Robin Beck

"One or two people humbly made pictorial images of Venerable Shakyamuni, the Thus-Come-One, who attained Buddhahood in the remote past, the Lord of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the long-cherished object of Nichiren Shonin, but no one yet has made a wooden statue." {Koshi-e 2004 Rev. Shoshin Kawabe}

"There have been one or two people who have taken it upon themselves and painted the image of (inscribed the mandala of) Nam' Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo and the "Master of the Teachings, the venerable Sakyamuni", the "Tathagata of the Actual Attaining Enlightenment of Kuon" that was the purpose of the appearance of Nichiren Daishonin. Yet, no one in this school has ever made a wooden Satue Sakyamuni to worship." -- John Ayers

"Besides, there have been one or two people who have taken it upon themselves to paint the image of the Tathagata of the Actual Attaining Enlightenment of Kuon, the Master of Teaching of Namu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo that was the purpose of the appearance of Nichiren Shonin. Yet, no one in this school has ever made a wooden statue of Sakyamuni to worship." -- {Sorin Yasuhara}

'Is it possible that Nikko do not know the main Honzon enshrined by Sage Nichiren at Minobusan Kuonji?'

No. He had to know that wooden statues had been carved -- Shijo Kingo for example. Also, there is other evidence that even the "One Buddha and 4 attendants" had been carved while Nichiren was still alive. Stone mentions this:

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'Yet another form of honzon possibly adopted during Nichiren's lifetime is known as the "one Buddha and four attendants" (isson shishi).

***

The "one Buddha and four attendants" came into fairly widespread use among Nichiren's followers as a honzon almost immediately after his death.' - Stone
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in 1288, Nikko appears to say that statues representing the Eternal Shaka had been carved. But we know 'Shaka Alone' hads been carved by Shijo Kingo while Nichiren was alive.

There is also some evidence that Toki Jonin had carved "one Buddha and 4 Attendants while Nichiren was still alive. It is definite that "Isson Shiji" was in common use by 1288. So. "But no one has made an offering of an image in wood" makes no sense without some clarification.

Perhaps he meant that no one in other schools had
made wooden statues of the Eternal Buddha? That is not correct; but Nikko may have been unaware of those in Ancient China, or the 1210 Kalkei Statue.

Other schools had also made engravings and painted images of the Eternal Shaka -- some even with calligraphy. Nikko may have been aware of those:

Besides that, a few people have written (書) dedications (奉) to Namu Myoho-Renge-Kyo, which is the calligraphic image (画像) of Shakuson (釈尊), the Master of the Teaching (教主) and Nyorai (如来) from Kuon Jitsujo (久遠実成); which is the true intention (本懐) of Sage Nichiren’s honorable advent (御出) in the world (世).
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I have not seen "calligraphy" or "letters" in other translations. Other have been:

"A few people have drawn the image of the lord of teachings of Namu-myoho-renge-kyo." -- Kazou

"One or two people humbly made pictorial images of Venerable Shakyamuni" -- Rev. Shoshin Kawabe}

"Besides, there have been one or two people who have taken it upon themselves to paint the image" -- Sorin Yasuhara

"There have been one or two people who have taken it upon themselves and painted the image of" --
John Ayers

I take this to mean paintings.

"The Kamakura period saw a revival of the historical Buddha [who is identified by the abhayamudra ("gesture of reassurance") of the right hand] in a new
type of image--as a savior and as a divinity who descends from heaven to meet the faithful. This image, called "Shaka raigo," is documented in paintings of the early thirteenth century. The Kimbell
statue is a rare example in three-dimensional form"

Nikko also seems to have chided Niko about a pictorial mamdala:

"Another unusual thing. He shut himself up in a little house which is in the residence of the Lay priest Morooka from the first day of April of this year. He invited a painter and made him to draw a
mandara on the eighth day of the same month. He said that it was the birthday of Buddha."

robin

Is it possible that Nikko do not know the main Honzon enshrined by Sage Nichiren at Minobusan Kuonji?

HARA DONO GOHENJI
此れのみならず、日蓮聖人御出世の本懐南無妙法蓮華経の教主釈尊久遠実成の如来の画像は一二人書き奉り候えども、未だ木像は誰も造り奉らず候に、入道御微力を以つて形の如く造立し奉らんと思し召し立ち候に、御用途も候わざるに、大国阿闍梨の奪い取り奉り候...

TRANSLATION:
Besides that, a few people have written (書) dedications (奉) to Namu Myoho-Renge-Kyo, which is the calligraphic image (画像) of Shakuson (釈尊), the Master of the Teaching (教主) and Nyorai (如来) from Kuon Jitsujo (久遠実成); which is the true intention (本懐) of Sage Nichiren’s honorable advent (御出) in the world (世). But no one has made (造) an offering (奉) of an image in wood (木像). The Nyudo, due to his poor ability (微力), felt (思し召し) he should make (造立) an offering (奉) like (如) the figure (形) which Daikoku Ajari snatched (奪).

COMMENTS:
In the Hara-Dono, Nikko makes the distinction between “calligraphic image” (画像) and “wooden image” (木像). The kanji (像) is not necessarily a figurine statue. He also mentioned, “Until then you should enshrine the one which the Sage had built with letters” (聖人の文字にあそばして候いしを安置候べし).

If you consider for a moment, that Nikko refers to Shakuson NOT as a figurine statue, BUT an image made-up of letters; a calligraphic portrait so to speak. Then you will see that Nikko is not really confused. Nikko meant that the true intention of Sage Nichiren’s advent is the seven characters “Namu Myoho-Renge-Kyo”, which is the calligraphic image (画像) of Shakuson (釈尊) accompanied by the four Great Bodhisattvas. The artist got the wrong idea.

I was thinking the same thing, but:

"the wooden image of the Thus Come One enlightened from remote ages past was broken in the first place ..." -- {ibid}

Is he referring to the "Shakya Alone" statue that Nichiren had as "the wooden image of the Thus Come One enlightened from remote ages"?

I don't think anyone knows what Nikko was talking about; he is too vague about context. So people interpolate what they want.

My position is that there other evidence that "One Buddha and 4 Attendants" may have been enshrined at Minobu; and Hara Dono Gohenji is consistent with that.

In other words, I am thinking Nikko thought they were replacing the "Shakya Alone" statue for the mausoleum, but they were actually carving something for the main altar.

Others may see "the wooden image of the Thus Come One enlightened from remote ages past was broken [or violated] in the first place ..." as referring to some special wooden Mandala.

Hara Dono Gohenji is full of contradictions. Nikko also wrote: "A few people have drawn the image of the lord of teachings of Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, Shakyamuni Buddha enlightened from remote ages past which is the reason for Sage Nichiren's advent in this world. But no one has carved a wooden statue yet."

"no one has carved a wooden statue yet" makes alomst no sense at all.

[Until recently] "no one had carved a wooden statue" [to represent the Eternal Buddha] might make sense if he was referring to other schools.

We know there had been paintings and engravings representing the Eternal Buddha. There was also the Kalkaei statue, bur Nikko may have been unaware of that. Also, he was unaware of ancient statues in China.

I think he was saying that other schools had used copies of Seiryoji style Shakyamuni to represent the Buddha of recent Awakening. No one outside Nichiren's School had carved "one Buddha the 4 attendants."

HARA DONO GOHENJI
最前には 破し 給うべきと強いて申して候
"Why can you BREAK so hastily..."

In addition to BREAK, the kanji 破し also means violate; disprove; go against, denounce.

Below are examples of the kanji usage from the Kanjin Honzon-Sho,

已後の人師或は初に之を 破し て後に帰伏する人有り、或は一向用ひざる者も之れ有り。

"those who came after him, some accepted this doctrine only after first trying to DISPROVE it, and others never accepted it at all."

今末法の初、小を以て大を打ち権を以て実を 破し、東西共に之を失し天地顛倒せり。迹化の四依は隠れて現前せず。諸天其の国を棄て之を守護せず。

"Now, in the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law, Hinayana adherents attack the doctrines of Mahayana, and provisional Mahayana believers DENOUNCE the true Mahayana teaching. East is mistaken for west, and heaven and earth are turned upside down. The four ranks of bodhisattvas of the theoretical teaching are gone, and all the heavenly gods have deserted the country and no longer lend it protection."

In other words, 破し does not necessarily refer to breaking of objects, but break in the sense of violating or going against. Mr Kazuo is not wrong, in the Sino Japanese sense of the word, but the translation is preferably "violate." No statues were broken. Lord Hara merely wants to replace a statue which Daikoku Ajari Nichiro took.