Ōtemachi, Tokyo, Japan (urban legend)

The Head Mound of Masakado

Folklore — not a documented case

A small grave in the middle of Tokyo's financial district is said to hold the head of Taira no Masakado, a 10th-century warrior, and to bring a curse on anyone who disturbs it.

Taira no Masakado was a 10th-century warrior who rebelled against the central government in the Kantō region and proclaimed himself a 'new emperor'. He was defeated and killed in 940, and his head was displayed in Kyoto as a warning. Today, among the skyscrapers of Tokyo's Ōtemachi district, there is a small memorial known as the Kubizuka, the 'Head Mound'.

The stories in this section are folk tales and legends; they are not verified, real events and should not be confused with the rest of the archive.

From the same region