Certain traditions have been passed on from parent to child for generations
in the main branch of the family. "The ancestors of the Three Ohta Brothers
came from Tamaru in Ise. They were of the Seiwa Genji line, and when Lord Niwa
entered Nihonmatsu Castle, the three brothers settled here. That was over 300
years ago."
"The three brothers brought the family's three Amitabha Buddha statues with
them. Each Amitabha is dedicated to protecting each of the brother's families.
Our Amitabha is the Buddha on the right." It is said that the children sat
before the Buddhas every morning with their parents, chanted an invocation, and
recited a sutra. The whole family sat before the Amitabha before breakfast.
These traditions suggest that at least one of the three Amitabha Buddhas statues
handed down in the family for over 360 years, since the Niwa family gained power
in 1643, still exists. There is also a picture scroll of the journey from Ise
to Nihonmatsu. |