On Gaining an Immediate Reward for Faith in the Three Treasures, Reverence to Monks, and Having Scriptures Recited

In the ninth month of the fourth year of the hare, the fourth year of the Jinkai era, Emporer Shomu went hunting with his officers in the mountain at Yamamura in Sou upper district. A deer ran into a farmer's house in the village of Hosome, and the family killed and ate it without knowing whose it was. Later, when the emporer heard this, he sent messengers to take them prisoner. More than ten men and women met with this misfortune, and they shuddered in fear without any recourse. Their only thought was that nothing but the divine power of the Three Treasures would save them from their sad plight. As they heard that the Sixteen-foot Buddha of Daian-ji would respond to the people's prayers, they sent a man to visit the temple and have scriptures recited. They made an appeal to the monks, saying, "When we are led to court, please open the southern gate of the temple so that we may pay homage to the Buddha. Also we beg you to ring the bell when we are taken to court so that the sound of the bell may follow us."