Japan’s Most Terrifying And Disturbing Urban Legend | Himuro Mansion

Hidden away on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, there is a castle that is said to harbor a great evil. Something terrible that's said to slumber deep within the earth, below a now crumbling Japanese mansion. This place is also the home of one of the most infamous crimes in Japanese history. Could it be that a dark force caused it to take place? Join us today as we explore Explore the disturbing story behind the legend of Himuro Mansion. Here, on Mystery Archives. And make sure to watch until the end, because with this one, not everything is what it seems. The exact date of this incident is unknown, but I will do my best to piece together the most accurate story that I can. The Himuro family was said to have been tasked with caring for the area in which the castle now sits. It had been said that a portal to hell existed upon the land, and that the family's duty was to ensure that the source of this bad karma could not escape the spiritual world and enter ours. Thus, at the advisement of a priest, a castle was constructed atop the portal, not only to seal it, but to allow the family to monitor it for all generations to come. The only problem was, this evil force could not simply be kept at bay. Every 50 years, the portal would reopen, allowing evil to emerge and bleed into our reality. Therefore, the Himuro family began to practice a brutal and strange ritual, known as the Strangling Ritual, in an effort to temporarily seal the portal and continue to allow the family to prosper. How the ritual worked was that a girl would be chosen from birth by the master of the household and would be raised in total isolation from the outside world. At the 50-year mark, as the portal was set to reopen, the woman would have her arms, legs, and neck bound with rope and tied to horses in the front courtyard. From here, she would be pulled and quartered in all different directions. Once this brutal spectacle was complete, the blood-soaked ropes were then untied and placed over the gateway of the portal to reseal it for another 50 years and keep the great evil from coming through. And this process was to continue for all time. And that was until one faithful year when the ritual went horribly wrong. That year, as the days counted down heading towards the 50-year mark, when the evil spirits would attempt to escape, the maiden chosen was raised in isolation from the outside world, was no longer isolated. She had slowly fallen in love with the local man she would see on occasion walk by the mansion, and thus, she no longer didn't have ties to the outside world. This connection was soon discovered by one or multiple family members and brought to the attention of the lord of the house. Upon hearing of the young woman's affair, the master was infuriated and after a bout of rage and sorrow, he concluded that the fate that awaited his family now was much, much worse than anything that he could ever do. So in the middle of the night in which the ritual was supposed to take place, he took the family sword and executed every single member of the Himuro clan. And finally, drenched in the blood of his kin, he took his own life, by plunging the sword deep into his stomach. Seven people in total now lay dead inside Himuro Mansion, and whatever evil spirits that were lurking were now free to come through as they pleased. Ever since the events of that horrible night, the mansion now sits abandoned, and most people who have visited were either never heard from again, or were later found dead, and not always in one piece. Although this creepy legend is a popular one amongst Japanese folklore, not everyone can seem to agree on the exact location of the mansion itself. However, those who have said to have visited and returned alive have reported many strange things. These things include fresh blood pools and handprints on the walls and even the ceilings. They also reported seeing the ghost of the Himuro family still preparing for the ritual in the afterlife. And that others have said that if you take a photo of a certain window, you can still see the ghost of a young maiden who is said to still be waiting for her long lost love. That's not all however. The evil that was being kept at bay has more than likely come through now because the nearby village is reportedly cursed and known to have practiced a plethora of disturbing rituals themselves to try and close the mouth of hell that plugs their lives. But is there any evidence for such stories? With such a crazy legend and the eyewitness accounts to match, one has to ask the questions, is there any evidence for what allegedly happened? And the short answer is, not exactly. First of all, the time frame is rough at best, and from all the research I've done it seems to vary between the early 1900s, to the 1930s, to even the 1980s. But given the events that were said to have taken place, my best guess if it was true would be the early 1900s. given the family structure and the spiritual practices. And besides the photos I'm also presenting in this video, no one can agree on the exact location of the mansion itself. Although they all seem to agree that it's on the outskirts of Tokyo, tucked into a thick forest. Which could also explain why it's so greatly hidden, if it exists at all. Another factor is the lack of a modern-day murder report. This in and of itself isn't a smoking gun, but it certainly eliminates the possibility of murders being a modern day crime, unless for some bizarre reason they were being hidden. It would, however, back up my speculation that if it was real, it took place in the early 1900s, where perhaps at the time records weren't as easily kept or accessible as they are today, and or the report itself just didn't withstand the sands of time. Given the religiously motivated nature of the alleged killings, I also researched my record regarding those that I could find and the closest that I found was that of the doomsday cult called Aum Shinrikyo. The group was founded by a man named Shoko Asahara who declared himself Jesus Christ and borrowed elements from multiple religions. The group was best known for a terrorist attack in 1995 in which they left five liquid nerve agent bags on the Tokyo subway that killed 13 people and injured 6,000 others. The cult still exists today but in multiple sects and is closely monitored by the Japanese government. But other than these religiously motivated killings, the murders of Haimuro Mansion don't seem to have much in common With Aum Shinrikyo. So if an official record can't be found, Then where did the legend come from? Besides the possibility that it could just be an oral legend passed down by person to person over the years, another possibility is that it's a myth popularized by a horror video game. In December 2001, in Japan, a game by the name of Zero was released. The following year it came out in the United States with the title of Fatal Frame. In Fatal Frame, you play as a teenage girl named Miku who goes to Haimuro Mansion to find her missing brother, who was last seen on the grounds. I mention this because the US release of the game was marketed as based on a true story, similar to horror movies that are advertised as such, but this may or may not be true. But the version zero that was released in Japan was not marketed in that way. However, there is an interesting and strange quote from the chief producer of the game that describes the mansion as being a very real place and adds some details to the story that we could possibly be missing that I figured I would go ahead and share with you. In an area outside of Tokyo, there lies a mansion in which it's said that seven people were murdered in a grisly manner. On the same property, there lie three detached residences that surround the mansion. All of which are rumored to have a troubled past as well. It's said that there's an underground network of tunnels that lay beneath the premises. No one knows who made these tunnels or for what purpose they served. Many inexplicable phenomena have been reported occurring on the properties. Bloody handprints have been found splattered all over the walls. Spirits have been spotted on the premises and even in broad daylight. A narrow stairway leads to an attic, where a spirit-sealed talisman is rumored to be locked away. Many have sought this talisman, only to be found later with their bodies broken and rope marks around their wrists. A crumbling old statue of a woman in a kimono, but its head is missing, has been found in the courtyard, and if you take a photo of a certain window, a young girl can be seen in the developed picture. These incidents have provoked fear in the people of Tokyo, and many believe that those who live near this area will become cursed, and the deaths of those seven people are still unexplained to this day. So is it possible that the story originated from this game, or at least made it into the public consciousness via this means? It's possible, but even if that could have been the case, that doesn't account for the legend itself being popular in Japan. As well as finding its way into numerous Japanese folklore books and discussions. Another aspect of all this information on Haimuro Mansion is the fact that with many Japanese folklore or even criminal cases, finding details in the United States is notoriously difficult since we don't have access to some of the sites that could hold the key to the truth and which we seek. But can there still be a place that harbors the dead? A portal to hell that allows darkness to escape and walk amongst the living? My conclusion? It's possible, because anything is possible. Perhaps the spirits of the family are still trying to complete the ritual that they hope will save them for all eternity. It's already failed them. Or perhaps, it's just a mysterious dream. So what do you think? Is Hymero Castle a reality or a myth? Do you have any details or facts that we missed that you can share with us? Leave me a comment below. Don't forget to like this video and subscribe with the bell for more, and check out another video that'll pique your interest here. And until next time, this has been Cody from Mystery Archives. Thank you so much for watching, and take care.