

Members stayed over-night on Mt. Shichimen at the Keishin-in Temple.

Myo seki bo -Legend has it that in the 11th month of 1277 Nichiren Shonin was preaching on top of a rock on Mt. Minobu. In the audience listening to his sermon was a beautiful young lady. The rest of the audience wondered who this lady was. When he had finished preaching, Nichiren Shonin said to the woman, "Show us your actual appearance". The woman smiled and said, "I am a celestial maiden from Mt. Shichimen." After that she asked for some water, and when Nichiren Shonin gave her water in a flower vase, she suddernly changed into a huge dragon and flew back to the pond on Mt. Shichimen where she lived. This dragon is said to be a deity called Shichimen Daimyojin, who guards Kuon-ji Temple on Mt. Minobu.

Above: The rock (with the rope around it) on which Nichiren Shonin sat and preached on Mt. Minobu

Below: The pond on Mt. Shichimen, 2000 feet above sea level where the dragon is said to live.

Mount Fuji can be seen in the distance when standing on the top of Mount Shichimen.

Next: Ikegami Honmon-ji

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