Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume 6 Chapter 5 (section)

===<center>5</center>===

“Well, after that, while continuing the investigation, I came by a bit of an interesting story related to this location.”

“Interesting story?”

“Yes. It’s a common folktale about [[Ghost_Hunt:Volume6_Translator's_Notes#Ijin|ijin]] killing.”

“Ijin? ...killing?”

What is that?

When I spoke, Yasuhara-san laughed.

“Actually, it’s not ijin as in a remarkable person. Rather, of [[Ghost_Hunt:Volume6_Translator's_Notes#Red_Shoes|‘Red Shoes.’]] It says, ‘taken away by an ijin-san.’ You don’t know it?”

“Ah, a foreigner.”

In other words, John.

“Yes. But ‘ijin’ in ‘ijin killing’ is a little different. If anything, I would say it means something like ‘outsider’.”

Huh? 

“In the olden days, a village was a closed society. Nobody left and nobody came in. The villagers were deeply linked in some way by blood as well as by a regional bond. In other words, your relatives were your neighbors.”

“Mm.”

“However, a peddler traveling around various countries might perhaps arrive there. He’s in no way connected to the villagers by blood or by region. He is someone completely different from the villagers. In other words, he’s an ‘ijin’.”

“Oh, I see. Speaking in a broad sense, an ‘ijin’ is also an outlander.”

“That’s right. As such, there are old stories left behind as folktales about ‘ijin’ that came into the village being killed. This is what is classified as ‘ijin killing’.”

“Wow.”

“Nevertheless, even in the case of folktales branded as ‘ijin killing’, it was a narrow range of ‘ijin’. Among the medicine sellers, peddlers, and various others, the ones that were normally killed were the so-called ‘Marebito’.”

I looked at Yasuhara-san reproachfully.

“Again in this way, you’re confusing me with words I don’t know.”

“Sorry about that. That is to say, a man named [[Ghost_Hunt:Volume6_Translator's_Notes#Orikuchi_Shinobu|Orikuchi Shinobu]], for some reason or another, used the term ‘Marebito’ when speaking of ‘Raihoushin’ to represent divine beings who wandered from village to village.”

...ah...I don’t understand.

“Raihoushin is a deity who visits. They come from somewhere to do things like bless villagers and give warnings. To expand on this, any agent of a deity who comes from somewhere to do things like bless villagers and give warnings is called a ‘Marebito’.”

“What is what?”

“These are people who, using supernatural powers, are able to communicate well with beings like Gods, Buddhas, Spirits, etc., unlike common folk who are unable to form such connections. They would come to villages and perform things common folk could not such as exterminating monsters and exorcising vengeful spirits.”

Hmm, that means….
“Oh, then, we would be ‘Marebito’, too? We’re outsiders from Tokyo and we exterminate evil spirits, right?”

Yasuhara-san clapped his hands.

“Yes. That’s right. ‘Marebito’ would be people such as monks and priestesses who wander here and there.”

“If that’s the case, you should have said so from the beginning.”

“Now, now. Killings of such ‘Marebito’ is a pattern present in old Japanese tales. It was called ‘ijin killing’ in folktales.”

“Mm.”

“The story approximately says that ‘Marebito’ who came to villages were murdered for reasons like being despised and possessing riches, and as a result a curse would arise. ‘Marebito’ were the target of scorn while at the same time being objects of fear. Consequently, their existence was despised and they were murdered for trivial reasons, but at the same time, their existence was feared because after they were killed, a curse would arise. Leaving aside there actually being a curse, it was impossible to kill a ‘Marebito’ and get away without consequences which meant they remained an image of fear and became a kind of legend.”

“That makes sense. Even we’re looked down on or admired for no reason.”

Yasuhara-san nodded.

“Right? —Because of that, ‘ijin killing’ remained here, but,”

Saying so, he opened a notebook.

“This has two patterns. I don’t really know which one is true, or whether both are, or whether neither are. But anyway, type A,”

Yasuhara-san read the notebook.

“Long ago, three Shugendō practitioners came to the village. They saw ‘Okobu-sama’ and said they would attempt to exorcise it because a curse had been placed on it. When they exorcised it, ‘Okobu-sama’ suddenly transformed into a golden Buddha statue. They said since the benevolent Buddha statue had been washed by the waves and ended up in that form, it must have been cursed. The ascetics built a movable shrine to the Buddha statue in the city and enshrined it there. However, the village elder saw it and, due to desire for the golden Buddha statue, took the ascetics to the coast and murdered them, but at the same instant the ascetics were killed, the golden Buddha statue turned back into the original stick of wood. Soon after, the elder’s household was plagued by a series of misfortunes and died out. Because of this, it was said to be the ascetics’ curse. —This is type A.”

I see, I see.

“The other type. Long ago, three troupe leaders came to the village. They saw ‘Okobu-sama’ and said because it was a benevolent god, a shrine should be built and it should be enshrined there. However, the villagers were having trouble paying the land tax due to a poor harvest that year, and there was no such allowance. Furthermore, a villager saw that the troupe leaders had a lot of money and communicated that. The villages gathered and agreed that they would kill the troupe leaders, then called them to the elder’s house. Poison was mixed in the meal, killing the troupe leaders, and after taking their money, the corpses were discarded into the sea. Since storms and high waves followed from then on, the villagers became remorseful and built a shrine to worship ‘Okobu-sama’ and mounds for the troupe leaders. —This is type B.”

“How awful...”

“Well, such a thing is known as ‘ijin killing’.”

After saying so, Yasuhara-san leaned forward.

“I don’t think they’re merely legends. There are a lot of facts shared about the three ‘Marebito’ and the ‘Okobu-sama’, right? Summarizing the two, it would be as such. Three ‘Marebito’ came to the village and said something about ‘Okobu-sama’. However, in the end, these ‘Marebito’ were killed by the greedy villagers. The crime was related to the ‘elder’ and, the location where they died or where their corpses were discarded, was the sea. As a result, bad things occurred in the village. The outline of both stories are ultimately the same.”

Bou-san blinked with surprise.

“Then, what? You think there was actually that kind of incident in the past?”

“I think so. I think there was an actual incident that acts as the model, and while it was being handed down, it split into two types.”

“Hm...”

“So, when I actually researched the local history, I found this. It’s a legend entitled, ‘Regarding Okobutsu-sama.’”

“Okobutsu-sama? Not Okobu-sama?”

“Right. Nevertheless, it’s a story similar to type A. Somewhere along the coast a stick of wood was washed ashore, and when it was shown to a monk, he said it was a benevolent Buddha-sama. In fact, when the monk chanted a sutra, the stick of wood immediately transformed into a golden Buddha statue. However, the following morning it had again transformed into the stick of wood. The story says from then on it was called ‘Okobutsu-sama’ and enshrined.”

“I see, it’s definitely similar. Then, type A is more of a true story?”

“I think it’s dangerous to make such an immediate decision. Still, I believe the underlying story is true.”

Bou-san nodded and contemplated for a moment.

“Three ascetics… or troupe leaders... ”

“What is it?”

“There were mounds at the shrine.”

“Oh, the ‘Tohachi mounds’?”

“Did you know why they’re named that?”

“No. There were no clues about that. I’ll go investigate it further tomorrow, but... ”

“There were three mounds, right? They’re also known as the ‘Sanroku mounds’. Maybe it’s ‘Three Roku mounds’.”

“—Ah, I see. Perhaps. But, what are ‘Roku mounds’?”

“Maybe ‘Rokubu mounds’?”

Yasuhara clapped his hands and nodded emphatically.

“Oh, yeah! Maybe ‘Three Rokubu mounds’ was abbreviated to ‘Sanroku mounds’? Then the last part of type B fits perfectly. It says they, ‘built a shrine and built mounds.’”

I asked Bou-san,

“What’s Rokubu?”

“They were pilgrimaging monks who visited six-sixty sacred sites all over the country. They were referred to as ‘Rokujuurokubu (66 copies)’, which was shortened to ‘Rokubu’, from the fact that they delivered hand-copied scriptures from the Lotus Sutra one copy at a time. It also came to refer to pilgrimaging monks who wandered various countries. In other words, ‘Marebito’.”

“Really?”

At the same time I raised my voice, Yasuhara-san began to furiously turn over a bunch of copies.

“...What’s wrong?”

“‘Rokubu mounds’. Somewhere… here!”

Yasuhara-san pulled out a binding of documents.

“There was a legend around here about ‘Rokubu mounds’, but I overlooked it because there were no ‘Rokubu mounds’. Let me see…”

He flipped through the documents and read.

“When it happened isn’t written, but long ago a famine happened around here and the discontented villagers caused a riot. However, they were subdued in the end. At that time, the villagers were told their lives would be spared if they turned in the ringleaders and the villagers handed over the ringleaders. The ringleaders ran away, but their pursuers caught them just after they fled to the ‘Rokubu mounds’. They were beheaded on the spot. Because odd events took place in the village after that such as the outbreak of an epidemic and strange rumblings in the earth, there was purported to be a curse from the ringleaders. Graves were built for them near the ‘Rokubu mounds’, but it didn’t stop in the least. Eventually, a temple was built there and when the graves were generously worshipped, the strangeness finally subsided.”

Suddenly, a voice sounded in my head.

(—This... betrayal.)

“Next to the ‘Rokubu mounds’? That’s here, isn’t it?”

Ayako asked. Bou-san nodded,

“To the left of the shrine is the sea, and the mountain is on the opposite side of the road, but I wouldn’t say across the road is next to.”

“There’s more. Long ago, there was a riot that occurred in this area, and the ringleaders were beheaded near the ‘Rokubu mounds’. Graves were built nearby and they were carefully buried, but if anyone disturbs the graves, he’ll develop a strange rash on the neck. Soon after it will rot and his head will fall off.”

Ayako and John spoke in unison.

“A strange rash on the neck!”

Yasuhara-san flipped through the documents with a speed and fury.

“According to the local history— an uprising occurred only once in this area. The riot in this area occurred in the second year of the Bunkyū era, that is, the year 1862. And the five ringleaders were decapitated.”

“Five... ringleaders!?”

(Who was there? Me, Naru, Bou-san, Ayako, and Lin-san... five.)

“Wait a minute. The riot related to the ‘Rokubu mounds’ and the riot in the second year of the Bunkyū era are probably the same one, right? There were five ringleaders of the riot. Then, the graves built next to the shrine—”

After Ayako said this, John and Bou-san looked at each other.

“The stones in the garden!”

(—always be cursed until the end of days!)

That’s... what this meant...