Komatsubara Persecution

Komatsubara Houan-e” is a memorial service held on the holy day of the Komatsubara Houan, one of Nichiren Shonin’s four major Dharma Passions.

After the death of Hojo Shigetoki, who had incriminated Nichiren Shonin, Shonin was pardoned from exile in Ito for about two years, and in the first year of Bun’ei (1264) he received news that his mother was seriously ill in his hometown.
He immediately set out for Awa to visit his mother, the grave of his father who had already passed away, and to reunite with his teacher Dōzenbo.
In Kominato, he prayed for his mother, who was about to draw her last breath, and miraculously prolonged her life.

He remained in the area for a while and was promoting the Lotus Sutra when he came to a place called Komatsubara to visit his follower Yoshitaka Kudo. Tojo Kagenobu, who had been harboring a grudge about what had happened at Kiyosumi-ji Temple, attacked the saint’s group. The saint himself was wounded in the forehead, and his disciples and followers were also killed or injured.

This is called the Komatsubara no Hounan (the Dharma calamity of Komatsubara). It was on November 11 of the same year.