A Tokyo ghost story: The curse of the Japanese samurai

Tokyo is a city full of many things…. but the ghosts of Japanese samurai? Over the centuries, much blood has been shed in the Tokyo region, and some believe that angry spirits still wander the streets today. Perhaps the most famous ghost is that of Taira no Masakado (903-940AD), a man considered to be Japan's very first samurai.

A minor but successful warlord, Masakado chafed against the yoke of the Imperial government of Kyoto, establishing an independent kingdom in the Kanto region and proclaiming himself the 'new Emperor of all Japan.' In response, the existing government -- run, of course, by the 'old' Emperor -- quickly placed a bounty on the warrior's head.

Within two months Masakado was dead, felled by an arrow between the eyes during a ferocious battle in what is now Saitama prefecture. His decapitated head was brought to Kyoto for a public showing.

Dead head goes on tour

According to legend, the gruesome spectacle didn't last long. Infuriated at the insult of being removed from its body, Masakado's head took to the skies over Kyoto, returning to the Kanto region in a frantic quest for its missing body. Desperate to make itself whole and fight another day, the head of the Japanese samurai searched far and wide to no avail.

Finally, spent by the fruitless efforts, the severed head crashed from the sky and came to rest on a plot of land known forever after as Masakado no Kubizuka -- 'The Hill of Masakado's Head.' Terrified villagers washed the head, buried it and erected a memorial stone to appease its fury.

Fast-forward 1,000 years, and the tiny fishing village in which Masakado's head long slumbered has grown into a metropolis: Tokyo. In a testament to its perceived power, Masakado's ancient shrine occupies some of the choicest real estate in the city, surrounded by gleaming modern skyscrapers a five-minute walk from the Imperial Palace.

But even a millennium later, Masakado's reputation lives on. Government leaders have tried to move it from its spot in Otemachi, only to fail each time. In the midst of one of the world’s most technologically advanced cities, this otherwise unassuming plot of land is considered untouchable because of Masakado's thousand-year-old curse.

The Minister's brush with the sinister

When the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 destroyed much of the city, Tokyo's Ministry of Finance took the opportunity to level the Hill of Masakado's Head, filling in the pond where his Japanese samurai's head was supposedly washed and erecting a temporary office building on the spot. Within two years, the Minister of Finance and some 14 other employees had perished, felled by accidents, illnesses and other misfortunes.

In the meantime, a spate of inexplicable injuries broke out among the other employees, many to the feet and legs. Mounting fear of treading upon the cursed ground led officials to raze the building and rebuild the hill after holding a Shinto ritual to ease the angry spirit. Thereafter, the government held a small service in its honor every year, until the outbreak of World War II, which drew the government's attention to other things, and the ceremonies eventually lapsed.

In 1940, a bolt of lightning struck the Ministry of Finance, touching off a fire that destroyed much of the structure adjacent to Masakado's hill. It being the thousand-year anniversary of the warlord's death, the Minister of Finance sponsored an extravagant ceremony to appease his angry soul once again, erecting a stone memorial that stands on the site to this very day.

Masakado from the war to today

Masakado's story doesn't end there. When the American occupying forces took control of Japan after the war, they tried to raze the shrine to build a motor pool for American military vehicles. During the course of trying to level it, a bulldozer flipped over, killing the driver. A string of other accidents combined with pleas from local officials convinced the Americans to cancel the project, giving Japanese samurai Masakado his peace and quiet once again.

All of which begs a question: with all of this talk about his head, whatever happened to Masakado’s body? According to one legend, it went running around to look for its head!

It is believed to have fallen on the site of what is now Kanda Myojin Shrine, located in present-day Otemachi. Masakado may have been a traitor to Kyoto, but he was a hero to Tokyo, and to this very day, Masakado's body stands watch over the city of Tokyo. The Kanda-Myojin Matsuri festival is held downtown every May in his honor. Drop by if you'd like to make the acquaintance of Japan's first samurai!

If You Want to Visit Masakado's Shrine

The closest station is Otemachi (Tokyo Metro). Take exit C5 and head towards the Mitsui Bussan building. The shrine is right next to it, accessible by a small flight of stairs that are marked with banners. Closest address: Otemachi 1-2-1, Chiyoda-ku.

Hiroko Yoda runs AltJapan Co., Ltd., a Tokyo-based entertainment localization and translation company. She is the author of many books about Japan, including "Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide," "Ninja Attack!:True Tales of Assassins, Samurai, and Outlaws," and "Yurei Attack! The Japanese Ghost Survival Guide."

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