A Terrifying Welcome to the Shadows of Japan
Greetings, brave souls, and welcome back to Japan Creepy Tales, your sanctuary in the terrifying world of Japanese urban legends and ghostly encounters. I am GhostWriter, and tonight, we delve into the chilling depths of two particularly unsettling specters, figures whispered about in hushed tones across the archipelago. We are about to explore the dreadful tales of Kashima Reiko and Daruma-san, two entities bound by themes of disfigurement, vengeance, and an almost inescapable horror that reportedly awaits those unfortunate enough to cross their path.
Before we embark on this journey into the abyss, a word of caution: the stories we share on these digital pages are not mere campfire tales. They are deeply rooted in the collective unconscious of Japan, often believed to be potent enough to manifest if invoked, even just by thought or utterance. Tonight’s subjects are especially notorious for their uncanny ability to instill profound dread and, it is said, even physical peril. Both legends involve entities reportedly missing their lower limbs, a shared grotesque trait that only amplifies their chilling presence. They are said to roam, forever searching, forever longing, and forever ready to claim something from those who stumble upon them. Prepare yourselves, for once these names are spoken, their shadows, it is rumored, might just begin to lengthen in your own space.
The Lingering Chill of the Legless Apparitions
The realm of Japanese urban legends is vast and varied, but few figures evoke such a visceral dread as those who are incomplete, mutilated, or forever cursed to seek what they have lost. Tonight, our focus tightens on two such legends, entities whose stories intertwine with a shared motif of legless horror and an insatiable desire for completion, or perhaps, for retribution.
The Haunting Vigil of Kashima Reiko
First, let us turn our attention to the chilling legend of Kashima Reiko. The tale, as it is widely recounted, speaks of a young woman named Reiko Kashima, whose life met a brutal and tragic end. It is said that she was attacked by a group of men in a public restroom, and in her desperate attempt to escape, she crawled onto a railway track. There, she was reportedly struck by a passing train, and her body was tragically severed at the waist, leaving her without her legs. Her spirit, unable to find peace, is believed to roam the earth, perpetually searching for the limbs she lost and forever seeking vengeance upon those who encounter her.
Kashima Reiko is most commonly associated with public restrooms, particularly those in schools or old buildings. It is said that she appears late at night, materializing in the dim, tile-clad space, her upper torso floating eerily, her lower half conspicuously absent. Her arrival is often preceded by a sudden drop in temperature, an inexplicable gust of wind, or the eerie sound of a disembodied voice echoing in the confined space. When she appears, her presence is reportedly overwhelming, a cold dread seeping into the very bones of her victim.
The most terrifying aspect of an encounter with Kashima Reiko is the inevitable interrogation she is said to conduct. She will reportedly ask a series of specific questions, and your survival, it is believed, hinges entirely on providing the correct answers. Many variations of these questions exist, but some are more commonly reported than others.
One of the most frequently recounted questions she is said to pose is:
“Where are my legs?”
Answering this question incorrectly, or failing to answer at all, is believed to seal your dreadful fate. If you were to say, “I don’t know,” or “They’re not here,” it is rumored that she would immediately tear off your legs, claiming them as her own, forever binding you to her tormented fate.
The widely accepted, and reportedly correct, answer is:
“Your legs are on the Meishin Expressway.”
This specific answer is said to momentarily appease her, as it references a widely known expressway in Japan, linking her lost limbs to a vast, anonymous location.
However, the encounter is rarely over with just one correct answer. She is then believed to follow up with a second, even more perplexing question:
“Who told you that?”
This question is reportedly designed to trap you, to catch you off guard. If you were to say, “Nobody,” or “I just know,” it is said that she would become enraged, realizing you are merely guessing, and proceed to inflict her dreadful curse upon you. Similarly, if you were to reveal the source of your knowledge, such as “Japan Creepy Tales” or “a friend,” she is said to unleash her wrath, knowing you were forewarned.
The absolutely crucial, life-saving answer, a response whispered among those who dare to speak her name, is:
“Kashima Reiko told me.”
By stating that she herself is the source of the information, you reportedly create a paradoxical loop, acknowledging her power and her connection to her own legend, which is said to momentarily confuse or satisfy her. This answer, it is believed, buys you precious time and perhaps, a reprieve from her wrath.
Even if you provide the correct answers, it is widely believed that you are not entirely safe. Kashima Reiko is said to be a persistent spirit, and the curse may manifest in various subtle ways. Some accounts speak of victims feeling a chronic numbness in their legs, or experiencing inexplicable pain and stiffness, forever a chilling reminder of their encounter. Others report a vague sense of being followed, a phantom limb sensation that isn’t their own, or the chilling sound of dragging as if something heavy is being pulled behind them. It is rumored that even uttering her full name three times can summon her, making the very act of discussing her a perilous endeavor.
The Terrifying Game of Daruma-san
Now, let us turn our attention to another equally terrifying, yet distinctly different, entity: Daruma-san, also known as “The Bath Game.” This is not merely a ghost story but a ritual, a perilous game that, if played incorrectly, can reportedly lead to a truly grotesque and inescapable pursuit.
The legend of Daruma-san begins with a woman who, much like Kashima Reiko, met a gruesome end in a bathroom. The tale varies in specifics, but the common thread is that she slipped and fell in her bathtub, reportedly impaling herself on the faucet or a sharp object, and dying in agony. Her body was said to have been discovered in a horrific state, her eyes gouged out or severely damaged, and her limbs distorted or detached, creating a gruesome, doll-like appearance – hence the name “Daruma-san,” referencing the traditional Japanese limbless doll. Her spirit, consumed by pain and anger, is said to linger in the watery confines of the bathroom, waiting for someone foolish enough to invoke her.
The Daruma-san game is an active invocation, a ritual undertaken willingly by those seeking a thrill, or perhaps, those who underestimate the true horror they are inviting. The rules of this game are meticulously detailed, for any misstep can reportedly lead to a fate worse than death.
How to Play (or, Rather, How to Invite Disaster):
1. Preparation: The game must reportedly be played at night, before you go to bed. You must fill your bathtub with water and remove all your clothes.
2. Invocation: Step into the tub and sit down. As you close your eyes, you must reportedly wash your hair. While doing so, chant the words: “Daruma-san ga koronda, Daruma-san ga koronda…” (Daruma-san fell down, Daruma-san fell down…). You must repeat this phrase continuously until you have finished washing your hair.
3. The Encounter: It is said that as you chant, you will feel a shift in the water, a subtle movement, or a distinct pressure behind you. This is reportedly the moment Daruma-san appears, her ghostly form rising from the depths of the water. You must not open your eyes, no matter what you feel or hear. Some accounts claim you might feel a chill, a spectral touch, or even hear a faint, gurgling sound.
4. Completion: Once you feel the shift, or hear a distinct sound, you must carefully get out of the tub without looking behind you. Do not drain the water. Get dressed, leave the bathroom, and go to sleep.
The true horror begins the next day. From the moment you wake up, Daruma-san is said to be following you. You will reportedly feel her presence behind you, a constant, chilling reminder of the game you initiated. Her form is often described as a dark, disfigured silhouette, missing an eye, and with a severely damaged lower half. She moves with a peculiar, jerky motion, making a distinct “thump-thump” sound as she reportedly drags herself along.
The Terrifying Pursuit:
The goal of the game, if one can call it that, is to avoid being caught by Daruma-san throughout the day. She is reportedly always behind you, her presence growing stronger the closer she gets. You can only perceive her by looking over your right shoulder, never directly at her, or else she might vanish, only to reappear much closer.
If you sense her getting too close, or if you hear the “thump-thump” of her approach, you must perform a specific action to create distance:
“Kitta!” (I cut you loose!)
As you shout “Kitta!”, you must reportedly swing your arm down in a chopping motion, as if severing a rope. This action is said to temporarily create a distance between you and Daruma-san. However, it is not a permanent solution, and she will reportedly continue her relentless pursuit.
The Grand Escape and the Inescapable Aftermath:
The game of Daruma-san reportedly ends at midnight. Before the clock strikes 12:00 AM, you must perform the final ritual to escape her pursuit. You must find her and shout “Kitta!” one last time, followed by:
“Tomare!” (Stop!)
This final command, uttered with conviction, is said to banish Daruma-san back to the spirit world, ending the game. However, it is paramount that you successfully perform this ritual before midnight. Failure to do so, or being caught by her before the final banishment, is rumored to have truly horrific consequences. It is believed that if she catches you, she will drag you back into the bathroom, where you will suffer the same gruesome fate as she did, forever becoming a part of her cursed existence, a new Daruma-san. Even if you succeed, many reports claim that the experience leaves an indelible mark, a lingering sense of dread, and a sensitivity to cold spots, particularly near water. Some even report phantom pains in their limbs, or a permanent aversion to baths.
Whispers from the Dark: Shared Horrors
It is fascinating, and deeply disturbing, how these two legends, Kashima Reiko and Daruma-san, though distinct in their origins and methods, share a common horrifying thread: the absence of legs, the lingering vengeance, and the setting of the bathroom. The bathroom, a place of vulnerability and solitude, becomes a terrifying threshold where the veil between worlds seems thinnest. Both entities are reportedly bound by their physical mutilation and their unending search – Kashima Reiko for her lost limbs, and Daruma-san for companionship in her agonizing state. The legends serve as potent warnings against disrespecting the dead, and perhaps, against succumbing to idle curiosity or thrill-seeking in the face of the unknown. They remind us that some horrors are not confined to ancient texts but can reportedly manifest in the most mundane of places, waiting for an invitation, or simply an unlucky encounter.
The Unending Echoes of Fear
As we conclude our unsettling journey into the shadows tonight, the chilling figures of Kashima Reiko and Daruma-san linger in the mind, silent reminders of the dark tapestry woven into the fabric of Japanese folklore. Both entities, though distinct in their origins and the specifics of their terrifying encounters, share a common, agonizing theme: the profound suffering of a dismembered spirit, forever seeking something they have lost, or perhaps, seeking to inflict their agony upon others.
Kashima Reiko, with her relentless interrogation and the terrifying consequence of a wrong answer, represents the primal fear of the unknown question, the unexpected judgment. Her legend is a stark reminder that even in the most private of spaces, one might not be truly alone, and a spectral inquiry could seal one’s ghastly fate. Daruma-san, on the other hand, embodies the horror of a self-inflicted curse, a game played on the edge of the abyss, where a terrifying pursuit replaces mere questioning. The ritualistic invocation and the subsequent relentless chase amplify the psychological terror, transforming a simple bath into a doorway to a waking nightmare.
These are not merely tales; they are echoes of deep-seated fears – fears of vulnerability, disfigurement, relentless pursuit, and the terrifying possibility of becoming one with the horror. They persist not only because they are frightening, but because they reportedly touch upon something intrinsically unsettling within the human psyche. So, the next time you find yourself alone in a bathroom, perhaps in the dead of night, remember the whispers of Kashima Reiko and the dragging sounds of Daruma-san. For in the hushed quiet of such moments, it is said that the legends are most potent, and the line between myth and reality becomes frighteningly thin. Sleep well, if you can.
