The truth about Japan’s most haunted cave

There are many places in Japan with incredibly dark histories, but you wouldn’t know them by looking at them. For example, Kozukaappara is execution ground 200,000 people were brutally treated there Killed in hopeful places like the Street of Bones and the Bridge of Tears. Today, all that remains of it is a small cemetery in a heavily gentrified area.

Something similar happened at Kiriyakura on Mount Kamakura, a small cave surrounded by dense forest and residences just down the road from Toshoji Bridge, a lovely river bridge , selected as one of Kamakura’s top 100 landscapes. Standing in the midst of this tranquility, it’s hard to believe that the area was once the site of a bloody mass suicide and is now considered one of the most haunted places in the country… to the ongoing annoyance of local monks and residents.

Toshoji ruins

The history of boreholes

The Hojo clan has been the de facto ruler of Japan for 150 years since “You sleep with my husband and I will burn your house.” Popular In the 12th century, she became the wife of the first shogun Minamoto Yoritomo. This all ended when the Hojo clan’s trusted generals attacked them, resulting in the sack of Kamakura, the seat of Hojo clan power in 1333. One Hojo clan survived the attack (with and his magic sword), while the rest locked themselves in their Toshoji family temple, set it on fire and committed the crime seppuku ritual suicide By cutting open their abdomen. About 870 people died at the temple that day. A monument was built to their memory in a tomb dug in an adjacent hill: the aptly named “Kiriya Gura”.

The oars are warrior tombs carved into the rock. very common Around Kamakura. But the one associated with the Hojo clan, also known as Hojo Takatoki Haruka, was the last leader of the clan and probably the most famous of them all due to its tragic backstory. One legend even says that Gao Shi committed suicide by caesarean section in this cave after ensuring that his family died “honorably” in the temple. Stories like this tend to spark people’s imagination. But in this case, they’ve also stirred the ire of those who see the place as more than just a spooky Halloween destination.

For Buddhists, seppuku is a sacred shrine

The Hojo family helped popularize Zen Buddhism in Japan and was a patron of various temples in and around Kamakura. This is why local monks went to great lengths to quickly cremate the bodies of the Hojo people after they died and built seppuku oars to commemorate their souls, but no bones or urns were actually found there. Takatoki himself is buried at Engakuji Temple, and his family is scattered around the ancient samurai capital. Some of them are apparently buried at Hokkai-ji Temple, the successor to Tosho-ji Temple, which was founded on the orders of the Hojo clan’s former enemy, Emperor Go-Daigo. He also built an additional shrine on the grounds of a Buddhist temple to help appease the spirits of fallen warriors. While some believe it is a sign to ward off ghosts, we should not forget that for a large portion of the Japanese population, it is a true religion.

Of course, no one prohibits people from believing or telling ghost stories, as ghost stories are an important part of traditional Japanese culture. But monks and locals draw a line at trespassing and desecration.

As always, humans are the real monsters

The Toshoji ruins have long been fenced off, but that hasn’t really stopped people from jumping out the gate to get closer to the actual site where nearly 900 people committed suicide. There have been reports of illegal drinking parties at Toshoji Temple in the past. Even hara-kiri is occasionally the site of impromptu celebrations around Halloween or during the summer. Summer is indeed the worst time for this type of illegal activity. When children are not in school, have plenty of free time, and are busy with their own things mumodemeshi, Namely, “tests of courage” at locations across the country that are believed to be haunted.

In the past, Hokaiji Temple has tried to restrict access to the oar by reminding people that the site is for prayer only. However, at the time of writing, the memorial tomb is completely off-limits to anyone due to falling rocks, and there are signs everywhere on the road to the oar warning people of this. But looking at some other There are numerous signs around the area prohibiting excessive noise, nuisance behavior and illegal dumping, giving the impression that locals see land erosion as a blessing in disguise.

Having said that, the Toshoji ruins are still worth a visit. The fence does not obscure the view of the historic site, and although the path to Kirito Gura is roped off, you can walk over the fence and follow the Gionyama Hiking Route, which takes you through lesser-known Area Kamakura to scenic viewing spots above the city. As for what to do for Halloween, Japan offers many choices There’s no trespassing or damaging Shibuya involved, so please give it a try.

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