List of reportedly haunted locations in Japan

Last updated

This is a list of reportedly haunted locations in Japan.

Contents

Tokyo

Aokigahara Forest Aokigahara Forest (10863465773).jpg
Aokigahara Forest
Sunshine 60 in 2004 Sunshine 60 1 Ikebukuro Tokyo 21 May 2004.jpg
Sunshine 60 in 2004
Sunshine 60
Built on the site of the former Sugamo Prison, where seven Japanese war criminals (including former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo) were hanged in 1948. Soviet spy Richard Sorge was also hanged in the prison in 1944. Since the prison's dismantlement and Sunshine 60's completion, there have been claims of supernatural sightings in and around the building. [1] [2]
Masakado's grave  [ ja ]
Purportedly the resting place of Taira no Masakado, a rebellious Heian period warlord. There have been cases where construction workers disturbing the grave had accidents, with some dying as a result. [3] [4]
Oiwa Shrine  [ ja ]
Believed to be the former home of a woman who was murdered by her husband. [1]
Hachiōji Castle
An abandoned castle site. Visitors to the ruins claim to hear the screams of women. [5] [6]
Prudential Tower
In 1982, a fire in the building killed 33 people, making people believe it to be haunted. [7] [8]
Akasaka Mansion hotel
A woman claimed she was dragged across her room by an unseen force. [9]
Doryodo Ruins  [ ja ]
Two bodies were allegedly found on the site, a body of an elderly woman in 1963 and a young college student in 1973. The temple was demolished in 1985. Visitors have claimed to hear the screams of the two murder victims. [9] [10]

Kyoto

Kiyotaki Tunnel Kiyotaki Tunnel.jpg
Kiyotaki Tunnel
Kiyotaki Tunnel
One of the most famous haunted locations in Kyoto. [11] [ page needed ]
Midoro Pond
A spirit of a young girl is believed to haunt the pond. [12] [ page needed ]

Yamanashi

Aokigahara
One of the most popular suicide sites in Japan, [13] [14] reputed to be haunted by the yūrei of those died there. [15] [16]
Oiran Buchi
According to a legend during the Warring States period, there was a gold mine in the area. The 55 prostitutes working there were killed to prevent them from sharing information about the gold. [17] [18]

Other

Okiku Well in Himeji Castle Okiku Well in Himeji Castle 3.jpg
Okiku Well in Himeji Castle
Himeji Castle
Believed to be haunted by Banchō Sarayashiki. [6]
Mount Osore
Believed to be a gateway to the underworld. [19] [ page needed ]
Gridley Tunnel
Located on a naval base in Yokosuka, Japan. Between midnight and 1:00 am on rainy nights, a samurai appears to solo explorers. [20]
Maruoka Castle
According to legend, in 1576, a widow named Oshizu agreed to become hitobashira if her son became samurai for the lord. However, the lord was later transferred, and the promise was broken, so Oshizu flooded the castle’s moat every April. [6]
Ryokufuso Inn
Allegedly home to a zashiki-warashi. Some guests have claimed they were touched by invisible fingers as they slept. Others have claimed to have seen ghostly white balls floating in the air. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haunted house</span> House or other building perceived as being inhabited by spirits

A haunted house, spook house or ghost house in ghostlore is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were otherwise connected with the property. Parapsychologists often attribute haunting to the spirits of the dead who have suffered from violent or tragic events in the building's past such as murder, accidental death, or suicide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saigō Takamori</span> Japanese samurai (1828–1877) who led the Satsuma Rebellion

Saigō Takamori was a Japanese samurai and nobleman. He was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he later led the Satsuma Rebellion against the Meiji government. Historian Ivan Morris described him as "the quintessential hero of modern Japanese history".

<i>Yūrei</i> Figures in Japanese folklore similar to ghosts

Yūrei are figures in Japanese folklore analogous to the Western concept of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, (), meaning "faint" or "dim" and (rei), meaning "soul" or "spirit". Alternative names include Bōrei (亡霊), meaning ruined or departed spirit, Shiryō (死霊), meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing Yōkai (妖怪) or Obake (お化け). Like their Western counterparts, they are thought to be spirits barred from a peaceful afterlife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taira no Masakado</span> Heian period provincial magnate and samurai in eastern Japan

Taira no Masakado was a Heian period provincial magnate (gōzoku) and samurai based in eastern Japan, notable for leading the first recorded uprising against the central government in Kyōto. Along with Sugawara no Michizane and Emperor Sutoku, he is often called one of the “Three Great Onryō of Japan.”.

<i>Onryō</i> Type of ghost in Japanese folklore

In Japanese traditional beliefs and literature, onryō are a type of ghost believed to be capable of causing harm in the world of the living, injuring or killing enemies, or even causing natural disasters to exact vengeance to "redress" the wrongs it received while alive, then taking their spirits from their dying bodies. Onryō are often depicted as wronged women, who are traumatized, envied, disappointed, bitter, or just furious by what happened during life and exact revenge in death. These kinds of ghosts appear extremely vengeful, ruthless, heartless, brutal, cruel, deranged, egotistical, selfish, bloodthirsty, and cold-hearted.

<i>Ikiryō</i> Spirit in Japanese folklore

Ikiryō, also known as shōryō (しょうりょう), seirei (せいれい), or ikisudama (いきすだま), is a disembodied spirit or ghost in Japanese popular belief and fiction that leaves the body of a living person and subsequently haunts other people or places, sometimes across great distances. The term(s) are used in contrast to shiryō, which refers to the spirit of those who are already deceased.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoichi the Earless</span> Figure in Japanese folklore

Hoichi the Earless is the name of a well-known figure from Japanese folklore. His story is well known in Japan, and the best-known English translation first appeared in the book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn.

<i>Banchō Sarayashiki</i> Tragic Japanese ghost story

Banchō Sarayashiki is a Japanese ghost story (kaidan) of broken trust and broken promises, leading to a dismal fate. Alternatively referred to as the sarayashiki tradition, all versions of the tale revolve around a servant, who dies unjustly and returns to haunt the living. Some versions take place in Harima Province or Banshū (播州), others in the Banchō (番町) area in Edo.

<i>Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales</i> Japanese anime television series

Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales, known in Japan as Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror, is a Japanese anime horror anthology television series produced by Toei Animation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gashadokuro</span> Japanese mythical creatures

Gashadokuro are mythical creatures in modern Japanese mythology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mei Kurokawa</span> Japanese actress and singer

Mei Kurokawa is a Japanese actress and singer. Her given name Mei originates from her birth month (May) in English. She has been frequently featured in many Japanese dramas and Kaidan Shin Mimibukuro: Yūrei Mansion films.

Hanako-san, or Toire no Hanako-san, is a Japanese urban legend about the spirit of a young girl named Hanako who haunts lavatories. Like many urban legends, the details of the origins of the legend vary depending on the account; different versions of the story include that Hanako-san is the ghost of a World War II–era girl who was killed while playing hide-and-seek during an air raid, that she was murdered by a parent or stranger, or that she committed suicide in a school toilet due to bullying.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vengeful ghost</span> Spirit of a dead person who returns from the afterlife to seek revenge

In mythology and folklore, a vengeful ghost or vengeful spirit is said to be the spirit of a dead person who returns from the afterlife to seek revenge for a cruel, unnatural or unjust death. In certain cultures where funeral and burial or cremation ceremonies are important, such vengeful spirits may also be considered as unhappy ghosts of individuals who have not been given a proper funeral.

<i>Female Ghost</i> (Kunisada)

Female Ghost is an ukiyo-e woodblock print dating to 1852 by celebrated Edo period artist Utagawa Kunisada, also known as Toyokuni III. Female Ghost exemplifies the nineteenth century Japanese vogue for the supernatural and superstitious in the literary and visual arts. The print is part of the permanent collection of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsuchiura Castle</span>

Tsuchiura Castle is a flatland-style Japanese castle located in Tsuchiura, southern Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Tsuchiura Castle was home to the Tsuchiya clan, daimyō of Tsuchiura Domain. The castle was also known as "Ki-jō".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prudential Tower (Tokyo)</span> Offices, shops, residential in Nagatachō, Japan

The Prudential Tower (プルデンシャルタワー) is a skyscraper located in Nagatachō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It contains offices, residences, and shops, with 38 floors above ground and a total floor area of 76,634 square meters. It is situated on the Sotobori-dōri trunk road, near the National Diet Building and other central government institutions, including the Prime Minister's Official Residence.

One Hundred Ghost Stories is a series of ukiyo-e woodblock prints made by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) in the Yūrei-zu genre circa 1830. He created this series around the same time he was creating his most famous works, the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series. There are only five prints in this series, though as its title suggests, the publisher, Tsuruya Kiemon, and Hokusai wanted to make a series of one hundred prints. Hokusai was in his seventies when he worked on this series, and though his most famous impressions are landscape and wild-life works, he was attuned to the superstitions of the Edo period. This culminated in him creating these yokai prints of popular ghost stories being told at the time. The prints show scenes from such stories, that could be recited during the game of Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai.

References

  1. 1 2 Fields, Lilly (25 October 2011). "Top Tokyo haunts: five scary spots". The Japan Times. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  2. "Sunshine 60, Tokyo - SkyscraperPage.com". skyscraperpage.com. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  3. Clements, Jonathan (9 June 2019). "The curse of Masakado: why Tokyo is still haunted by a malevolent ghost". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  4. "The curse of Japanese samurai Masakado". CNN Travel.
  5. Parvis, Sarah (January 2008). Creepy Castles. Bearport Publishing. p. 15. ISBN   978-1-68402-859-7.
  6. 1 2 3 "4 Beautiful Castles Home to Terrible Ghosts". All About Japan. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  7. ホテルニュージャパン跡地はそれからどうなったのか [Hotel New Japan, a former site and what it became?]. Timesteps (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  8. 千代田区永田町2-13 ホテルニュージャパン跡地 (幽霊、心霊) [Chiyoda-ku Nagata-chou 2-13 - Hotel New Japan site (yūrei, spirits)]. 東京幽霊名所 (in Japanese). 3 February 2017. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  9. 1 2 Poole, Steven (2016-10-28). "Scary streets: which are the world's most haunted cities?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  10. "CEC中央電子:八王子散歩みち". 2004-06-12. Archived from the original on 2004-06-12. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  11. Rambelli, Fabio (13 June 2019). Spirits and Animism in Contemporary Japan: The Invisible Empire. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   978-1-350-09710-0 . Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  12. Brunvand, Jan Harold (2012). Encyclopedia of Urban Legends. ABC-CLIO. ISBN   978-1-59884-720-8.
  13. "Desperate Japanese head to 'suicide forest'". CNN.com. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  14. Atlas Obscura. "The Second Most Popular Place to Commit Suicide". RealClearScience.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  15. "Suicide Forest". WNYC. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  16. From Travel + Leisure. "World's most haunted forests". BBCc.com. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  17. "8 Creepiest Places in Japan". Just Japan Stuff. 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  18. Ross, Catrien (2015-11-03). Supernatural and Mysterious Japan: Spirits, Hauntings and Paranormal Phenomena. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN   978-1-4629-1671-9.
  19. Bornoff, Nicholas (2008). Japan. National Geographic Books. ISBN   978-1-4262-0234-6.
  20. Gray, Amy (23 August 2011). "The scariest spots around the world". BBC.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  21. "CNN Travel | Global Destinations, Tips & Video". CNN. Retrieved 2021-08-26.