Matsue Castle

Shimane · Japan · Castle

Beneath the castle's stone walls a young girl is said to lie buried as a human pillar — and the hill trembles whenever someone dances.

When Matsue Castle was built in the early 1600s its stone walls collapsed again and again, and legend says a beautiful girl was snatched from the town's Bon dance and walled in alive as a 'hitobashira' — a human pillar to appease the ground. The keep then stood firm, but its builders died soon after, which was blamed on the girl's wrath. For generations no girl in Matsue dared to dance, for it was said the whole castle hill would begin to shake. Another version of the legend tells of a wandering monk who volunteered to be buried in the foundations, and whose skull was later said to have been found within the stone wall.

FAQ

Hvor ligger Matsue Castle?

Matsue Castle ligger i Shimane, Japan.