Case file · Apparition / miracle
The light at Tatsunokuchi
Followers of the monk Nichiren say a ball of light flew over Enoshima as he was about to be beheaded at Tatsunokuchi in 1271, and the frightened executioners stopped.
1271 CE · 35.31, 139.49 · status: legend
The account
Nichiren had angered the shogunate with his warnings of disaster. He was exiled to Sado instead of executed, and his own letters describe the 'brilliant object like the moon'. Ryūkō-ji temple now stands at the site.
The sceptical view
The account comes from Nichiren's own writings and later tradition; a bright meteor or a political decision to spare a famous monk are the likely realities. Some UFO writers list it as a 'historical UFO'.