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Hōmyō dōji

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hōmyō dōji (ほうみょう童子) is a Japanese folktale, a variant on an East Indian Buddhist legend. The story tells of a man whose child is chosen to become a sacrifice to a giant snake. A boy named Hōmyō, whose father has recently died, offers himself as a surrogate for the sacrifice. As he is preparing for death by reciting a Buddhist sutra, a Boddhisatva appears and saves him. Hōmyō is brought before the king, a staunch anti-Buddhist, who is converted by the story and abdicates his throne.[1][2]

The Hōmyō dōji story was published as a three-volume e-hon at some point in the 18th century.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Dharma Wonder Boy". World Digital Library. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  2. ^ "ほうみょう童子". 作品一覧. 奈良絵本データベース. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
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  • Digitised scans of the Hōmyō dōji e-hon, Library of Congress, North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources: Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3.