From childhood he loved literature and often visited Kyoto, and when he listened to lectures on the Lotus Sutra by Nyoshu of Unryuin, Senyo-ji Temple, he was extremely impressed.
幼少から山水を愛し、たびたび京都に赴いていたところ、泉涌寺・雲龍院の如周が法華経を講ずるのを聴いて感ずるところあった。