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After the Botamochi is dedicated, the Buddhist memorial service is conducted with due solemnity.
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Honan-e (memorial of the religious persecution) Buddhist memorial service
Nichiren Shonin was captured on account of the "crime of vilifying the Shogunate" and was sent to the execution site at Tatsunokuchi without hearing the verdict based on the decision of the Shogunate. But what really happened? Let's listen to the story.
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The religious persecution of Tatsunokuchi is one of the 4 important religious persecutions of the founder of a religious send.
In September 13th, 8th year of Bunei(1271), a beheading was about to take place at this Tatsunokuchi.
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That moment a strange thing happened.
Something bright like the moon appeared from the direction of the Enoshima and shined upon the policemen of that long ago era.
The police become too scared to continue with the execution.
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The execution was cancelled and Nichiren Shonin was exiled to Sado Island.
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Aurora
The thing that is interesting here is that mysterious object of light. In later ages, many theories have come up explaining what that light was.
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Solar eclipse
There are theories explaining that the light was the result of a convulsion of nature or the fall of a meteorite or a comet, which happened frequently back then.
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Meteorite
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Theory of the Shotenzenshin (gods in heaven)
Maybe it was the blessings of the gods in heaven. The god of this land is the dragon, which became that mountain.
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But for what kind of reasons could the dragon have protected Nichiren Shonin?
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The goddess Benten appears in the lotus sutra and overlaps with the dragon nymph that dedicated the sacred gem to Buddha.
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It can be said that it is natural for her to pray for the repose of the soul of Nichiren Shonin.
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The lotus sutra, the sacred gem, and Botamochi...
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Yes, maybe the Botamochi could have been the arrangements made by the Tennyo. Could the story be like this?The Tennyo prays for the repose of the soul of Nichiren Shonin who believes in the lotus sutra, with the Botamochi through the old woman when she finds out that he was going to be exiled
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But then she finds out that he was going to be executed.She calls the dragon that became Mt. Ryuko and asks the dragon to save Nichiren Shonin.
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