The Reverend Shonen Sobue, having been accepted such as "Going through all sorts of tribulations, his life is earnestly devoted to preaching," "The legitimate preacher who still carries on Fushidansekkyo, which was traditional in Japanese Buddhism, in the modern age, his excellent expressiveness with his distinctive beautiful voice has, today, the enormous reputation of the best in Japan," who lived a full life with his mission completed in January, 1996, is a genuine preacher of the Otani branch of the Shin denomination and a distinguished person of religion. The Reverend Shonen is never an entertainer. Yet that the reverend accurately hands down Fushidansekkyo that is the origin of Japanese talking performances (rakugo [Japanese sit-down comedy], kodan [historical narrative], rokyoku [recitation of stories with samisen] et cetera) to the present day and that his virtuoso preaching is premised on all the conditions as a traditional Japanese Buddhist preacher and it is the emergence of a "true figure of Ho Gei Ichinyo " [Literally speaking, that the "Dharma" and the "Art" are one unity] possess high cultural-historical value and great significance in the history of the Japanese performing arts.

[The background to this episode of the oral tradition of Shinran]
Some people drifted into a false belief in the Kanto region after Shinran had left for Kyoto. Being deeply concerned about this situation, Shinran sent forth his son Zenran (1212-1292) as an emissary. Zenran, however, came to develop his self-indulgent thought, being swayed to the Nembutsu of Self-Power, and to act up to it. In its excesses, it caused a flutter and confusion to a great extent in the persuasion of the Nembutsu in Kanto and brought anguish to Shinran. More specifically, Zenran exploited the father-son connection with Shinran to make an attempt to put all disciples in the Kanto area under his control, having deceived them by claiming falsely that he had been initiated into his father's "true meaning," or the "esoterica," late at night. He also colluded with the power that be in the region and persecuted those disciples who did not obey his will. Once it became clear that his son was responsible for the turmoil, Shinran renounced Zenran on the 29th of the 5th month in kencho 8 (1256): Shinran firmly upheld and followed the Dharma.

A note: Kencho is an imperial era name for the period from 1249 to 1255 under Emperor Gufukakusa (reigned: 1246-1259). • Please see a chronology on the "An Abbreviated Chronological Table of Kamakura Period" page. (The chronological table shows 1. Emperor Names, 2. Imperial Era Names in the Kamakura period, 3. What year it was in the Christian Era, and 4. Japanese Buddhism related events.)

Fushidansekkyo S2 Video MOV S2 The Reverend Shonen Sobue's Fushidansekkyo at Yurinji Temple in 1992. Kind: QuickTime Movie Format: QDesign Music 2, Stereo, H.263, 240x180 pixels Data Size: 2.8 MB Data Rate: 52.3 K bytes/sec Duration: 00:00:54.27

Audio Video Material A2-1, A2-2, A2-3, A1, A3-3, S1, S2 and S3 :
The Reverend Shonen Sobue
I have selected several scenes as to the preacher of the Shin Buddhism in Japan, the Reverend Shonen Sobue, from an original two hours video Hi8 tape on which I recorded his edification and Fushidansekkyo delivered in the main hall of Yurin Temple (Yurinji), Nagoya, Japan in 1992, and I have made QuickTime Movie (.mov) files, RealPlayer Media (.rm) files and audio (.aif, .mp3) files.

• A2-1: About Tune [Cadence] (.mov, .rm, .aif, .mp3)
• A2-2: About his first preaching at the age of 8 (.mov, .rm, .aif, .mp3)
• A2-3: "Nothing is left if Amida Buddha is taken away from me." (.mov, .rm, .aif, .mp3)
• A1: About the frame of mind when he decided to be a "preacher" that shepherds the people (.mov, .rm, .aif, .mp3)
• A3-3: About the "beautiful voice," the narrative power and the tune (.mov, .rm, .aif, .mp3)
• S1: Fushidansekkyo from "Shinran Shonin den": Resting his head on a stone in the snow (.mov, .rm, .aif, .mp3)
• S2: Fushidansekkyo from "Shinran Shonin den": Refusing to receive his own son Zenran (.mov, .rm, .aif, .mp3)
• S3: Fushidansekkyo from "Shinran Shonin den": Mountain priest Bennen O my heart was changed forever (.mov, .rm, .aif, .mp3)