The Atsuhara Affair: The "Lotus Sutra", Persecution, and Religious Identity in the Early Nichiren Tradition
In 1279, twenty peasants who were lay followers of the Buddhist teacher Nichiren were summarily arrested at Atsuhara in the Fuji district of Suruga province and were sent for trial to Kamakura, where three of them were beheaded. This incident is known in the history of Nichiren Buddhism as the Atsuh...
| Published in: | Japanese journal of religious studies |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Nanzan Institute
[2014]
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| In: |
Japanese journal of religious studies
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| Further subjects: | B
Buddhism
B Monks B Religious Studies B Peasant class B Religious Identity B Criminal arrests B Religious Persecution B Followers B Prisoners |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | In 1279, twenty peasants who were lay followers of the Buddhist teacher Nichiren were summarily arrested at Atsuhara in the Fuji district of Suruga province and were sent for trial to Kamakura, where three of them were beheaded. This incident is known in the history of Nichiren Buddhism as the Atsuhara persecution. The first part of this article outlines the circumstances of the persecution and the political and religious tensions that fueled it and considers how Nichiren was able to persuade his followers to remain steadfast in the face of a grave threat. The second part examines links between Nichiren's interpretation of the persecution and larger themes in his teaching of exclusive devotion to the Lotus Sutra, especially that offering one's life for the sutra's sake guarantees one's attainment of buddhahood. Lastly, the article touches on how later accounts of the Atsuhara persecution shaped a normative ideal within the Nichiren tradition of how Lotus devotees should meet opposition from those in power. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Japanese journal of religious studies
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