Robin Beck

Ambush at Komatsubara

Life and legends of Nichiren
At Boso Hanto 1264-1267 While staying at Hanabusa Renge-ji Temple in Awa-Saijo, Nichiren received an invitation from Kudo Yoshitaka, a lord of Awa-Amatsu. On November 11 1264, he and about ten {10} followers set out from Renge-j, en route to Amatsu Castle, for the meeting with with Yoshitaka.

The Saijo-Hanabusa area is west of the Greater Kominato Bay Area. The road to Amatsu took them through the southern part of the Tojo Village Area, which was controlled by Tojo Kagenobu. Somehow, Tojo Kagenobu had received advance word of the meeting, and laid in ambush, at a place called Pine Needle Glen {Komatsubara}. Perhaps Master Dozen-bo had told Dogi-bo Gisho, Enchi-bo, Kanchi-bo, or Jitsujo-bo of Nichiren's plans, who then relayed them on to Kagenobu?

At any rate, when Nichiren's Party arrived at Komatsubara, they were greeted by Tojo and 100 or so men. Tojo's men were heavily armed with bows, arrows, and swords; some were on horse back. Nichiren and his Hokke group were on foot and unarmed.

It was nearing dusk, around 5:00 PM, when Tojo's men launched the surprise attack, by raining arrows down on the small band of Lotus Sutra devotees. The disciple Kyonin-bo tried to protect Nichiren, but was pierced by an arrow to the heart, and perished. Another of Nichiren's disciple's, name unknown, suffered what would prove to be a fatal injury.

Tojo, who was on horseback, charged at Nichiren, with his sword raised. Nichiren, with palms together, chanted Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo - Jo Hon Dai Ichi , and raised his rosary to defend himself. By some accounts, the rosary broke Tojo's sword. Nichiren suffered a four {4} inch gash to the forehead. When Tojo tried to make another pass, the Buddhist Deity Kishimojin, in her fierce or wrathful 'troll' form, appeared before him, causing the Steward to fall from his horse.

Meanwhile Kudo Yoshitaka, a Lotus Sutra devotee himself, had been alerted to the attack. Yoshitaka quickly gathered his own warriors and rushed to the scene. A bloody battle ensued. Yoshitaka suffered a mortal wound. In addition to the wound on his forehead; which left a 4" scar, Nichiren's left hand bone was broken. The appearance of Wrathful or fierce form of Kishimo had frightened away Tojo's warriors, allowing Nichiren and his group to escape.

They took temporary refuge at a place called "Snow Mountain Cave." A Nun, clad in white and carrying a rosary, happened by. She placed a cloth hat, stuffed with swathing, on Nichiren's head, to stop the bleeding, and went on her way. "In Nichiren Shu Temples on November 11th a small cotton bandage is placed onto the statue of Nichiren Shonin in remembrance of this persecution. The bandage is left until the spring when Nichiren Shonin's wounds were healed." ~~ Reverend Ryuoh

It is said that Tojo Kagenobu died within a few days, from fever.

Three days later Dozen-bo, accompanied by Joken-bo, again met Nichiren at Renge-ji temple in Hanabusa. Of this meeting, Nichiren would write ... "in the first year of the Bun'ei era (1264), on the fourteenth day of the eleventh month, I met with him [Dozen-bo] at the priests' lodgings of Hanabusa in Saijo. ... I had already warned Dozen-bo's elder brother, the priest Dogi-bo Gisho, that he was destined to fall into the hell of incessant suffering if he did not change his ways, and they say that his death was far worse than what he had hoped. When I considered that my teacher Dozen-bo might meet a similar fate, I was filled with metta & deep compassion{jihi} ...<.i>" from The Tripitaka Master Shan-wu-wei {not authenticated, probably "B" }, written 1270 at Matsubagayatsu {Myoho-ji} in Kamakura, to Joken-bo and Gijo-bo.

A month later, Nichiren would write, "This year, too, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, between the hours of the monkey and the cock on the highway called Matsubara in Tojo in the province of Awa, I was ambushed by several hundred Nembutsu believers and others. I was alone except for about ten men accompanying me, only three or four of whom were capable of offering any resistance at all."

"Arrows fell on us like rain, and swords descended like lightning. One of my disciples was slain in a matter of a moment, and two others were gravely wounded. I myself sustained cuts and blows, and it seemed that I was doomed. Yet, for some reason, my attackers failed to kill me; thus I have survived until now." -- from Encouragement to a Sick Person, {"A-T,C"} written December 1264, to Nanjo Hyoe Shichiro, the steward of Ueno Village in Fuji District of Suruga Province, and Nanjo Tokimitsu's father.

The Komatsubara Persecution {Komatsubara-no-honan} is also known as the "Tojo Persecution." Nichiryu, a son of Yoshitaka Kudo's and Nichiren's disciple founded Kyoninji Temple on March 5, 1281. Temple Treasures include the Tokidono Gosho, the prayer beads which protected Nichiren from the sword, and Kyoninbo's blood stained robe.

PILGRIMAGE 2006 Kyonin Ji

Komatsubara-zan Kyoninji Temple

Life and legends of Nichiren At Boso Hanto 1264-1267

Soseino Amulet of 1264
Nichiren at Hanabusa 1264
Nichiren and Nakayama Hokkekyo-ji
Nakayama Hokkekyo-ji Treasures

Dial Up Internet

Posted by rbeck at September 21, 2006 08:02 AM