Introducing Kyoto Mystery Spots: The Night a Ghost Kept Buying Candy for Her Child—The Truth Behind Saifuku-ji Temple and the 'Ghost Child-Rearing Candy'
Kyoto, Higashiyama. Rokuro-cho, located on Matsubara-dori street, not far from Kiyomizu-dera Temple.
At first glance, it is a quiet town, but this place is known as one of the premier mystery spots in Kyoto.
In fact, the entire Rokuro-cho area was a massive burial ground known as 'Toribeno (Toribeyama)' since before the Heian period. It was considered a land that served as the 'boundary between this world and the next,' where the deceased were brought, buried, and sometimes left for exposure.
Furthermore, nearby is the 'Rokudo no Tsuji,' said to be the entrance to the underworld.
It is precisely because of this location that countless ghost stories and legends were born.
The story I will introduce this time is the saddest, yet most gentle, ghost story in Kyoto.
The 'Ghost Child-Rearing Candy' and the Child-Rearing Jizo of Saifuku-ji Temple.
A woman who appears every night with only one mon coin
The time is the 4th year of Keicho (1599).
At the long-established shop 'Minatoya,' which is still in business today, a woman would come every night at a set time.
The woman would say nothing, hand over a single one-mon coin, buy one piece of candy, and leave.
If that were all, there would be nothing unusual about it.
However, there was one thing that bothered the shopkeeper.
The next morning, when looking inside the coin box, a 'shikimi leaf' was always found along with the one-mon coin.
Shikimi is a plant offered at graves.
Why was a grave flower included every time...?
The shopkeeper, feeling uneasy, decided to follow the woman that night.
The place where the woman vanished
Toribeno, illuminated only by moonlight.
The woman entered the graveyard, stopped in front of a grave, and then...
Whoosh...
She vanished into the grave like mist.
At that moment.
From inside the grave,
"Waa... waa..."
the sound of a baby crying echoed out.
Terrified, the shopkeeper fled.
A miracle emerged from the grave
The next morning.
Unable to forget what happened the night before, the shopkeeper and the head priest of Saifuku-ji Temple dug up the grave.
And then...
What appeared from inside was the skeleton of a woman.
And, right beside her—
a baby with candy in its mouth.
The woman must have died while pregnant and was buried as she was.
The baby was born after the burial, and the mother, unable to provide milk, became a ghost and kept buying candy every night to keep her child alive.
Even though it's supposed to be a scary story, it almost brings me to tears...
Kyoto ghost stories don't just end with fear.
There is always human emotion within them.
The baby grew up to be a distinguished high priest
The rescued baby was raised with great care at Minatoya.
It is said that when he turned eight, he entered the temple and later became a distinguished high priest.
That is why this candy is not just a simple treat.
It is a testament to a mother's love that sustained a life.
That is what the 'Ghost Child-Rearing Candy' is.
Minatoya, a long-established shop with over 450 years of history.
The current Minatoya is run by the 20th-generation owner, Kimiko Danzuka, who keeps the tradition alive.
When you visit, you will find her to be a very friendly and approachable person.
She is happy to let you take photos, so please feel free to capture a memorable shot.
It is also a delight that you can sample the candy.
The flavor is that of a nostalgic, amber-colored candy.
To me, it tasted like a gentle sweetness very similar to Ougonto (golden sugar candy).
And surprisingly, the manga artist Shigeru Mizuki was a huge fan of this candy.
It is said that he used to drop by to buy some during his lifetime.
Furthermore, it is said that this legend of the 'baby born from a grave' was one of the inspirations for the creation of 'GeGeGe no Kitaro'.
If you love ghost stories and yokai, this is a sacred site you must visit at least once.
The Child-Rearing Jizo of Saifuku-ji Temple
Located across from Minatoya is Saifuku-ji Temple.
Enshrined here is the famous Child-Rearing Jizo.
It is said that the Empress of Emperor Saga prayed for the health of her sickly prince (the future Emperor Ninmyo), and because he grew up safely, the statue came to be known as the 'Child-Rearing Jizo'.
This is a temple that many people still visit today to pray for the healthy growth of their children.
The 'Hell' that appears only once a year
Saifuku-ji Temple houses hidden treasures that are not usually open to the public.
These are the Kuso-zu (Nine Stages of Decay Paintings) and the Hell Scrolls.
The Kuso-zu are Buddhist paintings that contemplate life and death, depicting the nine stages of a human body from death to decomposition.
And the Hell Scrolls vividly depict the torments that sinners endure in hell.
When I saw them for the first time, I truly got goosebumps.
It is a world completely opposite to the beautiful image of Kyoto.
However, that is exactly what makes the city of Kyoto so profound.
Every year, they are specially exhibited during the Obon spirit-sending season, and photography is permitted.
The exhibition period changes from year to year, so I recommend checking before you visit.
Kyoto is scary. But it is also kind.
Ghost stories in Kyoto are not just tales meant to frighten people.
A mother's love for her child.
The kindness of the people who saved a life.
The Buddhist teachings that contemplate the end of life.
Everything is packed into this small town.
When walking through Rokuro-cho, you might feel that the air is somehow different, even in the daytime...
You might get such a strange sensation.
But, even if you see a woman in a white kimono buying candy on a night road and heading home...
Please, do not follow me.
Because what lies beyond might not be of this world.
※P.S.
Of course, I also love the 'Ghost Child-Rearing Candy'.
I've started craving it again, so...
“Goo-goo! Give me candy!”
...No, even if I were a baby, I think I'll refrain from going to the graveyard in the middle of the night to buy some (laughs).
