Abstract

Once you pass through the torii gate of a shrine, you are in the land of the gods, the sacred area. There, spirits that are likely to do something bad or bring harm are not even allowed to appear. In other words, there are no beings that cause strange phenomena in shrines. "There can't be ghosts in shrines, right? There are no ghost stories in Shinto. You have a hard time," says one chief priest, saying it all. But... if you take the time to talk to many priests, you will hear some really strange ghost stories at shrines and experiences in which they vaguely sense the presence of gods. In this book, ghost storyteller Masaki Shintaro presents 30 stories of strange happenings related to shrines that he has received at the request of priests who are keeping quiet for fear of damaging the reputation of their company, chief priests who have been strictly ordered to keep secrets by their predecessors, and shrine maidens who are afraid of being cursed if they tell them. All of them are "real" stories obtained from people with experience in Shinto rituals.

Author’s Information

Ghost storyteller and ghost story writer. He had a mysterious experience during a school trip in the fifth grade of elementary school, and became interested in ghost stories. He travels around the country and collects spooky and mysterious stories.