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Article: Japanese ghosts - The bloodier the better.(ghosts in Japanese culture)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- August 26, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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TOKYO
There is more than you think to the haunting of Japan
A STONE'S throw from The Economist office in the Otemachi financial district of Tokyo lies Japan's most accursed plot of land: a shrine erected to pacify the furious spirit of Taira no Masakado, a vindictive Japanese warrior who lost a power struggle against the emperor in the year 940 and had his head lopped off.
Ever since, the ghost is supposed to have brought misfortune upon an arrogant establishment. In 1923, after the Kanto earthquake killed 130,000 people, the Ministry of Finance decided to halt work on new offices being built on top of the shrine because 14 of its officials, ...