Six scary urban legends you didn’t know about!

By Ekachit Khullar

Hanako San: The spirit of toilets

It is believed that Hanako San, a vengeful spirit haunts the 3rd floor restrooms in schools. This black-haired girl frightens children and can be found in the 3rd toilet of the girls’ bathroom. Hanako San, a young girl, died during a bombing raid in World War II. Other versions of the legend claim that she was killed by a maniac or committed suicide.

Tomino’s Hell: The cursed poem

To the fans of Japanese poetry, beware of this legend that states whoever reads the lines of a poem by Yomota Inuhiko called ‘Tomino’s Hell’ will meet with an unpleasant experience. The poem evokes the condemnation of a young boy who committed atrocious acts. This Japanese horror legend echoes Gloomy Sunday, the famous Japanese song that caused a wave of suicide in the 1930s.

Hitobashira: The human sacrifice of Maruoka Castle

Did you know that in Japan, human sacrifice was practiced until the 17th century to preserve buildings from natural disasters? In the act, people were buried alive or even walled up near bridges, temples or castles as offerings to the Kami. This rite was called Hitobashira (human pillar). The Maruoka castle built in the Sengoku period, an important monument of Japan, was constructed in a similar fashion. To this day, the legend has it that a woman named Oshizu was walled up alive in the castle in exchange for making her son a Samurai. But the promise made to the woman was not kept by the makers of the castle. And so, her tears still flood the castle moat every year.

Kiyotaki: The legend of the cursed tunnel

An underground passage connecting Arashiyama to Sagakiyotaki was found under atrocious conditions in the early 19th century. Many workers were said to have died due to accidents or exhaustion during its construction. It is, therefore, not surprising that lost souls still haunt the tunnel.

Ghosts cause traffic and accidents in it. Moreover, the Kiyotaki tunnel is 444 meters long and number 4 is considered cursed. So, if you happen to drive through this corridor of darkness, be careful.

Gozu or cow’s head: The terrorising story

Gozu is an evil spirit with an appearance of a cow head. During a school trip in Japan, a teacher tried to calm his dissipated students and had a bad idea of telling Gozu’s horror legend. The demon is believed to have come to take possession of the teacher’s body. Soon, the school bus crashed during the trip and all the students experienced pain and agony. None of the survivors could remember the story that caused this tragedy.

Aokigahara: The suicide forest

A vast forest located at the bottom of the famous Mount Fuji, Aokigahara is populated by many conifers. The forest is known as ‘Sea of Trees’ or ‘Jukai’ in Japanese. People say that whoever ventures into this mass of vegetation, does not come out. Indeed, it is easy to get lost in it since the forest covers 35 kilometres. Moreover, it is known for numerous suicides.