Master Rixuan, who presided over it, looked southward and remained silent.
Honnoji Temple is located in the northern part of Kyoto, between Sanjo Street and Shijo Street, not far from the Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle, and belongs to the core area of Kyoto.
When it was prosperous, the Nichiren sect had a total of twenty-one main mountain temples in the Raku Nei Rakuwai area. It was the most prosperous among all the sects.
The biggest enemy of the Nichiren Sect is the Ichiko Sect, which also develops followers at the bottom, and has always suppressed the opponent.
The Sanshina Honganji Temple of the Ichiko sect was burned down by the Nichiren sect, which led the Ichiko sect to move its main gate to Ishiyama and build a new Honganji temple.
As the power of the Nichiren Sect grew stronger, it seriously threatened the Hieizan Tendai Sect.
The Tendai sect was defeated by the Nichiren sect again in a crucial religious question and answer, and even the shogunate ruled that the Nichiren sect had won.
Religious disputes have always been a life-and-death battle, and it cannot be played within the rules. The Tiantai Sect decisively overturned the table.
The Tiantai sect simply demanded that the 21st temple of the Nichiren sect must become the last temple of the Tiantai sect and donate money and tribute.
Of course, the Nichiren sect refused to agree to such a rude request. So, the Buddhist regiment from Mount Hiei took the opportunity to dispatch.
Taking advantage of the chaos of the shogunate's civil war, the Yamashiro masters captured the twenty-one gates of the Nichiren sect, killed countless nuns and followers, and violently expelled the Nichiren sect from Kyoto.
The Nichiren religious group, which was expelled from the capital, had to face the revenge of the Ichiko clan who rebuilt the Honganji Temple in Ishiyama and gained a firm foothold, and thus began to decline.
Afterwards, the shogunate ruled that the Tendai sect was disrespectful and allowed the Nichiren sect to return to Kyoto. However, the Nichiren sect's vitality was severely damaged and it never recovered.
So far, fifteen temples on Mount Nichiren have been rebuilt, but most of them are in depression and unable to restore their original scale. The center of the Nichiren religious group has also been broken up, and the branches have gone their own way.
Honnoji Temple belongs to the main monastery of the Nichiren sect and is the first Nichiren sect monastery to be restored in Kyoto.
Nichigen of Honnoji Temple is the abbot of Honnoji Temple and has great influence in the Nichiren Sect. She has the responsibility and willingness to prepare for the future of the sect.
Suddenly, someone hurriedly walked up behind Master Rixuan and saluted.
"Master, the matter has been settled."
Ri Xuan was silent for a long time and asked.
"How is the result?"
"As you expected, those from the Tendai Sect withdrew from the welcoming queue and returned to Mount Hiei.
The Wu family queue in Shangluo was in chaos for a while, then started the ceremony again and continued to move forward."
Ri Xuan nodded slowly and stopped talking, but the visitor couldn't help but ask.
"Master, will this offend His Highness Oda?
We have many believers working for the Oda family. If His Highness Oda becomes angry, will they be punished or even lose their lives?"
Ri Xuan looked back at her and said.
"I just want to remind Her Majesty Oda not to forget her original promise. As for the safety of the believers...
I believe that everyone has the same thoughts as me and are willing to devote themselves to promoting my Buddha.
However, you don't have to worry too much.
Her Majesty Oda needs iron cannons, and she will not draw her sword to kill her helpers until she has completely mastered the art of iron cannons.
Moreover, her music market policy requires our cooperation to earn a large amount of business tax.
She is a utilitarian person, so it will be fine. We are still useful to her."
Previously, Ishiyama Honganji took advantage of the recent chaos to further kill and expel the Nichiren religious group and believers.
In order to help his sect avoid being hunted by the Ichikazu clan, Honnoji Nichigen had to go to Owari country and seek help from the rising Oda family.
Oda Nobunaga was very ambitious. Not only did she accept the Nichiren Sect believers, she also promised to help the Nichiren Sect take revenge, and asked the Nichiren Sect to help her develop business and build an iron cannon workshop.
Because of the persecution of the Nichiren sect, they could only preach in marginal areas such as Shang Town and Minato Town. The proportion of merchants and craftsmen among believers was extremely high.
It was because Oda Nobunaga took a fancy to these resources of Nichiren Sect that he happily accepted Nichiren Sect.
However, the samurai were unfaithful. Although Honnoji Nichigen accepted Oda Nobunaga's conditions, he never truly believed in Oda Nobunaga, a false believer.
The matter of revenge against the Tendai Sect and Ichikou Sect must be carried out according to the Nichiren Sect's own rhythm and cannot be led by Oda Nobunaga.
While the Nichiren Sect still had value for Oda Nobunaga, Honnoji Nichigen took action first and implemented his plan.
Regardless of whether Oda Nobunaga wants it or not, Honnoji Nichigen will push her step by step towards the opposition between Tendai Sect and Ichiko Sect.
By that time, Oda Nobunaga would definitely take action against the samurai's tradition of using violence to suppress dissidents.
Raising the Nichiren Buddhism flag among the Oda family's troops was just the beginning.
Honnoji Nichigen will definitely let the Tendai Sect and Ichiko Sect know that there is an alliance between the Oda family and the Nichiren Sect, and Oda Nobunaga is a Nichiren Sect believer.
There are four thousand nuns on Mount Hiei, and Ishiyama Honganji Temple is a famous sect, and they are both powerful. The Nichiren sect has declined and cannot defeat them at all.
Only by relying on the power of the samurai family and using the Oda family to eliminate these two heretics can we avenge the death of the Nichiren sect's disciples and revive the sect.
Kyoto in the south began to become noisy, and it seemed that the military team from Shangluo had arrived.
Nichigen of Honnoji Temple looked towards the south with a compassionate face and recited Buddhist scriptures.
If I don’t go to hell, who will?
———
Peter and Bautista hid in the crowd and watched the high-ranking warriors riding into the city.
She wrapped herself tightly because the Nanman religion had not yet been recognized by the shogunate, and preaching in Kyoto was an illegal activity.
Her exotic appearance is very different from that of the locals, and her goal is obvious. Once the Buddhist sect's spies in Kyoto discover the clues, it will inevitably lead to a catastrophe, so you must be careful.
Bautista is a Westerner, a priest of the Southern Barbarian Religion, and a member of the Anti-Ji Society.
The Fangji Society belongs to the puritanical sect of the Nanman Sect. Its members have already dedicated everything to the Communist Party and live a simple life. All they want in life is to spread the Christian faith.
At the beginning, the Shiba family and the Ichiko clan had a conflict in Hokurikudo. In order to relieve the pressure on Shiba Yoshigan, Akechi Mitsuhide and Takada Yono cooperated to secretly stab Ishiyama Honganji in the back.
They took advantage of the Nanman religion's eagerness to obtain missionary rights and secretly facilitated it, allowing the Nanman priests to go to Luo Kyoto with the help of devout Japanese believers.
This incident aroused the extreme vigilance of the Ichigo clan. The master of Ishiyama Honganji Temple did not care about the small friction with the Shiba family and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the prevention of the Nanman Sect.
After the Yamashina Honganji Temple was burned down by the Nichiren sect, the Ichiko sect rebuilt Honganji Temple in Ishiyama and regained a firm foothold. The reason why the reconstruction was so smooth was the tacit approval of various Buddhist sects.
Ishiyama is located in the west of Settsu Province, not far from Sakai Port.
The Nanman religion's mission in Japan followed the Nanman trade route deep into the interior of the island country, first to the Kyushu ports and then to the Sakai port.
Nowadays, in Kyushu, some famous names of the Wu family have publicly come out to believe in Nanman religion, and have accepted the religion and received rites. The Buddhist sect is unable to deal with this.
In Settsu Kingdom, Nanman missionaries centered in Sakai Port continued to infiltrate into the local area and seriously threatened the vital interests of various Buddhist sects.
The Yixiang Sect is known for its fanaticism among various Buddhist sects, and its ability to organize and spread its beliefs at the grassroots level is the best tool to deal with the Nanman Sect.
Therefore, the Buddhist sects acquiesced in the establishment of Ishiyama Honganji Temple in Nishisettsu and became a barrier for Buddhism to resist the invasion of the Nanman sect.
that's the truth.
The Nanman Sect and the Yixiang Sect fought in the Settsu Kingdom with mountains of corpses and seas of blood. From the city to the commercial town, and then to the rural villages, they were facing each other tit for tat.
The Nanman faith was quickly suppressed by Yixiang Zong, who was good at physical destruction, and no longer had the unbridled expansion speed before.
Akechi Mitsuhide first secretly helped the Southern Barbarians to reach Luo, and then expressed the Shiba family's position at the shogunate level, righteously opposing the granting of missionary rights to the Southern Barbarians.
It seems that Honnoji Temple could only choose to make peace with the Shiba family because of the economic interests of Hokurikudo and the political cooperation of the shogunate.
The Hokurikudo Ichikou sect lost the support of Ishiyama Honganji Temple, allowing Terutora Uesugi and Yoshigan Shiba to join the Echichu campaign and succeed smoothly.
But this incident left a sequelae, that is, after the Nanman believers failed to seek missionary rights, not all of them withdrew to the Settsu Kingdom.
The members of the Self-Defending Society, headed by the Nanman priests Peter and Bautista, endured hardships and stood hard. With the help of devout believers, they hid in Kyoto and carried out secret missionary work.
The Kyoto Incident and the re-establishment of the shogunate gave the Nanman Sect new hope of obtaining missionary rights.
Bautista had been waiting here for a long time, wanting to see the new ruler of the shogunate.
Unexpectedly, she actually saw the Buddhist flag of the Nichiren Sect, and even saw the scene of the Tiantai Sect leaving in anger. The fierce confrontation within the Buddhist sect would be an opportunity for the Nanman Sect.
Bautista keenly discovered that the Oda family's military force was equipped with a large number of iron cannons. Among the various forces in recent times, only the Zahe and Genlaizhong had so many iron cannons.
She grabbed a glimmer of inspiration and made up her mind to visit Oda Nobunaga, a Nichiren sect believer, in order to get a closer look at this powerful local lord who helped the shogunate restore its glory.
Let's see if we can use the power struggle between the Wu family and the Buddhist sects to gain the greatest benefits for the Nanman religion.
———
Mount Hiei overlooks Mount Hirara to the north and Mount Shiga to the south. Enryaku-ji Temple is the headquarters of the Tendai Sect.
The Mount Hiei Tendai Sect has a long history. The first generations of many sects were born here, and countless nuns came from the temple. It is called the father of Japanese Buddhism.
Japanese Buddhism was first introduced in the Tang Dynasty, and gradually prospered in the south and north. In the south are the temples in the ancient capital of Nara, and in the north are the temples in Mount Hiei.
The island nation has not experienced a fierce confrontation similar to the one in which the Three Warriors of the Celestial Dynasty destroyed Buddhism. The Buddhist sects are more like the Indian sects, with nuns protecting temples and fields, enjoying the tax-free treatment of the imperial court, and dominating and dominating.
The Nara Master in the south and the Yama Master in the north are each dominant, and they have intervened in Japan's political situation many times and have a profound influence.
Enryaku-ji Temple, East Pagoda Zhikan-in Temple, Neon-nado Hall.
This generation's abbot of Enryaku Temple, the head of the Tiantai Sect, Kyoushu, sat cross-legged on a futon, leaning against the statue of Medicine Master Tathagata, and looked at the group of angry magicians.
"So, you are back?"
A mage came out to bow and said.
"Master, it's not that we are ignorant, it's just that what the Oda family did is too much.
There have been no Buddhist flags inscribed with Myoho-renge-kyo for many years in the capital. Even if the Nichiren sect rebuilt the temple, they would not dare to flaunt the Buddhist flags.
Now the Oda family has brought the power of Luo into the city to provoke and test. If we turn a blind eye, we are afraid of giving wrong hints."
Master Jueshu looked at the angry Master and shook his head slightly.
The Tiantai Sect is no longer the original Tiantai Sect. Over the years, the sect has become increasingly weak, but the sect that manages the temple is still domineering.
This is not a good sign.
As a member of the Tiantai Sect Manshu Monastery and the head of the Tiantai Sect, Jueshu is actually powerless to do many things.
The internal management method of Japanese Buddhist sects is similar to that of the retainers of the Wu family. The sect leaders, like the family governors, are inevitably coerced by their subordinates.
The strict hierarchy and the lingering tradition of subordinates overcoming superiors are a perfect match.
I usually have great patience, but I can't help but draw my sword to defeat the superiors. It seems that the superiors and subordinates are in order, but in fact it is an extreme suppression of human nature. The spring is pressed down every day, and one day it will double back.
The Tiantai Sect is also inevitably wandering between respectability and rebellion, and those at the helm often feel powerless. This is how the current Master Jueshu feels.
She frowned.
"We are going to welcome the daughter of the Ashikaga Shogun family, the future Ashikaga Shogun.
If the Oda family does not respect the rites of Luo, the shogunate will give orders, so why do you need to overstep your boundaries?
Now it seems that we don’t understand the rules, how will we get along with the shogunate in the future?”
The mage was speechless for a moment.
At that time, the situation was unexpected and everyone was in chaos. The suggestion to evacuate was accepted by everyone because no one wanted to take the blame.
If you don't leave, then those who suggest staying will be suspected of having their faith shaken, which is almost a capital crime in religion.
If you leave, even if it is unreasonable, you will uphold your loyal beliefs and be blameless.
Regardless of the righteous indignation of the legal team, these people actually made a clear calculation in their hearts and must have chosen the most beneficial way to deal with it.
Master Jueshu certainly understood their thoughts and shook his head with a wry smile.
During the Kyoto Incident, the Ashikaga Shogun family was brutally wiped out. The friendship that the Tendai Sect had had with Odai for many years also ended with his death.
The Tendai Sect needs to communicate with the new shogunate and the new Ashikaga shogun. No matter what the relationship is in the future, the channel of communication cannot be cut off.
But just before the two parties were about to come into contact, the incident involving the Nichiren Sect's Buddhist flag broke out.
No matter how you look at it, this incident is very strange. It seems like someone is deliberately setting up obstacles between the Tiantai Sect and the Wu family regime, causing both parties to lose the basis of trust.
The more Jueshu thought about it, the more something was wrong and he said.
"You have to remember.
The person the Tendai Sect wants to communicate with is the shogunate, not the Oda family.
These local daimyo will leave Kyoto sooner or later, whether it is Miyoshi Rokkaku at the beginning or Oda today. No matter how powerful they are, they are just passers-by in Kyoto.
Don't let these outsiders interfere with our judgment, the shogunate is the foundation."
The mage group was silent for a long time and bowed together.
"I will obey the Master's decree."
a mage asked.
“This incident happened too suddenly, and it is understandable that we failed to respond appropriately.
It’s just that we resolutely returned to the mountain and the shogunate’s face was damaged. How can we make up for it later?”
Another mage suggested.
"I heard that His Highness Ashikaga Yoshiaki was born in Kofukuji Temple, why not ask Koyasan to come forward to coordinate?"