Lady Kakushin
Shinran passed away on the 28th day of November, 1262.
A follower once asked Shinran what should be done with his body after his death.
Shinran humbly answered that his body should be thrown into the Kamo River in Kyoto,
so fishes could receive nourishment from it.
Shinran did not want people to consider his body as something important.
More important would be
the teaching he would leave behind: the teaching of Nembutsu.
However, people considered that it was important
to honor Shinran's remains
in a special memorial place in order to preserve his teachings.
They cremated Shinran and buried his ashes at
Otani,
a place located at the foot of Mount Higashiyama in Kyoto.
In 1272, Shinran's youngest daughter,
Lady
Kakushin,provided this land to construct a mausoleum dedicated in memory of Shinran.
Lady Kakushin became the first
caretaker
(RusuShiki, in Japanese) of Otani.
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