[Episode 4] Manganji Temple (Part 2) — Imamura Faces a Life-or-Death Crisis and Loses His Composure. A Solo Investigation at Nagano’s Most Terrifying Temple for Unborn Children.

Part 2 of Episode 4, “Manganji.” The cast member goes around the grounds alone at Manganji in Azumino.

Manganji is counted as one of the Shinano 33 pilgrimage temples and is also revered as a Jizō hall that grants children. Its history is so old that documents survive recording a donation of mountain forest by Minamoto no Yoshinaka at the end of the Heian period. Through the Sengoku period it moved and was rebuilt as lords changed, and in the Edo period it received protection from the Matsumoto domain. Before it was told as a ghost story, people had been joining their hands here for nearly a thousand years.

This part includes scenes where the performer expresses strong fear during a solo session. It is entertainment with staged elements and we do not guarantee its accuracy. We have no intention of mocking faith, and we treat this record as a way of conveying the atmosphere of the night grounds.

What to Watch For

The solo scene includes moments of intense fear. These are part of a staged production. While watching, remember that Manganji is an active temple that still accepts memorial services and prayers for children.

Our Take

Manganji nearly lost the temple itself once. It was abolished in 1870 during the movement to separate Buddhism from Shinto, and revived six years later in 1876. Even when the temple almost disappeared, people who prayed before the Jizō never stopped. This is speculation, but the more than 500 Jizō statues are probably less a symbol of fear than proof that generation after generation of people tried not to forget the children they lost. Those who long for a child and those who have lost one stand in front of the same hall. We think the shaking of the heart when touching that weight may be what “the air changes” really means. If you are struggling, please do not carry it alone. In Japan, the Yorisoi Hotline (0120-279-338, free, 24 hours) offers support.