“An Ordinary Person Will Not Survive”

Abstract Daiaragyō is an ascetic training that allows Nichiren monks to master initiated prayers ( kitō ) and exorcistic techniques aimed at healing diseases, destroying evil entities, and granting protection. The training is performed once a year at Hokkekyōji and Onjuin, two temples in Ichikawa (Chiba prefecture). For one hundred days, monks live in seclusion, performing water ablutions and enduring long chanting sessions while sleeping only a few hours per night. While daiaragyō is not a mandatory practice in the Nichiren school, many monks choose to undergo the training to learn secret methods that allow them to assist people. Monastics often describe their training as following Nichiren’s path and enduring similar hardships to spread the teachings of the Lotus Sūtra . Drawing from my fieldwork in Japan and textual and visual materials, this article introduces some preliminary findings on daiaragyō , focusing on the mechanisms, main practices, and goals of this treacherous training.