Dating back to 1333, Himeji Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s considered the pinnacle of traditional Japanese architecture. But no great palace is without its ghosts.

Inside the Himeji Castle complex is a large water well surrounded by stone pillars. This well is supposedly home to the ghost of Okiku, a beautiful servant girl who turned into one of the yūrei after her brutal death. In particular, Okiku is an onryō, a vengeful spirit of a person who died with a grudge. Like other onryō, she wears a white kimono, and her long black hair hangs disheveled over her shoulders. Her legend is widespread: the story of Okiku and the Well is regarded as one of the Three Great Yūrei (San O-Yūrei) in Japanese folklore. Okiku’s story has been adapted to bunraku and kabuki theatre, manga, and even illustrated by Katsushika Hokusai, the artist behind the famous Great Wave off Kanagawa.

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