Kirie Himuro

1. #1(Item) Type-37 Filmselective

   Keys: Type-37 Film, film

   Type-37 Film is a film that can be loaded into the Camera Obscura. This film type only appears in the Himuro Mansion. Type-37 film is equivalent in exorcism power to the Type-61 Film. It also shares the same appearance as type-61 film, except with the number 37 in place of 61.

2. #2(Item) Type-14 Filmselective

   Keys: Type-14 Film, film

   Type-14 Film is one of the different film types that can be uploaded into the Camera Obscura and used to capture spiritual photographs. Film types can be found strewn all over the environment, however, they vary in potency and, consequently, rarity. Type-14 film is one of the most commonly found types. Type-14 Film is the second weakest, above Type-07 Film. Type-14 film is described as having low exorcismal power and a relatively long loading time between shots.

3. #3(Item) Type-07 Filmselective

   Keys: Type-07 Film, film

   Type-07 Film is the base film type used for the Camera Obscura. The packaging appears old and worn, and is the least decorated of all the film types. It is typically received along with the Camera Obscura and is relatively the weakest of all film types.

4. #4(Item) Lensesselective

   Keys: Lenses

   Lenses have appeared, in one form or another, as a means of augmenting the Camera Obscura. Lenses can be equipped onto the Camera Obscura and used to inflict more damage or a special status. In general, Lenses must be found, and their use is limited by consuming some form of spiritual power or items.

5. #5(Item) Camera Obscuraselective

   Keys: Camera Obscura, Shaeiki, camera

   The Camera Obscura, known in Japanese as Shaeiki (射影機, roughly "shadow-shooting mechanism"), is an old looking camera. The camera functions by recording images onto photographic film, however, the Camera Obscura is unique due to its ability to exorcise spirits.

   The camera is the only "weapon" that can be used to battle ghosts. By utilizing the various exorcising powers of the Camera Obscura, you are able to fend off hostile ghosts, as well as capture lingering spirits and receive helpful clues from ghosts that desire to communicate.

   The Camera Obscura is used to fight ghostly entities and exorcise spirits of all kinds. Damage is done by aiming the camera towards a hostile ghost and pressing the shutter button to take a photo. Ghosts that aren't hostile are not damaged, but are captured in the same way. The amount of damage done depends, primarily, on the amount of time the ghost spends within the capture circle, the type of film used and whether power-up lenses are used.

   By taking pictures of spirits, the Camera Obscura not only captures them, but attains Spirit Points as well. The amount of spirit points gathered depends on variables that determine the quality of the shot. These variables include proximity to the target, whether the target is centered, the amount of damage inflicted, the amount of targets captured at once and many others. Spirit points can then be used in the camera to upgrade the camera's basic functions and special lenses.

   Every damaging shot also absorbs spirit power, the amount of which varies depending on the damage. Spirit power can be stocked and is needed in order to use power-up lenses.

   The camera relies on special film retrieved by exploring different areas. Without any film loaded, the camera is unable to take photographs. There are five known types of film found. Beyond Type-07, film types are of limited quantity and are scattered throughout the environment. The more rare a film type is, the more damage it is capable of inflicting, however, the amount of time the film takes to load between shots varies and doesn't always increase with rarity.

6. #6(Character) Dr. Kunihiko Asouselective

   Keys: Dr. Kunihiko Asou, Kunihiko, Asou, Dr. Asou

   Dr. Kunihiko Asou was a brilliant occult philosopher and scientist who lived at the end of the Edo period (1603-1867) and into the Meiji period (1868-1912). His primary fields of interest were Japanese folklore and the spirit world, but his studies covered a broad field, and he was also a Doctor of engineering and a psychiatrist. He seemed especially interested in conducting research on the border between life and death, presented through dreams. The academic world, however, shunned both him and his research.

   Dr. Asou took the latest Western technologies that were introduced to Japan and modified them in an attempt to create devices that could capture supernatural phenomena. These technologies included the Camera Obscura, the Projector, and the Spirit Stone Radio. His research and development in these technologies came to be known as "Mystical Science." He intended to use these devices to produce absolute proof of the existence of the spirit world.

   ⤳Youth Kunihiko Asou grew up near Mount Kagiroi, where he befriended a young shrine maiden named Shiragiku. She was chosen to be sacrificed on nearby Mount Hikami, and chose Kunihiko to be her partner in the Ghost Marriage ceremony. He took a lock of her hair as a token, promising he would return, but later he suppressed the memory and failed to keep his promise. The lock of hair was passed down in a branch of the Asou Family, where it was eventually found by his descendant, Ren Hojo.

   Years later, Asou became interested in postmortem photography. Superstition said that photographs could trap the soul, and he began to work on a prototype of a camera that could do just that. He travelled around the Mikomori Region taking burial photographs, and became curious after some residents remarked that the eternal, unfading images were like the Pillars on Mount Hikami. Word of his invention had spread to the mountain as well, and Asou was invited to visit and take a photograph of the shrine maiden, Ose Kurosawa. He explored the mountain, taking photographs and contemplating death and the human soul, and finally arrived at the House of Joining. When he saw Ose dressed as a bride, he instantly fell in love with her, and she with him. They never voiced their feelings, but an unspoken vow passed between them. Kunihiko left the mountain with her photograph, a small piece of her soul.

   ⤳Career Asou continued to study folklore and the spirit world, and kept working to create a device that would be able to capture the unseen. Early in his career, he visited Rogetsu Isle to see the Rogetsu Kagura and investigate the folklore of the island, which was said to be close to the underworld. During his time there He modified new crystal radio technology to create Spirit Stone Radios (which he called "Other World Crystal Radio Signal Receivers") that could receive transmissions from the other world; this was his first successful experiment. He also devised a Spirit Stone Flashlight that harnessed the power of moonlight to attempt to cure Moonlight Syndrome patients.

   However, the focus of his work remained the Camera Obscura; he created many prototype cameras, including Misaki's Camera Obscura, which remained in the keeping of the Asou Family for many years. His efforts culminated in a working prototype Camera Obscura, which he decorated with Rogetsu Isle's traditional cloudy moon carvings and left in the keeping of the islanders. In his research about Asou's life, Ren Hojo speculates that he may have married a Guardian maiden. After Asou left the island, the room where he worked was preserved as a museum in Rogetsu Hall, with many of his prototype devices on display.

   After completing his first satisfactory Camera Obscura, Asou travelled Japan studying folklore and searching for ways to perfect his creation. He developed a special projector using the same principles behind the camera. The projector would project special images captured on film that originally could not be seen. He also refined the Spirit Stone Radio to make it more lightweight and portable. When his friend Seijiro Makabe told Dr. Asou that he was hoping to investigate the rumored Forbidden Ritual that occurred in Minakami Village, Asou lent him a Spirit Stone Radio and prototype Camera Obscura to capture evidence of the other world. Makabe never returned, and the equipment was lost. Undeterred, Dr. Asou continued his research.

   While conducting research into a mysterious sickness affecting psychiatric patients, Dr. Asou came across a subject who clearly described experiencing contact with the "Other World" in his dreams. This test subject was Kaname Ototsuki. He paid a visit to Dr. Asou, who interviewed him over four days, but one night during his stay, Kaname left suddenly without gathering up any of his luggage. Amongst the things he left behind was an earring made of Echo Stone, which was believed to communicate thought. Dr. Asou used this earring to modify the crystal receiver in another radio. He continued to create prototype cameras, including the one that would later belong to Hisoka Kurosawa, and another that ended up in the hands of Ren Hojo.

   In time, Dr. Asou came to hope that he could one day create a Camera Obscura with the power to seal away spirits completely. He heard legends of a Holy Mirror that protected Himuro Mansion, and wrote in his diary that he had decided to visit the area, but failed to return. Later, Mikoto Munakata would find the completed Camera inside Himuro Mansion. Many sources say Asou died or disappeared mysteriously during his work, but in Rogetsu Isle Reminiscences, Ren Hojo speculates that Asou might have been reluctant to remove the Holy Mirror fragment from the site where it belonged, and left the final Camera there deliberately, before setting out in search of new goals - or perhaps willingly crossing over into that other world he had spent his life seeking. Either way, after this point his fate is not documented.

   Asou's death meant that the principles behind his devices would remain a mystery forever. The documentation of the sounds that the Spirit Stone Radio projected were also lost over time. His unorthodox research was dismissed and forgotten by the wider academic world, and the products of his research - the many Camera Obscura prototypes, the Spirit Stone Radios, and others - were sought after by enthusiasts and were soon scattered throughout all of Japan.

7. #7(Location) Himuro Mansionselective

   Keys: Himuro Mansion, mansion

   The Himuro Mansion is centuries old and dates back far further than the Edo period of Japan. The mansion was owned by the powerful Himuro family.

   The mansion is located in the Himuro Mountain area, located in the southern region of the prefecture. The mansion is situated in such a way that it is surrounded and protected by five shrines in the surrounding mountains, that house five gods.

   The location was the site of a temple, built over the Hell Gate. Five additional temples were built on the mountains surrounding the site, to aid in containing the Hell Gate.

   The previous temple shrine evolved into an extensive mansion complex owned by the Himuro family. This compound became the home of the head of the Himuro family's direct line, and the gathering place for the outlying family branches to gather and carry out the terrible rituals performed deep in Himuro Mansion, such as the Strangling Ritual, the Demon Tag Ritual, and the Blinding Ritual. These rituals were part of the Himuro family's duty to keep the Hell Gate sealed.

   In 1837, Kirie's ritual failed and caused The Calamity, killing most of the occupants of the mansion and unleashing the Malice, cursing the mansion and all who die within it. The Himuro Family Master became possessed and massacred all of those in the house who survived The Calamity before committing suicide. These spirits remain trapped in an eternal loop, reliving the Calamity and their deaths.

   Ryozo Munakata purchased the mansion some decades after the massacre and moved in with his wife, Yae, and daughter. Munakata was a folklorist interested in the rituals and stories surrounding the mansion, and the idea was to live in and renovate the mansion while he conducted his research on the Himuro family documents. Small sections of the mansion were rewired for electricity as part of this incomplete and eventually abandoned renovation.

   Munakata spent his days exploring the house, discovering several hidden rooms not on the building's blueprints, and many disturbing documents hinting at dark rituals. The family's young daughter, Mikoto, was given a Camera Obscura by the spirits of the mansion, which her mother, Yae, confiscated. Overuse of the camera lead the already-delicate Yae to go insane, as the spirits trapped in the house gained strength and began to plague her even without the camera. Mikoto and her friends disappeared, spirited away into the mansion after borrowing the camera. Driven mad with guilt, Yae killed herself. Munakata became convinced his stolen daughter was being hidden behind the entrance to the Hell Mouth, and used the information he discovered during his research to locate the sacred items needed for him to open the door. Unfortunately, he died before finding his child. Mikoto was eventually found in the mountain woods outside of the mansion, and the house was abandoned once again.

   The mansion was left abandoned for many years as strange things kept happening to those who came too close. Locals were fearful of it. Dismembered bodies would occasionally appear in the mountain woods outside of the mansion, with limbs and heads ripped off.

8. #8(Location) Hell Gateselective

   Keys: Hell Gate

   The Hell Gate is a gateway found underneath the Himuro Mansion. It is said to be the entrance to the land of the dead.

   The Hell Gate is a large, stone, double-doored gate found deep underground the Himuro mansion. It is flanked by stone pillars, around which sacred ropes are tied in order to hold the gate shut.

   Every 10 years, the Hell Gate would begin to open and was required to be resealed by the Blinding and Strangling rituals. If the Hell Gate opened, the Calamity would occur and Malice would spill out. The Himuro family gave themselves the duty of preventing this from ever occurring.

   The door has been open since 1837, with a gap of about six inches to a foot wide.

9. #9(Ghost) Himuro Family Masterselective

   Keys: Himuro Family Master, Lord Himuro, ghost, male spirit

   Himuro Family Master is a hostile male spirit.

   He was the last family head of the Himuro Family. After the failure of the last Strangling Ritual, he survived the wave of Malice, but he was driven insane by it and killed a lot of people who survived the Calamity. After he killed all of the people in the mansion, he committed suicide out of guilt of what he had done. He performed many rituals that included The Strangling Ritual, Demon Tag Ritual, and Blinding Ritual.

   When Kirie Himuro fell in love with a visitor that occasionally visited the mansion, she started to have a will to live, which could result in the ritual's failure. The Himuro Family Master was informed about this situation by the Headless Priests, and thus ordered the four priests to kill the visitor since the Rope Shrine Maiden mustn't have any ties to the living world, for it will taint her blood for the ceremony. Unfortunately, Kirie knows what happened and becomes depressed. The guilt she felt was the reason why the ritual failed which caused the Calamity.

   When Kirie's ritual failed, he was infected by the Malice that spilled and was driven insane. The now-mad Family Master would massacre the other residents of the mansion, starting with the priests before eventually committing suicide.

   He also wears a mask called the Mask of Reflection. Initially, this mask is simply blank and is made to reflect whoever was wearing it. Two faces are most likely to occur, angel or demon. In his case, the mask turned to that of a devil, which heavily implies that he was evil to begin with.

10. #10(Ghost) Broken Neckselective

    Keys: Broken Neck, ghost, female spirit

    Broken Neck is a hostile female spirit. Like many other ghosts, not much is known about her; it is known, however, that she was not a member of the Himuro Family, but a visitor to the mansion. Perhaps unusually, she was aware of the rituals being performed at the mansion. On the day of the ritual, Broken Neck was visiting the mansion as a guest. It's not known whether she was one of the people that witnessed the failure of the ritual at the Hell Gate or not, though it is likely that she was on the second floor at the time of the ritual, as that is where she was before she died.

    It's known she lept to her death from the Moon Observatory at the time of her death, why she commited suicide isn't told, though many suspect she had seen the Himuro Family Master on his killing spree and got scared, choosing to take her own life rather than let him murder her.

11. #11(Ghost) Female Headselective

    Keys: Female Head, ghost, female spirit

    Female Head is a hostile female spirit.

    At some point she was present during the failed malice. While her death is unknown, it is assumed that her head was cut off by the Himuro Family Master after he went insane and murdered everyone.

    In her ghost form, she returned with only her head. What happened to her body is unclear, but her decapitated head now wanders the mansion, looking for a new body to inhabit.

12. #12(Ghost) Kirie Himuro (Child)selective

    Keys: ghost, female spirit, Kirie, Himuro, White Kimono

    Kirie Himuro (Child) is a non-hostile female spirit.

    On November 26th, 1827, at the age of 7, Kirie was picked last in the game of Demon Tag, marking her as the next Rope Shrine Maiden. She would then spend the next ten years in isolation other than few visit’s with the Priests. As Kirie grew, she would gain earthly attachments when she met a man in the Cherry Atrium as a teenager. Due to her attachment and feelings of guilt, when it came to perform the ritual it was a failure causing Malice to seep from the Hell Gate.

    At this point, Kirie’s soul split in two, one being her adult form, filled with hatred at the loss of love and life. The other appearing as the seven year old girl who was willing and ready to take on this tremendous responsibility. Kirie Himuro (Child) is free from the malice and retains Kirie’s good natured spirit.

13. #13(Location) Narukami Shrineselective

    Keys: Narukami Shrine

    The Narukami Shrine is located outside of the Himuro Mansion. It is the place where Junsei Takamine was killed by Kirie.

    Ropes are wrapped around the trees. At the top is a Shinto gate which leads to a shrine. Inside the shrine is a mirror and what appears to be a miniature replica of the shrine. In order to open the gate, five buddha statues are needed.

14. #14(Term) Rope Curseselective

    Keys: Rope Curse

    The Rope Curse's name comes from urban legend texts on "the House of Mutilation." This curse both physically and mentally impacts those afflicted. The curse lasts roughly 4 days, a new rope appearing on each limb, before being pulled apart by Kirie. Since the Rope Curse is associated with the last Rope Shrine Maiden, the curse only appears in individuals who enter the Himuro Mansion.

    Physical signs/symptoms: The afflicted will see rope like bruises on their body after being touched by Kirie, which is the first sign of the curse. A person who has the Rope Curse will be able to see the ropes in photographs if one is taken of them. After a day of the ropes, the afflicted may begin to see things that aren't there, especially those with a sixth sense will have a doubled affect. They may begin to also hear whispers and voices from beyond. As the days progress delirium sets in, the afflicted losing touch with reality and hyper-fixating on ropes or the vision of a girl in white. The last of the symptoms is the final rope on the victim's neck, signaling the end of their demise. Once this mark is visible, it is only a mater of time before the victim's body is pulled apart, ending their suffering.

    Stages:

    1. Touched by Kirie
    2. Rope Marks visible on body
    3. Hallucinations
    4. Delusion/Loss of reality
    5. Rope Mark on neck
    6. Mutilation
15. #15(Ghost) Tomoe Hirasakaselective

    Keys: ghost, female spirit, Assistant's Ghost, Tomoe, Hirasaka

    Tomoe Hirasaka was the assistant and secretary to the popular novelist Junsei Takamine, though she was also an aspiring writer who was trying to become recognized as an author in her own right while working for him. Tomoe's story began when Takamine, who was experiencing writer's block, uncovered a lead to an abandoned mansion, Himuro Mansion, in the Himuro mountain area which could not be located on any map. Because the mansion had a history of Shinto rituals, Junsei hoped it would become the inspiration for a new book, and took Tomoe and the editor, Koji Ogata, to the mansion.

    Tomoe had very strong misgivings about going, and feared that it was her sixth sense warning her, but she was also a great admirer of Mr. Takamine, and was unwilling to miss an opportunity to work with him. After all, she reminded herself, this was her job.

    During their exploration of the mansion, Tomoe took Koji's picture and saw faint images of ropes tied to his hands, feet and neck. On September 10th, 4:00 pm, while exploring the entrance, Koji and Tomoe found the doors sealed by a strong force, and were unable to leave.

    Exploring the mansion on her own, Tomoe saw hazy images of a woman in a white kimono reflected in the mirrors found throughout the mansion, and a younger girl. She learned later in the Burial Room that the woman in white was in fact called Kirie and was in pain, desperate for help. Unable to ignore the horrific visions her sixth sense showed her, Tomoe became more and more frightened and confused.

    Koji became separated from the group, and Tomoe and Takamine discovered his body in the closet of the Library, with his head, hands and feet severed. Later that day, Tomoe began to suffer symptoms of the same affliction as Koji.

    As Tomoe's condition worsened and she became more unhinged, Junsei left her to search for anything that might save them. Tomoe succumbed to the curse, and was strangled by Kirie in the Abyss. After her death, Takamine used her research to help him learn more.

16. #16(Ghost) Koji Ogataselective

    Keys: ghost, male spirit, Editor's Ghost, Koji, Ogata

    Koji Ogata was an editor at Junsei Takamine's publishing house. He was also the editor of a horror magazine. In late August 1986, he was asked to research a book by a folklorist named Ryozo Munakata detailing the rituals of Himuro Mansion. In September 1986 he accompanied Junsei Takamine and his assistant, Tomoe Hirasaka, to Himuro Mansion to research Takamine's latest book and gather material for his own magazine. Along with the others, he asked about Himuro Mansion at a nearby village and was uneasy when local people proved evasive about it. Upon entering the mansion, his first reaction is, "what a wreck!"

    Koji glimpsed a woman in a white kimono during his first day at Himuro Mansion. After this, his picture was taken by Hirasaka. As a result of Kirie's curse, the figure in the picture showed rope marks. Koji became obsessive about the rope marks on his body. He may have lost his mind and was separated from Takamine and Hirasaka. He also lost the key to the second floor.

    While searching for Junsei and Tomoe, Kirie caught up with him. Ogata attempted to hide in a closet near the Kimono Room, but Kirie found him and inflicted her curse upon him, and severed his limbs. His remains were later discovered by Takamine and Hirasaka.

17. #17(Ghost) Junsei Takamineselective

    Keys: ghost, male spirit, Novelist's Ghost, Junsei, Takamine

    Junsei Takamine was a best-selling novelist, although his career was in some trouble in 1986. To give it a boost, he planned to write a horror novel based on Japanese folklore. He researched the writings of an academic named Ryozo Munakata; his research led him to Himuro Mansion.

    In September of that year, he traveled to Himuro Mansion accompanied by Koji Ogata, his editor, and Tomoe Hirasaka, his assistant. The group visited a local village and then spent the night at Himuro Mansion. Takamine nearly detected Kirie's presence as the group moved up the Rope Hallway. As Kirie's curse began to take effect, the group was trapped in the mansion.

    Koji Ogata was the first to manifest the rope marks that presaged death. He was eventually killed after being separated from the group; Takamine and Tomoe discovered his remains. Due to this, the effects of the curse and her own psychic abilities, Tomoe lost her mind and began to see the ghosts of the mansion. Takamine then set about researching Himuro Mansion's curse; it is evident he learned Kirie's name from Tomoe. Tomoe was subsequently murdered before Takamine's eyes by Kirie in the Abyss, after which Kirie looked directly at him, indicating that he was next.

    As the curse began to affect him, Takamine remembered Tomoe telling him of a Holy Mirror. Takamine then attempted to assemble the mirror by using the Buddha statues located in the Narukami Shrine. Before he could make any headway, his time ran out and Kirie executed him in a grotesque crucifixion before dashing his body upon the roof of the Shinto shrine.

18. #18(Ghost) Crawling Girlselective

    Keys: Crawling Girl, ghost, female spirit

    Crawling Girl is a hostile female spirit. She is a young girl who was friends with Mikoto. She along with a few other children were playing Demon Tag. She decided to hide in the Doll Room, but the ghost Long Arms grabbed her, pulling her into the wall and to her death.

19. #19(Location) Cherry Atriumselective

    Keys: Cherry Atrium

    The Cherry Atrium is the large atrium of the Himuro Mansion. A dead cherry blossom tree and a walk way with blood can be found in this area. This is the place where Yae Munakata hung herself. It is also the place where Kirie Himuro and her lover spent time when she was allowed outside.

20. #20(Location) Abyssselective

    Keys: Abyss

    The Abyss is located next to the Cherry Atrium. This is where the Himuro family priests hid the body of Kirie's lover after they killed him. It's also the place where Tomoe Hirasaka was murdered by Kirie and where one of the headless priests was killed. It is an outdoor courtyard area with a large pond that has a wooden bridge over the pond.

21. #21(Item) Type-Zero Filmselective

    Keys: Type-Zero Film, film

    Type-Zero Film is a film type that can be loaded into the Camera Obscura for use in battling ghosts. Many film types exist and each vary in their degree of power, loading time, and scarcity. Type-Zero film is the strongest, and subsequently rarest, film type. To balance its critically high exorcismal power, its reloading time has been greatly reduced, analogous to that of Type-07 Film's reloading time. With a carefully aimed shot, a ghost can be exorcised with one shot using type-zero film, however, its extreme rarity better suits it to be saved for stronger ghosts. It is only found in limited, typically hard-to-reach locations.

22. #22(Item) Type-90 Filmselective

    Keys: Type-90 Film, film

    Type-90 Film is a film type that can be used with the Camera Obscura to take spiritual photographs. It is one of the newest and strongest films available, but is typically found less frequently. Type-90 Film is the second strongest film type, below Type-Zero Film. It's the same red color of Type-74 Film.

23. #23(Item) Type-74 Filmselective

    Keys: Type-74 Film, film

    Type-74 Film is one of the many film types used with the Camera Obscura to fight spirits. Various types of film exist, each with its own strength, weakness, and measure of rarity. Type-74 film is described as having strong exorcismal power against ghosts as well as a short reloading time. As it is such a valuable film type, few can be found in the environment.

24. #24(Item) Type-61 Filmselective

    Keys: Type-61 Film, film

    Type-61 Film is one of the available films for loading into the Camera Obscura. Like the other film types (save for Type-Zero), the number denotes its relative strength and loading time. Type-61 film is known for having moderating exorcising strength and short loading time, and as such appears less frequently in the environment.

25. #25(Item) Herbal Medicineselective

    Keys: Herbal Medicine, Manyougan

    The Herbal Medicine, known as Manyougan (万葉丸, "10,000-leaf pills") in Japanese, is a restorative consumable item that can be found and used. It can be found scattered in various locations. The amount of health herbal medicine heals is limited.

    The Herbal Medicine container is the same. It comes in a container similar to traditional East Asian medicine and herbal remedies. The container is brown with Japanese Kanji hand-painted on its side telling what is within the container.

26. #26(Location) Doll Roomselective

    Keys: Doll Room

    The Doll Room is a room in Himuro Mansion. It is accessed through the Cherry Atrium. When the Demon Tag scroll is hanging up, it is possible to access the Kimono Room through the rotating panel in the wall. Some of the dolls on display are arranged as though they are playing Kagome, Kagome, and there is a doll in burial clothes, made to look like a Rope Shrine Maiden, which stands in the corner, roped off from all the other dolls with sacred shimenawa ropes. The dolls are dedicated to the children who are sacrificed in the mansion's rituals.

    The room is lined with tables covered in dolls. On the 1st Night, there is a large hole in the middle of the room; however, on the 2nd Night, the hole is completely gone.

27. #27(Item) Sacred Waterselective

    Keys: Sacred Water, Goshinsui

    The Sacred Water, known in Japanese as Goshinsui (御神水, "sacred water"), is a consumable healing item. It consists of a modern-looking distinctive glass bottle containing sanctified spring water.

    Sacred water, when used, completely restores health. Sacred water and Herbal Medicine are the only usable healing items, however, because of the water's dramatically more potent effect it is much rarer and more spread out.

28. #28(Location) Kimono Roomselective

    Keys: Kimono Room

    The Kimono Room is a room in the Himuro Mansion, filled with hanging kimonos and a locked hand mirror stand. It is here that the first fight with the ghost of Koji Ogata takes place. When the Demon Tag Scroll is hung on the wall, the rotating panel can be used as a door into the Doll Room.

29. #29(Ghost) Rope Shrine Maidenselective

    Keys: Rope Shrine Maiden, ghost, female spirit

    The Rope Shrine Maiden (縄の巫女 Nawa no miko) is a woman who is chosen to perform the Strangling Ritual.

    Every 10 years, all of the female children in the immediate Himuro family and Himuro branch families of appropriate age (older than 7 years, 9 months, and 25 days, though the cut-off for the older girls is not known) are gathered in the Himuro Mansion on November 26th for the Demon Tag Ritual.

    The last child to be caught in the Demon Tag Ritual is thought to have holy powers, and would be the Rope Shrine Maiden to be used in the Strangling Ritual in 10 years time.

    After being chosen as the Rope Shrine Maiden, the girl child would not be permitted to leave with her family and would remain in the Himuro Mansion, sequestered from the outside world for approximately 10 years.

    Within the mansion, she would be kept in the Dungeon, a austere, cage-like room hidden within the Buddha Room, which, coincidentally, lies directly above the Rope Altar. The Dungeon contains a large torii gate, a symbol of entering the spirit world, and a cut scene depicts White Kimono sitting or meditating under the torii gate, while being loosely tied to the posts with sacred shide ropes. It seems maidens were permitted toys, from the ball seen in the room, some personal items, such as journals, and books, considering the small book case. The Buddha Room has a private courtyard, presumably for the maiden's use.

    Within the mansion, she would be attended by the family priests, who wore masks at all times in her presence. In all likelihood, these priests were close family members. Servants and others who became too attached to the Rope Shrine Maiden may be ordered to commit seppuku or quietly murdered by the family priests in order to ensure the maiden formed no ties.

    The Rope Shrine Maiden would receive religious instruction and preparation befitting her role, and taught to eschew all earthly attachments, ties, and emotions. She would need to maintain a state of ritualistic purity for her role, and be eager and willing to die.

    It does appear that the Rope Shrine Maidens were permitted some freedoms, especially once they had accepted their role. Kirie, the last Rope Shrine Maiden, was regularly permitted to go outside in the Cherry Atrium, and even met and spoke with important visitors to the mansion. The rope shrine maiden sacrificed in 1797 was also permitted to interact with visitors, which resulted in a man falling in love with her and attempting to stop her ritual.

    Rope Shrine Maidens are seen wearing extremely simple, plain kimonos, worn with the right side over the left. This manner of dress, right side over left, is how corpses are traditionally dressed in Japan. She would be given a hairpin passed from previous Maidens, which acted as a key to the Moon Well. Often, she is also depicted as wearing sacred shide, or paper streamers, from her neck and wrists.

30. #30(Term) The Calamityselective

    Keys: The Calamity

    The Calamity is a horrible incident that took place immediately after the strangling ritual at the Himuro Mansion in 1837, where Kirie Himuro's soul was corrupted by the Malice.

    The event known as the Calamity occurred on December 13th, 1837. The ritual intended to keep the Hell Gate sealed failed, which allowed the doors to the land of the dead to open and the dead to return in the form of The Malice.

    The ritual is believed to have failed due to Kirie, the last Rope Shrine Maiden, forming earthly attachments and regrets which prevented her from filling her duties.

    Once the gate's seal failed and the Malice poured out, the gathered members of the Himuro family and nearby village who came in contact with it became corrupted, going mad and killing themselves or others. The Himuro Family Head went insane and began a rampaging slaughter, during which he cut down survivors and beheaded the family priests. Kirie's spirit became warped by the Malice, splitting it in two. In total, 1,347 people died on the day of The Calamity.

    The presence of the 5 Holy Mirrors in surrounding shrines managed to keep the Calamity from spreading further. However, the corrupted spirits of those who died during the massacre are trapped in the Himuro Mansion, reliving the events over and over and maliciously seeking new victims.

    While the particularly strong spirits of the mansion always had the ability to influence the living, after an earthquake shatters the remaining 5 Holy Mirrors in modern times, visitors to the mansion find themselves trapped and "spirited away", or become victims of the Rope Curse after encountering Kirie's corrupted spirit. Those trapped in the house are seemingly drawn back in time as the house and grounds reset further to the way they were on the day of The Calamity, to relive the massacre. If they are victims of the Rope Curse, which causes a new rope mark to appear on the person's limbs each evening, failure to stop or resolve the repeating Calamity by the fifth night, when a rope mark appears around the victim's neck, results in the accursed being ripped apart, limb from limb. Those killed by the spirits of the Calamity become corrupted themselves and join those trapped in the mansion.

31. #31(Item) Laceration Ropeselective

    Keys: Laceration Rope

    Laceration Rope (裂き縄, "tearing rope") was the name of the ropes created from sacrificing the Rope Shrine Maiden during the Strangling Ritual.

    Their purpose is to be used in the Ceremony of Ropes to bind shut the Hell Gate of the Himuro Mansion. If the maiden used to create the ropes had any lingering earthly attachments, the ropes would not be strong enough to hold the gate shut and the ritual would fail, causing The Calamity.

32. #32(Ritual) Ceremony of Ropesselective

    Keys: Ceremony of Ropes, Gates of the Underworld ceremony, Rope Ritual, Ritual of the Sacred Bindings

    The Ceremony of Ropes is the ceremony that is performed to bind the Hell Gate. The ceremony uses the Laceration Ropes created from the Strangling Ritual. The Ceremony of Ropes is performed immediately following the Strangling Ritual.

    ⤳Preparation A Rope Shrine Maiden is sacrificed in the Strangling Ritual to produce Laceration Rope. After the rope is created, the Ceremony of Ropes begins.

    ⤳Ritual After the limbs of the Rope Shrine Maiden has been torn off and her ropes are stained with her blood, the Ceremony Master and the Himuro Family Priests remove the bloody ropes from her body, raise them in the air to bless them, and then bind them across the doors of the Hell Gate. This seals it for approximately 10 more years.

    ⤳Result The Hell Gate is sealed and the Calamity is prevented.

33. #33(Term) Maliceselective

    Keys: Malice, Darkness, Miasma

    The Malice (瘴気 Shōki) is an infernal force. It corrupts deceased spirits into hostile ghosts and may even affect living persons as well. Failure to carry out certain rituals causes the Malice to escape from the world of the dead and affect the living.

    The Malice spilled forth from the Hell Gate after the failure of the Strangling Ritual. This evil air killed over 1,000 individuals in an event referred to as "The Calamity." Those with a stronger spirit who were not killed immediately by the Malice were driven mad, such as the Himuro Family Master, who went on to murder everyone else. Kirie is not immune to this vile air, causing her to become a vengeful spirit. However, she splits into two different entities, the second appearing as a young child, who tries to help anyone who enter the mansion and prevent their fate.

    The only way to stop the spread is to appease or close the gates to the other world by completing the intended rituals.

34. #34(Location) Rope Altarselective

    Keys: Rope Altar

    The Rope Altar is the room underneath Himuro Mansion where the Rope Shrine Maidens are sacrificed to prevent the Calamity from happening. It contains five winches. A sacred rope is attached to each winch, then to one of the Maiden's limbs or her neck. The winches are then used to pull the ropes taut, killing the shrine maiden by dismemberment and saturating the ropes with her blood. Afterwards, the ropes are then taken and used in the Ceremony of Ropes to close off the Hell Gate.

35. #35(Location) Demon Mouthselective

    Keys: Demon Mouth

    The Demon Mouth is a room in Himuro Mansion, accessible through the Rubble Room. The large set of double doors are opened with the Blinding Mask and open the way to the Banned Path, which leads to the Rope Altar. The Demon Tag Ritual was performed here; spectators would watch from the higher levels as it progressed.

    Since only the Rope Shrine Maiden could use the entrance located in the Moon Well, the rest of the Himuro Family had to enter through here to get to the Rope Altar. The Blinding Mask was inserted into the door here with the blood of a maiden's eyes, collected in the Blinding Ritual, to 'blind' and weaken the spirits beyond the Hell Gate.

    After opening the doors with the Blinding Mask, Ryozo Munakata was pulled through the doors by Kirie Himuro into the Banned Path and killed.

36. #36(Ritual) Strangling Ritualselective

    Keys: Strangling Ritual, Gates of the Underworld Ceremony, Rope Ritual, Ritual of the Tearing Apart by Ropes

    The Strangling Ritual is a ritual used to keep the Hell Gate closed, preventing the Malice and evil spirits from passing through the gate and bringing disaster. It is always performed on December 13th, approximately 10 years after the prior sacrifice. The ritual involves the Rope Shrine Maiden being sacrificed and the ropes, saturated with her blood, are then used to bind the Hell Gate shut until the next ritual must be performed.

    ⤳Preparation Once per decade, during late November, early December of the year of the ritual, the entire Himuro family, including branch families and honored guests, would travel to the mansion and gather for the various rituals, bringing their children.

    During this time, on November 26th, the girl child of the Himuro family with the highest degree of Holy Power would be chosen during the Demon Tag ritual. This child would become the next Rope Shrine Maiden intended for the next round of rituals, taking place in 10 years.

    After selection, the chosen child would be sequestered in the Himuro Mansion as for 3,669 days to prepare in her role as Rope Shrine Maiden. The Maiden would be attended to by four masked priests and cut all earthly ties in preparation for her role in the Strangling Ritual.

    With the next Rope Shrine Maiden secured, the Strangling Ritual for the current maiden, chosen during the previous ritual cycle and having just completed her isolation, would proceed. The Blinding Ritual would also be performed on an unnamed day shortly before the Strangling Ritual to prepare the Blinding Mask, which acted as a key to the sacrificial room where the Strangling Ritual took place.

    ⤳The Ritual December 12th, the night before the Strangling Ritual, the Rope Shrine Maiden is taken from her cell to the Tsukuyomi Shrine. where the four family priests and the Himuro family head would perform a small ritual to activate a hidden mechanism, revealing the Moon Well underneath the shrine. The maiden would climb down into the moon well to purify herself in the moonlight. On the day of sacrifice, the full moon would align to shine directly into the moon well.

    On December 13th, the day of the Strangling Ritual, those living in the nearby villages would lock all windows and doors and refuse to go outside, considering it extremely bad luck, though they were unaware of the events happening beneath the manor.

    To begin the ritual, the Himuro family would place the Blinding Mask, newly anointed with the blood of the Blinded Maiden in the Blinding Ritual, in the door of the Demon Mouth, acting as the key to open the doors. The mask and the Blinded Maiden's blood were thought to act as a blindfold for the demons beyond the Hell Gate, making it safe for the doors to be opened and for the entire party (consisting of most of the Himuro family, wearing sacred shide around their necks) to travel down towards the land of the dead.

    From the Demon Mouth, the Himuro Family would travel along the Banned Path.

    The masked Himuro family priests and the family head, wearing the Mask of Reflection, would be permitted to cross the Hell Bridge, where they met with the Rope Shrine Maiden, who enters the underground Banned Path alone, through a door in the Moon Well accessible only to her.

    Only the 4 priests, family head, and Rope Shrine Maiden would enter the doors to the Rope Altar, which lays directly underneath the Buddha Room, to complete the Strangling Ritual while the rest of the Himuro clan would remain outside on the Banned Path.

    Within the octagonal, domed room of the Rope Altar is a round, raised altar platform, surrounded by rack-like wheels, representing the five gods, five limbs, and five sacred mirrors in the surrounding shrines. The Rope Shrine Maiden would willingly lay on this pedestal, and Laceration Rope tied to each limb and around her neck. The priests would turn the wheels at her limbs, and the family head at the Maiden's head, tightening the ropes until the maiden died and her limbs were torn from her body.

    The Maiden must be willing and eager to die, and have no earthly attachments or pollution in order for the Strangling Ritual to be considered a success.

    The five ropes would be soaked in the Maiden's blood to give them strength and held in the air to bless them to complete the Strangling Ritual.

    ⤳Result After the completion of the Strangling Ritual, the remains of the Rope Shrine Maiden would be covered, and the doors to the Rope Altar opened, allowing the waiting Himuro clan through. The family would follow the priests and family head as they carried the five ropes soaked in the Maiden's blood and the True Sacred Mirror along the Baptism Path to the Hell Gate. The Baptism Path is lined with torii gates and ropes, marking the transition from the normal world to the underworld.

    In front of the gate to hell, the True Holy Mirror is placed facing the door, offering additional protection so close to the land of the dead. The priests then perform the Ceremony of Ropes, tying the Strangling Ritual ropes across the gates to seal them shut for another decade. The sacred blood of the maiden stains the rope, thus strengthening the power used to seal off the Hell Gate.

    The next maiden is already chosen by the time the Strangling Ritual is completed (she is chosen November 26th, 17 days before the Strangling Ritual occurs on December 13th). The new maiden's location and role during her predecessor's Strangling Ritual is unknown.

37. #37(Character) Mikoto Munakataselective

    Keys: Mikoto, Munakata

    Mikoto Munakata (宗方 美琴 (むなかた みこと) Munakata Mikoto) is the only daughter of the famous folklorist Ryozo Munakata (the famous folklorist) and Yae Munakata.

    When Mikoto was six years old, she and her parents moved into Himuro Mansion. While they were living there, Mikoto turned seven, and became caught up in the mansion's curse. By June 10th, Mikoto had made friends with several children from the nearby area, and all of them would play together in the mansion. During this time, Mikoto also met a girl in white, who gave her a strange camera. Mikoto showed it to her father, who found nothing unusual about it. Over the next few days, Yae used the camera to take dozens of photos, including one photo that showed Mikoto with the girl in the white kimono, and another that showed a shadowy figure standing in the background.

    Mikoto begged to have the camera back, but Yae was becoming worried about its power, and wanted to protect Mikoto from what it might reveal. However, Mikoto did eventually manage to get the camera back, and had it with her while she played Demon Tag with her friends. During the game, the other three children were spirited away by Long Arms.

    Mikoto fled, and was able to escape the mansion with the help of the camera. She was found a few days later, wandering in the woods, with no memories of what had happened to her. While she was missing, Yae had committed suicide and Ryozo had disappeared. Mikoto was taken in by Mr. Hinasaki, a friend of her father, who eventually adopted her.

    Many years later, Mikoto had a daughter named Miyuki and passed the camera on to her. The hairclip that Mikoto wore as a child was passed down to her granddaughter Miku, and Miku's story after she enters Himuro Mansion echoes Mikoto's as she meets White Kimono, uses the Camera to protect herself, and gets drawn into the endless game of Demon Tag.

38. #38(Ghost) Yae Kurosawaselective

    Keys: ghost, female spirit, Yae, Kurosawa, Munakata

    Yae Kurosawa (黒澤 八重 Kurosawa Yae)/Yae Munakata (宗像 八重 Munakata Yae) is the ailing wife of folklorist Ryozo Munakata.

    ⤳Childhood Yae and her twin sister Sae were born in All God's Village, the only children of Ryokan Kurosawa, the acting Ceremony Master at the time of the Repentance. Although Yae was born second, she was considered the elder and stronger twin based on the belief system of the village. Given the social status of twins in the village, it is likely that the twins had very few friends except each other growing up. Their diaries and notes however suggest that they were both close with the Tachibana twins, Itsuki and Mutsuki.

    When Yae and Sae were 14 years old, Itsuki and Mutsuki performed the Crimson Sacrifice Ritual, but their Ceremony was unsuccessful. The responsibility then fell on Yae and her sister to perform the ritual one year later. It is unknown how much the twins were told about the ritual beforehand. Since their father was the Ceremony Master and their friend a Remaining, however, they probably knew what the ritual entailed. Yae was vehemently opposed to the ritual, believing it cruel and unnecessary. She voiced her concerns to her father, and he tried to reassure her, but Yae was unconvinced. With the help of Itsuki, who was also opposed to the ritual, she made plans to run away with Sae, despite the fact that her sister wanted to stay.

    While Yae and Sae were undergoing their cleansing to prepare for the ritual, the folklorist Seijiro Makabe and his apprentice Ryozo Munakata came to the village to do research on local customs. Ryozo was an old friend of Itsuki's and had promised to help them escape and take care of them afterwards. The visitors were welcomed by the Kurosawa Family, and treated well. While a guest in Kurosawa House, Seijiro took a picture of Yae and Sae with the Camera Obscura. Although Yae's face looked normal in the photograph, Sae's was distorted.

    Despite the initial warm welcome given to the visitors, Yae and Sae believed their father was planning on using the men as Kusabi sacrifices. In an attempt to save him, the twins took Seijiro a map showing a side door leading out of the house, and gave him the Hammer Key to unlock that door. They warned him that the Hidden Ceremony was approaching and told him to leave during the night. Seijiro sent Ryozo away, but stayed behind himself, and was ultimately sacrificed. Before leaving, Ryozo whispered to Yae that he would return for her and Sae on the night of the ceremony. She tensed up but said nothing.

    When the time came, Itsuki led the girls into the forest and showed them the path out of the village. He told them to go ahead of him and warned them not to look back. Yae followed the forest path without looking back while Sae struggled to keep up, begging Yae to not leave her. Not wanting to escape, Sae slipped and fell on purpose, believing Yae would stop for her, both would be caught and ultimately be forced to perform the ritual. The two were never reunited; Yae became hopelessly lost in the forest, and Sae was captured by the villagers.

    By the time Yae found her way back, the Repentance had already occurred, and the village was gone. All that remained was the Torii gate that had once been the entrance. Due to grief, shock, and possibly the Repentance itself, Yae lost all her memories. When Ryozo arrived, he found Yae weeping at the gate, repeating, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." Fulfilling his promise to Itsuki, Ryozo took Yae with him and took care of her. He noted that she suffered from terrible nightmares for a while, during which she would call out Sae's name, but she never consciously recovered her memories.

    Some time later (in-between the time that passes from Yae's childhood to her adulthood), Ryozo and Yae married, and the couple had a daughter called Mikoto. The part of Yae's spirit that remained in Minakami Village was released when Mio Amakura, possessed by Yae, performed a successful Crimson Sacrifice Ritual with her sister Mayu.

    ⤳Adulthood Later in her life, Yae's health declined, and the family moved into Himuro Mansion, where Ryozo could continue his work as a folklorist while staying close to her. The family lived there without incident, and Yae was beginning to grow stronger, until Mikoto found a strange camera. Yae's curiosity got the better of her, and she began taking pictures all over the mansion with it. Before long, she realized it wasn't an ordinary camera: it could capture images of an unseen world, and things that shouldn't exist. The camera's power over her grew, until she could see the spirits with her own eyes. For a long time, she kept the camera from Mikoto to protect her, but eventually relented and let her use it. Mikoto took the camera out with her, and she and her friends disappeared.

    Yae was horrified. She was convinced that ghosts must have been responsible for taking the children away, and she blamed herself. She wrote a suicide note to her husband, and then hanged herself in the Cherry Atrium of the mansion. Her husband found her body shortly before his own death. Yae never learned that Mikoto had survived.

39. #39(Ghost) Ryozo Munakataselective

    Keys: ghost, male spirit, Folklorist's Ghost, Ryozo, Munakata

    Ryozo Munakata (宗方 良三, Munakata Ryōzō) is a famous folklorist who wrote a book concerning the rituals of the Himuro Mansion, which inspired Junsei Takamine to work on his latest novel.

    Before he became a folklorist in his own right, he was an apprentice to the folklorist Seijiro Makabe, who was a close friend of Dr. Kunihiko Asou, the creator of the Camera Obscura.

    ⤳Youth When Ryozo was a child, he visited Minakami Village while travelling the country with his father, a travelling merchant, on at least one occasion. It was his experiences in Minakami Village as a boy that made him want to become a folklorist. While visiting, he became friends with Itsuki and Mutsuki Tachibana. They became so close during their time together that they kept in touch through letters over the next ten years. Itsuki confided to Ryozo that he feared a secret ceremony that took place in the village.

    As time passed, Ryozo pursued his desire by becoming apprentice of the travelling folklorist Seijiro Makabe. One day, Ryozo received a letter from Itsuki asking him to come to the village to retrieve Yae and Sae on the day of the ritual. This was to be the last letter he ever received from Itsuki. Ryozo was concerned about his friends' wellbeing, but had no resources of his own to make a journey, so he spoke to Makabe about it. The two discussed the village in detail, and Makabe became interested in the ceremony involving twins, and the legend of the gate to hell. They set off for Minakami Village together.

    When they arrived, they were greeted warmly by Ryokan Kurosawa and his twin daughters, Yae and Sae, and invited to stay as guests in the village. While Seijiro studied the folklore of the region, Ryozo concentrated on searching for Itsuki. The villagers said that both he and Mutsuki had died of an illness, but Ryozo doubted the truth of these stories and continued his investigation anyway. He found some of Itsuki's diaries, and from these he learned that Itsuki had been secretly looking for a way to escape the village. He came across Itsuki's little sister, Chitose, in one of the corridors of the Tachibana House, but Chitose was too frightened to say anything, and ran away to hide. Ryozo had the impression she wanted to pass on a message from Itsuki, but never managed to discover what it was.

    Shortly afterwards, Ryozo received a letter from Seijiro telling him to leave the village early. The Kurosawa Twins brought him the letter, and Ryozo promised Yae that he would return for her on the night of the festival. He also wrote a final letter for Itsuki, promising to come back for and take care of the Kurosawa twins once they escaped the village.

    When the day of the ceremony came, Ryozo returned as he had promised. What he found upon his arrival was Yae alone and sobbing in front of the Torii gate that marked the entrance to Minakami Village. The village was nowhere to be found, and Yae had no recollection of what had occurred. All that remained of Makabe were some notes, which he addressed to Ryozo.

    At first Yae had a lot of nightmares, but Ryozo cared for her and gradually she recovered, although her memories never returned. Ryozo and Yae eventually married, and had a daughter whom they named Mikoto. Ryozo continued his studies, edited and published Makabe's last work, and became a folklorist in his own right.

    ⤳Adulthood Sometime after Mikoto's birth, Ryozo began to research legends in the Himuro Mountain area. A visit to the Five Gods Shrines uncovered an old manuscript about the Hell Gate rituals, which made him determined to visit Himuro Mansion, the epicenter from which all of the legends seemed to originate. However, he didn't wish to be too far from Yae, who had fallen into poor health. He decided that it would be in his family's best interest to take up residence in the mansion itself. That way he could do research on the rituals performed there and remain close to Yae. After some effort convincing the local officials to let them live there, the Munakata family moved into Himuro Mansion.

    Soon after settling in, Ryozo's research progressed far faster than he could have hoped. He spent most of his days exploring the mansion, gathering information, and trying to figure out what really happened in the Himuro Family rituals. During his research, he studied particular areas like the Moon Shrine and the Demon Mouth.

    One day, while playing Demon Tag, Mikoto found a strange camera in the mansion. She brought it to her father, but would not say exactly where she found it, only that a girl in a white kimono had given it to her. Ryozo examined the camera and concluded that there wasn't anything remarkable about it. The next day, Ryozo and his family took a walk in the mountains around the mansion. Yae took the camera Mikoto found and spent most of the day taking pictures with it.

    Afterwards, Yae spent more and more time obsessively taking pictures with Mikoto's camera, muttering, "I can see them." Four days later, she was so ill she had to stay in bed.

    Nine days after the walk, Mikoto and her friends went missing while playing Demon Tag in the mansion. Yae and Ryozo searched the mansion, but could find no trace of them. Three days after Mikoto's disappearance, Yae hung herself in the Cherry Atrium while Ryozo wasn't around. He discovered her lifeless body hanging from the tree.

    Ryozo blamed the camera for Yae's death and the mansion for Mikoto's disappearance. He came to the conclusion that something horribly wrong was happening in the mansion and he had to figure out how to fix it. He obtained the Mask of Reflection and then the Blinding Mask. After that, he made his way down to the Demon Mouth with a piece of the Holy Mirror in hand. As he opened up the door inside of the Demon Mouth (which led to the Banned Path) with the Blinding Mask, he was pulled inside by Kirie. The doors slammed shut behind him. Ryozo likely died instantly, as his corpse shows him still clutching the piece of the Holy Mirror.

40. #40(Location) Courtyardselective

    Keys: Courtyard, Backyard

    The Courtyard is located in the back side of the Himuro Mansion, next to the Narukami Shrine, and can be accessed via the Fish Tank Room. It contains both the grave of one of the priests slaughtered by the Himuro Family Master and the well into which the Girl in Well was drowned by Long Arms. The Dungeon also has a view of this area.

41. #41(Ghost) Long Armsselective

    Keys: Long Arms, ghost, male spirit

    Long Arms is a hostile male spirit. As his name suggests, this spirit's arms are very long when compared to his body. Why his arms are this long are unknown, but it is likely symbolic of his behavior.

    Long Arms is the father of a previous Rope Shrine Maiden. His daughter was, most likely, one of the successful victims of the Strangling Ritual prior to the failed ritual (the one that resulted in the Calamity). Long Arms likely sought to halt the Ritual because he couldn't stand losing his daughter, which might have been what resulted in his death (e.g. he was killed for attempting to stop the Ritual). However, this is unconfirmed.

    After his death, Long Arms couldn't rest in peace and came back from death to try and find his daughter. However, in his attempts to do so, he accidentally ends up killing three other children, none of which are his daughter.

    The first child he accidentally killed, a little girl, was pulled into the well in the Courtyard (Girl in the Well). The second child, a small boy, was killed behind the big clock in the room with a fireplace (Clock Boy). The last child, another little girl, was killed in the Doll Room (Crawling Girl).

    None of the bodies of these children were ever found, but their ghosts still haunt Himuro Mansion.

42. #42(Location) Moon Shrineselective

    Keys: Moon Shrine

    The Moon Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in the Cherry Atrium of Himuro Mansion. It was built to serve as a shrine for the Rope Shrine Maidens who undergone the Strangling Ritual. The Teal Carving is needed to unlock this area.

    There is a cabinet in the very center of this shrine, which is an entrance to the well below it, known as the Moon Well. To access it, the cabinet first has to be displaced by the Master's Seal.

    In the back wall of the well contains the enshrined mummy of the first Rope Shrine Maiden. On the left side of the Moon Well there is a door that opens to the Hell Bridge, a path that leads to the Rope Altar. Kirie's Hairpin is used to unlock this doorway in a slot near the mummy.

    The cabinet of the shrine acts as a trick mechanism that requires a routine to be performed. This routine required the symbols carried by the four priests participating in the ceremony to be placed on each of the four sides of the cabinet, and the Himuro Family Master's seal to be placed into the recess of the cabinet that faced the entrance. The cabinet would then move from its place to reveal a ladder as well as causing moonlight to shine down into the well.

    This routine was to be performed before the Strangling Ritual. The Rope Shrine Maiden would descend the ladder into the well and purify herself in the moonlight, then unlock the door with the hairpin and then go through the doorway leading to the Hell Bridge. Only she was allowed to use this path, while the rest of the Himuro family only entered the path leading from the Demon Mouth.

43. #43(Ghost) Blinded Womanselective

    Keys: Blinded Woman, Blinded, ghost, female spirit

    The Blinded Maiden is the hostile ghost of the last Blind Demon to perform the Demon Tag Ritual prior to the Calamity. She was one of a line of maidens chosen to perform the Blinding and Demon Tag Rituals of Himuro Mansion.

    Blinded was a member of the Himuro family. Upon reaching the age of 7 years, 9 months and 25 days, she was obligated to take part in the Demon Tag Ritual, like the rest of the young girls of the Himuro family her age. Every 10 years the entire Himuro family was obligated to gather at Himuro Mansion to perform a set of rituals to seal the Hell Gate, as well as prepare for the next set of rituals that would occur 10 years later. One of the rituals performed was a game of Demon Tag. It served as a means to select the next Rope Shrine Maiden and Blind Demon for the next set of rituals. The first child to be caught became the next Blind Demon for the next game of Demon Tag. Blinded was chosen to be the next Blind Demon in the same game of Demon Tag that Kirie was chosen to become the next Rope Shrine Maiden.

    It is unknown if, like Kirie, Blinded stayed at the mansion in seclusion or was allowed to live a normal life prior to the Blinding Ritual. When the appointed time came, she was led through the Hidden Passage to the Blinding Room, where she was held down from moving by the four Himuro Family Priests. The Himuro Family Master then approached with the ceremonial Blinding Mask and applied it to her face.

    What happened to Blinded after this is not known, including if she was able to perform the Demon Tag Ceremony to choose the next Blinded Maiden and Rope Shrine Maiden. It is presumed she perished during the Calamity along with the other people killed.

    After her death, Blinded's spirit returned to roam the mansion in search of the next Blind Demon. Miku encountered her spirit several times during her search for her missing brother. Once the curse over the mansion was broken by Miku, Blinded's spirit was able to rest in peace.

44. #44(Location) Blinding Roomselective

    Keys: Blinding Room

    The Blinding Room is a room in Himuro Mansion. The Blinding Ritual was performed inside this room. The woman who was to become the Blinded Maiden was restrained as the Himuro Family Master placed the Blinding Mask over her eyes, thereby blinding her in preparation for the Demon Tag Ritual and Strangling Ritual.

    The door to this room bears a strange, demonic mask. It is unlocked by hanging the Happy Mask, Sad Mask, Angry Mask and Joyful Mask on the pillar in the Mask Room.

45. #45(Ritual) Blinding Ritualselective

    Keys: Blinding Ritual

    The Blinding Ritual is a ritual performed before the Demon Tag Ritual in the Himuro Mansion. They used the Blinding Mask to create the Blinded Maiden or the 'oni' (demon). They used the blood of the maiden's eyes to weaken and "blind" the spirits of the Hell Gate. The maiden or the demon's duty is to choose in the Demon Tag Ritual the next Rope Shrine Maiden and Blinded Maiden to perform their respective rituals 10 years later.

    ⤳Preceding A child is chosen to become the next Blinded Maiden via the Demon Tag Ritual. Of a group of girls playing the game, the first to become caught by the previous Blinded Maiden is chosen to become the next Blinded Maiden. The thinking behind this choice is either that the first caught by the "Demon" is the most oblivious to the supernatural, or spiritually "blind", or the most obvious and distracting to the supernatural, and therefore capable of drawing the Hell Gate's attention and focus, which negates as useless from the blinding.

    The events and preparation between being chosen in the Demon Tag Ritual and fulfilling the Blinding Ritual are unknown. There is no mention found of the Blinded Maiden being held in seclusion or removed from her family, like the Rope Shrine Maiden. However, visions of the ritual and the ghost of the Blinded Maiden show the selected child grows at least to young adulthood before the ritual.

    ⤳The Ritual On an unknown, appointed day prior to the next Strangling Ritual (December 13, every ten years), the selected new maiden is taken to the Blinding Room. She is then presented to the Ceremony Master who is wearing the Mask of Reflection, a mask which changes to reflect the wearer's soul. She is held by two, masked priests in a kneeling position in front of the Ceremony Master. The Ceremony Master then takes out the Blinding Mask from its storage location on the altar before forcing the mask down upon the maiden's face, blinding her with the spikes inside the mask's eyes.

    ⤳Result The bloodied mask is removed from the Blind Maiden's face and inserted like a key for the doorway located in the Demon Mouth that opens a path that the Himuro Family took to enter the Rope Altar. The maiden's blood is said to 'blind' the spirits/demons beyond the Hell Gate and weaken them in preparation for the Strangling Ritual.

    The Blinded Maiden also fills her duty as the "oni" of the next Demon Tag Ritual (November 26) , selecting the next Rope Shrine Maiden and the next Blind Demon.

    It is not known what happens happens to the maiden between her blinding and the other rituals, or what happens to the Blinded Maiden after the mask is removed.

46. #46(Term) Blinded Maidenselective

    Keys: Blinded Maiden

    The Blinded Maiden is a woman who is chosen to perform the Blinding and Demon Tag Ritual.

    The Blinded Maiden plays an integral role in the rituals of the Himuro Mansion, and is a counterpoint to the Rope Shrine Maiden.

    Her main duties include:

    1. Lending strength to the Blinding Mask, during the Blinding Ritual.
    2. Choosing the next Rope Shrine Maiden and Blind Maiden during the Demon Tag Ritual.
    3. Acting as a way to distract or blind the forces behind the Hell Gate.
47. #47(Term) Kagome, Kagomeselective

    Keys: Kagome, Kagome

    Kagome, Kagome (かごめかごめ) is a children's song game.

    In order to play, a child who was the "it", in other words the "Demon" (Oni 鬼), would stand or sit with their eyes covered or blindfolded. The other children would form a circle around the "it" and then dance around the circle singing the song, then the "it" would have to guess which of the children is standing behind them. If the "it" guessed correctly, then the person behind them would be the new "Demon".

48. #48(Ritual) Demon Tagselective

    Keys: Demon Tag, Demon Tag Ritual, The Blind Demon Ritual

    Demon Tag is used as the means of choosing the new Blinded Maiden and Rope Shrine Maiden.

    ⤳Preparation Girls of the minimum age of 7 years, 9 months, and 25 days are gathered at the mansion into an undisclosed location to play the game. The game is held in the Demon Mouth room. The newly Blinded Maiden is also present wearing the Blinding Mask as a blindfold.

    ⤳The Ritual The "demon" in the Demon Tag is the Blinded Maiden, who is wearing the Blinding Mask as a blindfold. During demon tag, the "it" or the "demon" chases and catches the others in a normal game of tag, though in this case, the demon (Blinded) cannot see. During Kagome Kagome a blindfolded "demon" is in the center as the other players circle around them, chanting a song. When the song ends, the demon must guess who is behind them based on who they heard singing.

    At an undisclosed time prior to the Demon Tag Ritual, the girl chosen as the new Blinded Maiden undergoes the Blinding Ceremony, where her eyes are gouged out using the Blinding Mask. The Demon Tag ritual begins when all female children in the family of the appropriate age are gathered on November 26th, once every 10 years, presumably in the Demon Mouth room, to play the game with the new Blinded Maiden acting as "it" or the "demon". The game is played until all the participants are caught by the Blinded Maiden.

    Roles are given to the girls that get caught by the Blinded Maiden in a specific order.

    Blinded Maiden: The first girl caught is prepared to be the next Blinded Maiden in the next future Demon Tag Ritual. She is thought to have the worst spiritual powers, or to be "blind" to the demons of the Hell Mouth. Her literal and spiritual blindness are used to dull the demon's senses, making it safe to open the doors and enter the Hell Mouth, and prevent unintentional leaks. While the first girl caught becomes the next Blinded Maiden, it is unknown what happens to her immediately after the ritual, or in the time between the ritual and when she becomes the next Blinded.

    Rope Shrine Maiden: The last girl caught is prepared to be the next Rope Shrine Maiden. She is thought to have the highest 'Holy Power' because she was able to evade the 'demon' (Blinded) for the longest time. The next Rope Shrine Maiden is removed from her family and kept in seclusion for the next 10 years, preparing her for the Strangling Ritual.

    The fate of the Blinded Maiden after she fills her purpose in the Demon Tag Ritual is unknown. The Blinding Mask she wears must be removed from her face and used as a key to enter the Banned Path by December 13th when the Strangling Ritual is performed. What happens to the Blinded Maiden for the 18 days between the Demon Tag Ritual and the Strangling Ritual is unknown. It is also unknown if the Blinded Maiden is permitted to live, is sacrificed herself, or dies from the shock or blood loss caused by the Blinding Mask's removal, or how any of those scenarios may be carried out.

49. #49(Item) Blinding Maskselective

    Keys: Blinding Mask

    The Blinding Mask was used in the Blinding Ritual. It had two stakes through the eye holes, designed to pierce the eyes of the wearer and blind them.

    The maiden on which the ceremony was to be performed was chosen by a game of Demon Tag.

    Approximately 10 years later, the maiden to participate in the ceremony was led to the Blinding Room. She was then restrained by two priests who held her eyes open. The mask was then pushed into the maiden's eyes by the Ceremony Master.

    The mask is also used to unlock the huge doors in the Demon Mouth.

50. #50(Ghost) Floating Womanselective

    Keys: Floating Woman, ghost, female spirit

    Floating Woman is a hostile female spirit. Much like Wandering Man little is known about her, other than she was already dead before the Calamity happened and it gave her the ability to return to the land of the living, she now wanders Himuro Mansion, looking for living persons she can drag with her into the Land of the Dead.

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