Oeshiki is a Buddhist ceremony commemorating Nichiren Shōnin’s memorial
day, who passed away at Ikegami on October 13, 1282.
On the night of October 12, crowds jam the precincts of Honmonji Temple.
The ceremony reached its height on the eve of October 13, with parades
of mandō (which literally means “10,000 lanterns”) and Matoi (firemen’s
standards of the Edo period) accompanied by flutes and drums.
The Nichiren Shōnin’s memorial ceremony attracts hundreds of thousands
of the faithful. |
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The mandō are something like a parade float, which are about 5 meters (16.4’)
in height. In its structure built in the form of a five-story pagoda with
the Odaimoku (Namu Myoho Renge Kyo) or pictures of Nichiren Shōnin’s life
depicted on the sides.
The whole structure is lit from the inside and rows of artificial cherry
blossoms are hung from the top on an umbrella to from a cherry tree, because
it is said that when Nichiren Shōnin passed away the cherry trees came
into bloom out of season.
Oeshiki is a grand celebration of our founder’s life. |
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Nichiren Shōnin founded Honmonji Temple (one of the official designation
[Sangō], is Chōei-san or “ever-flourishing mountain”) just before his death
in October of 1282 at the request of Ikegami Munenaka, a wealthy feudal
lord and faithful follower.
Ikegami Munenaka offered 69,384 tsubo of land (51.89 acres) which
corresponds to the number of Chinese characters in the Lotus Sutra. |
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On April 15 1945, the temple was subjected to heavy bombing, resulting
in the destruction of all the structures except the main gate, the five-story
pagoda, the Kyōzō (repository of Buddhist scriptures) and the Tahōtō (a
stupa). The Temple was completely reconstructed through contributions of
followers throughout the country.
Going up the front steps and walking through the Niō-mon (a gate with two
guardian deities), the visitor comes to the Soshi-dō (founder’s hall) where
a statue of Nichiren Shōnin is enshrined. This statue was commissioned
by his disciples on the seventh anniversary of his death.
Behind the Soshi-dō, we find the Honden (main hall) where Śākyamuni Buddha
and the four Bodhisattvas are enshrined.
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Behind the Honden is the octagonal Gobyō-sho (mausoleum), which was built
on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of his death and is where some
of the ashes of Nichiren Shōnin are enshrined. It is constructed entirely
of Japanese cypress (hinoki).
The five-story pagoda was built in 1608. It stands just inside the Niō-mon
to your right. It is 29.4 meters high (96.45’) with a 45 centimeter (17.7”)
square beam running from the top to the second story in order to balance
the structure. It is constructed to withstand a magnitude seven earthquake
and is the oldest five-story pagoda in Tokyo.
Both the statue of Nichiren Shōnin in the Soshi-dō and the five-story pagoda
have been designated as important cultural property of Japan.
The Kyōzō was built in 1784 and houses the whole Buddhist cannon in revolving
octagonal bookshelves.
Facing the Soshi-dō it is to the left. If you travel to just behind the
Soshi-dō and take a left, find the stone step going down the step, you
will find the Tahōtō (Strupa) on the right hand.
The Tahōtō is a red pagoda, which was built on the site where Nichiren
Shōnin was cremated. It was rebuilt in 1830 and is the only structure of
its kind in Japan.
The history of Honmonji Temple stretches back some 700 years to its founding
by Nichiren Shōnin.
Along with Kuonji Temple at Minobu in Yamanashi Prefecture (the head temple
of the Nichiren Shū Order) Honmonji Temple ranks as one of the major centers
among the order’s 5,000 temples.
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