Namu Myoho Rengekyo

Namu Myoho Rengekyo is a religious chant that Mamiya uses as an incantation against Kei after she is recognized as a ghost. In the confrontation, its repeated utterance gives audible form to his effort to hold her back, while the narrator answers with a declaration of attachment rather than rejection.

The Chant as a Defensive Act

Mamiya raises his rosary over his folded hands and shouts, “Namu Myoho Rengekyo! Glory to the Supreme Law of the Lotus Sutra!” His gesture and words are directed at Kei as he tries to stop the encounter. The narrator, hoping to annul the incantation’s power, calls to Kei that they will be together regardless of what happens. The chant therefore stands against the narrator’s resolve to accept the risk of staying close to her.

Repetition as Kei Approaches

Kei takes a step toward them, and Mamiya retreats a step before chanting “Namu Myoho Rengekyo!” again. She then takes a second step. The repeated formula accompanies movement rather than ending it: Mamiya’s attempt to repel Kei has not stopped her approach. His frantic question about which sect she belongs to further shows him trying to understand the supernatural threat through religious categories, even as the immediate confrontation continues.

Narrative Significance

The chant marks the opposing responses to Kei’s ghostly identity. Mamiya treats her as a hostile presence to be warded off; the narrator cannot reconcile that response with his memory of her clinging to him and praying for him, and chooses to affirm their bond. In this scene, the formula’s force is thus both practical and dramatic: it is Mamiya’s attempted defense, and the sound against which the narrator’s declaration of love is set.