The Haunted Well of Himeji Castle
Most of us only think of the castles in Europe but we never think of other castles around the world especially in Japan. Maybe because of its structure depends on its culture and we can admit that the castles in Europe are more breath-taking than in Japan. But for me as long as it is part of our history, it is amazingly beautiful. So let’s take a deeper look of one of the hauntings in Himeji Castle, The haunted well.. beyond the secrets of the black owl…
the haunted well (better known as Okiku’s well)
In Japanese culture, ghosts take on many different forms. Yuurei are ghosts whose deaths came about so suddenly that they did not have time to make their peace, either because they were murdered or committed suicide rashly (defeated warriors in Japan were often forced to commit suicide). Most hauntings by yuurei are of wronged female spirits: the theme common to all yuurei hauntings is revenge. This is the tale of a woman who was so deeply wronged in life that, after more than four hundred years, her soul remains hostage to the agony of the betrayal that killed her.
Himeji Castle is an imposing wooden structure, extremely well preserved despite its age. It stands on an elevated position in the center of town of Himeji, thirty miles west of Kobe. Known locally as the Heron Castle because of its protective covering of white plaster, it is dominated by a huge main tower soaring 150 feet above the skyline. The other characteristic feature of the castle is its complex labyrinthine defenses, where modern tourists still find themselves lost, despite clear signposts.
The castle’s earliest origins are in the early fourteenth century, but it is in the seventeenth century, at a time when the local Shogun government commissioned the tower to be built to its five-story height, that this story is set. At the foot of the tower, known as the Donjon, and located next to the Hara-kiri Maru (the Suicide Gate), where people were forced to commit ritual disembowelment stands the castle well. Its proximity to the gate is no mere coincidence; it was not a source of drinking water, but a means of washing away the blood of a hara-kiri suicide. Today it is known as Okiku’s Well.
Okiku was a beautiful woman who worked at the castle and was the favorite servant of a great lord. Her devotion to him ran deep and she harbored a secret desire to be loved by him. Her tragedy began when she overheard one of her lord’s chief retainers plotting to overthrow and kill the lord of Himeji and usurp the castle. Horrified, she revealed the plot to kill the lord instantly. Although her fast action had saved the lord’s life, the chief retainer had escaped and learned of Okiku’s role in averting the assassination. He was determined to take his revenge.
Part of Okiku’s duties was the care of ten precious plates, a collection particularly treasured by the lord. Beautifully gilded and of incalculable worth, it was a great honor for Okiku to be given the sole care and responsibility for this collection. The retainer managed to steal one of the plates, thereby raising a suspicion that Okiku had stolen it. She was tried for the crime and found guilty. To add to her misery, the lord she had loved and whose life she had saved granted permission for the traitorous retainer to torture Okiku to death in a series of horrific, sexually degrading acts. Finally Okiku’s dead body was thrown into the well.
The betrayal, heartbreak, and humiliation of Okiku’s death ensured that her soul could find no peaceful repose. Her yurrei began to haunt the well into which her mutilated body had been thrown. In the early hours of every morning (the classic time for yurrei hauntings is between 2 A.M. and 3 A.M.), her voice would wake the lord from his sleep in the Donjon, as she counted the precious plates from one to nine, breaking into unearthly, ear piercing screaming and wailing before she reached ten. This nightly torture ultimately resulted in the complete breakdown of the lord’s mental health, who had soon discovered Okiku’s innocence and knew her death had been wrongful.
The story of Okiku’s Well is a key story in Japanese culture, where it is now known as Banshu Sarayashiki and has been the subject of many variations in theater and literature. But at Himeji Castle, there are still those who say they have heard Okiku’s howls in the still quiet hours of the early morning. The brutality of her murder and the profound sense of betrayal she felt are still so strong that she remains imprisoned by her own earthly emotions, her soul unable to find peace.
the himeji castle – a japanese medieval castle
Himeji Castle is the most important, and probably most breathtaking castle in Japan. It is nicknamed the White Heron Castle because of the color of it and the way it looks. There is no denying it is an astonishing structure. It has also been in several movies including Tom Cruises The Last Samuraiand the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice.
The History of Himeji Castle – The first fort was built on the site in 1333 and in 1346 it was further built so as living quarters were added. After this there is some discrepancy as to when the fortress was actually built and it is believed that the original “Castle” was built in the 16th century. The Castle as it currently stands was completed in 1618.
The castle is built with defense in mind and this first can be seen by how it sits on the top of the hill. This gives it a military advantage. And one of the most important defensive aspects of the castle is how difficult it is to get inside! You have to wind around in a series of gates and mazes to finally get to the castle. You don’t feel like you are in a maze but you are. It is quite ingenious and made attack of it very difficult.
Other defensive structures include the high and thick walls, moats, and the portholes for stone dropping and arrow shooting.
black owl 