TALES FROM HISTORY

Taira no Masakado — Japan’s Three Most Infamous Vengeful Ghosts, part 1

Wreaking Havoc in Tokyo from the 10th Century

Japan loves threes. Three Great Beautiful Places. Three Great Night Views. Three Great Mountains. In this three article series, I will introduce to you Japan’s Three Great Vengeful Ghosts.

The Japanese people have long believed in ghosts, hauntings, and spiritual realms. People generally will not move into a house or apartment where someone has died, and there is at least one website that lists such haunted residences to warn potential buyers. Television shows that recount ghost stories are a standard of prime-time viewing.

So please allow me to introduce you to the most famous ghost in Japan, who just happens to haunt Tokyo.

Vengeful Ghost #1 — Taira no Masakado

Taira no Masakado surrounded by duplicates of himself in ghostly form, woodblock print by Toyohara Kunichika (Released to the public domain by Walters Art Museum)

In the early 10th century, the powerful samurai warlord, Taira no Masakado, staged various uprisings near the northern border of the Japanese state. Far away in the capital of Heian-kyo, now Kyoto, the emperor yawned and turned back to his tea. No need for the son of heaven to bother with petty local skirmishes.