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The Oeshiki (お会式) commemorates the passing of the saint Nichiren, a 13th century Japanese Buddhist whose teaching provides the basis for Nichiren Buddhism. While many temples hold similar ceremonies, the one at Ikegami Honmonji is the most significant as it was here that he is believed to have died. The event is one of the oldest and most deeply rooted of all that are held in Tokyo, and it is particularly famous for its mando (“10,000 lights”) where 3,000 people carry cherry blossom-decorated lanterns from Ikegami Tokumochi Hall (just south of Ikegami Station) to the temple. The Oeshiki is held over a 3-day period, but the main day is the 13th—the date of Nichiren’s passing—and the mando lantern parade is from 6pm on the 12th.