Near Fushimi stands an old, abandoned temple. Known as the Shozenji temple, for many centuries it has been believed that the temple was occupied by hundreds - if not thousands - of spirits. The story comes from an old vagabond priest who, needing a place to stay, sought shelter in the deserted temple one rainy evening.
The
sound of the rain and wind, which usually lulled him to
sleep, only kept the priest awake. Soon, however, another sound drifted
from the upper room of the temple, a sound which filled the old priest
with a growing dread, for though the temple seemed unoccupied, he
clearly heard the sound of shuffling feet. Grabbing a torch, the priest
said a prayer and slowly climbed the steps to the upper room.
When he got to the room, the priest let out a shriek. There, in the darkness of the temple, were ghostly, glowing shapes of hideous demons and deformed spirits. The priest, not wishing to encounter one of them, fled from the temple and, that very night, warned everyone in the town of his supernatural visions.
-Japanese Legend
As it turns out, this story is true . . . from a certain point of view. There really was a monk who spent the night in the temple, who really heard sounds, and who really saw ghostly visions.
But they were not, of course, ghosts.
The world-famous painter and artist, Tosa Mitsunobu, heard the monk's story, and went to investigate. As it was daylight, he saw the room clearly, and he noticed that someone had drawn figures of ghosts and horrible demons. Through cracks in the wall, a phosphorescent mildew had grown, lighting the figures with an unearthly glow. Settling down amidst the rat droppings that covered the floor (thus indicating that the monk was hearing rats, not ghosts), the artist began to sketch these figures, becoming one of the most celebrated artists in Japanese history.
When he got to the room, the priest let out a shriek. There, in the darkness of the temple, were ghostly, glowing shapes of hideous demons and deformed spirits. The priest, not wishing to encounter one of them, fled from the temple and, that very night, warned everyone in the town of his supernatural visions.
-Japanese Legend
As it turns out, this story is true . . . from a certain point of view. There really was a monk who spent the night in the temple, who really heard sounds, and who really saw ghostly visions.
But they were not, of course, ghosts.
The world-famous painter and artist, Tosa Mitsunobu, heard the monk's story, and went to investigate. As it was daylight, he saw the room clearly, and he noticed that someone had drawn figures of ghosts and horrible demons. Through cracks in the wall, a phosphorescent mildew had grown, lighting the figures with an unearthly glow. Settling down amidst the rat droppings that covered the floor (thus indicating that the monk was hearing rats, not ghosts), the artist began to sketch these figures, becoming one of the most celebrated artists in Japanese history.
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