The Himuro Mansion
The Mansion is rumored to be the gruesome death site of a Japanese family and several of its associates a few decades ago. The Himuro family participated in a specific enigmatic Shinto ritual, dubbed the “Strangling Ritual ,” which was used to seal off bad karma from the Earth. The karma, called “Malice,” would emerge on a specific date near the end of the year from a portal in the Mansion’s courtyard.
In order to prevent this, a maiden was chosen at birth and isolated from the outside world to be raised as a sort of sacrificial lamb. This was done to prevent her, the “Rope Shrine Maiden,” from developing any ties to the outside world, which would ruin the ritual. Before the “Strangling Ritual”, another maiden would be chosen to perform the “Blind Demon Ritual” – tied down, her face would be forced upon a wooden mask with spikes where its eyeholes should be. The relation of this practice to the main “Strangling Ritual” is not known but appears to be necessary for the latter to be successful.
After the proper time has passed for the “Rope Shrine Maiden” and the day of the “Strangling Ritual” comes, the “Rope Shrine Maiden” is bound by ropes on her ankles, wrists, and neck. The ropes are then tied to teams of oxen, which proceed to pull away from each other and the girl’s body, wrenching her limbs from her body. It is not known whether she is dead before her limbs are severed; however, it seems logical that the rope around her neck would suffocate her, though she would be in excruciating pain until her neck broke or all the air was expelled from her body. The ropes used to bind her appendages would then be soaked in her blood and criss-crossed on the gateway of the “Malice.” Thus, the portal would be sealed for approximately seventy-five years before the ritual had to be repeated.
For generations, this tradition had been passed down through the Himuro family. The family master [the head of the household, usually a man] always oversaw the proceedings, doing tasks such as tying the ropes and blinding the “Blind Demon” himself. He was assisted by the “Headless Priests” (usually the holy men of the neighborhood or relatives), who would hold the Maidens still and chant any incantations or words that had to be said to make the ritual legitimate. The family master was a man of honor, which was (and still is) typical in Japan.
However, the honor of the family master led to disaster. During the last recorded “Strangling Ritual,” it is said that the “Rope Shrine Maiden” caught sight of a man outside the Mansion several days before she was to perform the “Strangling Ritual.” She fell in love with him instantly, and her newfound tie to Earth tainted her blood and spirit; the Ritual and her sacrifice failed miserably. The master learned what had happened and lost his sanity. He went on a rampage throughout his Mansion, murdering his family members, the Priests, and any unfortunate soul who had been visiting him at the time. Shamed because of his failure to prevent calamity, he fell upon his own katana, committing suicide. The Himuro family and the rituals it performed were now dead.
The local people of the neighboring town kept quiet about the story; the gruesome reality frightened them, and they were not eager to find out the details of the murders. Apparently, the rituals were kept very quiet; still today, efforts to find out more information about the family and its tragedy are put forth, but records are slim. A team of researchers was sent to the Mansion to obtain as much information as they possibly could, which is how a majority of the true story was uncovered. The story itself was swathed in local legends and mysteries, leading people to believe that the vengeful souls of the murdered family wandered the Mansion, repeating the failed rituals to those who dared enter the abandoned edifice.
What is perhaps the most terrifying part of this story is that a majority of it is very true, including the ritual itself and the horrific murders. Any holes in the story have been filled in by local legend, by the people in the village in the vicinity of the Mansion, who do indeed attempt to ignore the stories of the malicious apparitions not far from where they live. The Mansion itself now lies abandoned deep in a forest, miles outside Tokyo, where few dare venture inside it to find out whether the rumors are true.
Carissa Creveling
