Many Japanese stated, as they do today, "we don't slander the Lotus Sutra" but Nichiren begged to differ.

And I, Nichiren, say: The country of Japan consists of seven marches, 68 provinces, 604 districts, and over 10,000 villages. It measures 3,587 ri in length, and has a population of 4,589,659 persons or, by another reckoning, 4,994,828 persons. Its temples number 11,037, and its shrines number 3,132. And when the Lotus Sutra speaks of persons entering the Avīchi hell, it is referring to these very persons.

Question: Among living beings there are two types of persons, evil persons and good persons. And among the various realms into which one may be born there must be good paths and evil paths. Why then should all the people in this country of Japan uniformly be destined to “enter the Avīchi hell”?

Answer: Although the number of people is very great, the karma that they create is the same in nature. Therefore they are all alike destined for the Avīchi hell.

Objection: Among all the living beings of Japan, some are good persons and some are evil persons. The good persons observe the five precepts, the ten precepts, or the two hundred and fifty precepts, while the evil persons kill living beings, steal, or commit the five cardinal sins or the ten evil acts. Why then do you say that the karma these people create is the same?

Answer: Small acts of goodness and small acts of evil differ from one another. But if people are guilty of slandering the Lotus Sutra, then good persons and evil persons, wise persons and foolish ones, are all in the same category. Therefore I say they are all uniformly destined to enter the Avīchi hell."