Plants and Animals Reflect the Dark Atmosphere at Taiseki-ji

At Taiseki-ji, where once cherry trees were cut down, now the pine trees are starting to die. A pine tree in front of the Renyo-an lodging temple (where Nikken has lived for the past few months in order to monitor the new high priest Nichinyo) died this spring. And another pine tree that was planted at the gateway area just off the sando [stone-paved walkway] also began to die.

In the courtyard of the Hoan-do building, there are five expensive pine trees- two of them are already starting to die. And the pine trees around the Jyorai-bo lodge show reddish leaves, signifying approaching death.

It is ironic that this should happen now, because Nikken has resigned as high priest after 26 years - he famously didn't like animals and often ordered Taiseki-ji priests to kill them when they entered the premises of Taiseki-ji. Now the trees that he preferred are dying.

During Nikken's reign as high priest, it is said that the priests enticed stray dogs into traps and then poisoned them. They were buried on the temple grounds and some of them were buried alive. Some of the dogs may have belonged to members who visited Taiseki-ji for pilgrimage. However, all dogs were treated the same.

Cats were also caught in traps and later killed, usually by drowning. It is said that those animals killed may total in the hundreds.

After Nikken had a throat polyp removed in 1981, he started saying that "pigeon droppings are not good for the throat." At that time in the head temple, Jison Nomura was there - he was referred to as "Tori no bo" (the bird priest) because of his great appetite for eating pigeon. He then became in charge of eliminating them. He put mesh traps at the Miei-do (Image Hall) and the Daiko-do (Grand Lecture Hall) to capture pigeons, and he also killed many pigeons by spreading poison on areas where they liked to roost.