Himeji Castle, pronounced “Himeji-Jo” in Japanese, is located in the city of the same name in the “Hyogo” region of Japan. This castle is built in the middle of the city and on top of a mountain, and this issue has made it possible to see this castle from anywhere in the city. The nickname of this castle is “White Heron Castle”, a name inspired by its pale white color. Himeji is one of the three largest castles in the country with more than 83 rooms and is known as one of the most visited tourist destinations in Japan.
Apparently, Himeji Castle was built between 1333 and 1346 and was originally called “Himeyama” Castle and was used as the house of Lord Himeyama. The castle became more famous than anything else because of the special and unique environment that surrounds the castle. Since this fort was built as a defense structure from the very beginning, all the necessary measures were taken to protect it and also to meet the military and defense goals.
After several battles for control of the castle, ownership eventually passed to the Tadasumi family. During the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government decided that the castle should be owned by the government. They sent an army to take over the castle, but they did not succeed in capturing any of the castle’s defensive structures even for a day, although the Tadasumi family eventually lost the castle.
When the Han System collapsed, the castle was repurchased by the city of Himeji. During World War II, the city was bombed twice by US bombers, but our lucky fort was still unharmed. Even when a big bomb fell on the castle itself, good luck still helped it, because the bomb did not work. Of course, if this bomb had exploded, the castle would have been completely destroyed and this historic windmill would have disappeared.
This place has a well that has been associated with death and bloodshed in the past. Right next to the castle is the “Suicide Gate” known as “Hara-Kiri Maru”. Apparently, in the past, samurai who failed in their duties committed suicide to make up for their mistakes and to preserve their good name, and this well was used to wash their blood.
This castle is the main location of one of the most famous ghost stories in Japan.
This story, which is associated with a legendary ghost, dates back to the early days of the castle. Okiku was a servant who worked at the castle, but an unfortunate fate awaited her.
The lord of Okiku was a powerful and successful samurai named Tesan Aoyama. The lord of the castle and the city of Himaji had ten beautiful gold plates that he was very interested in, and Okiku’s main task was to maintain and take full care of these plates, which were apparently kept in a place called the “plate mansion”. Tesan was unfaithful to his wife and eventually asked Okiku to marry him, saying he wanted to leave his ex-wife. But Okiku was not interested in him and as a result, she respectfully refused.
But Tesan did not despair and did not change his decision, and even challenged Okiku’s fidelity and loyalty to achieve his goal. He hid one of the ten gold plates, and when the poor servant rushed to look for the lost plate, he came to her and said that if she was looking for the plate, then she should accept his request and become his wife, otherwise he would accuse and torture her, and finally He will also kill her in a horrible way. Okiku did not like to spend time with this man and did not see anything more painful than this, so she went to the castle yard and threw herself into a well and committed suicide. To cover up the real reason for her suicide, Tesan kept the plate secret and accused Okiku of stealing it.
After that night, the ghost of Okiku appeared in the castle every night, called “Yuurimi” in Japanese. Yuurimi is the soul of a person who has died very suddenly or violently. She is described as a white-clad person with black hair. This tormented soul rises from the walls of the well, goes to the plate mansion and checks them all one by one. But when she reaches the number nine and sees that there is no news of the tenth plate, her groans go to the sky and her screams freezes the blood in the listener’s arteries.
At the beginning of the phenomenon, Tesan Aoyama realized that he had to return the lost plate to its original place so that the soul might calm down, but he was a stubborn man and refused to do so. But the story of the appearance of the ghost and her groans continues and eventually ends in Tesan’s madness. He also ends his life after this madness.
The well in which Okiku sank is also known as Okiku well and is popular.
Anyway, apparently around two to three o’clock in the morning, Ms. Okiku’s soul roams in this castle and she is tormented by her failure to perform her duties, this is a story whose accuracy is not known.
