Pop Japan

Apparently, Sadako of the world famous horror film, The Ring, has been backed by a legendary Japanese ghost story.

The story happened when Hosokawa Katsumoto, the lord of the Himeji Castle during the time, got seriously ill. His heir, Tomonosuke, plans to secure the succession of the shogunate, by offering a set of 10 precious plates. But the chief retainer, Asayama Tetsuzan, also wanted the shogun title and so he plots to murder Tomonosuke. Tetsuzan used a lady in waiting, named Okiku for the plot, but eventually ended up falling for her. Unfortunately, she is engaged to another man, Tomonosuke's retainer. Due to Okiku's refusal to accept Tetsuzan, he tortured her to death in the well located in the grounds of Himeji Castle, which is portrayed in this photo.

Photo by Chris Gladis. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Tags: sadako, the ring, hosokawa katsumoto, himeji castle, okiku's well, tomonosuke, asayama tetsuzan, chief retainer, tortured to death