Seven Misaki (七人ミサキ)

Seven Misaki, or Shichi-Nin Misaki in Japanese, is a name given to a group of seven vengeful spirits.

They are spirits of seven people who had met their ends in tragic ways, such as by drowning. They usually haunt places like sea or riverside.

The Seven Misaki's souls are so full of grudge that they will not rest until they succeed at possessing and eventually killing another seven human beings: only then they become appeased and are able to leave this world.

The unfortunate victims of Seven Misaki become the new Seven Misaki. And they too, must look for another seven victims to replace them, so that they can rest in peace.

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*This legend is well-known in Shikoku and Kyushu regions.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hm...I don't find that one so extremely creepy, but rather interesting. Many questions are spinning in my mind, such as: Why are they seven spirits? Why not any other number? Is seven a "haunted number" in Japan too? Btw: I love your blog!!!
Anonymous said…
Hi Saya!

I stumbled across your blog while looking for some information in English on Hashima. My kanji reading is not the best yet, so your information was really informative - Thanks! I'll put you on my blogroll, and check in from time to time to see what else you've translated! Are you at all interested in posting about more Japanese ruins? I'd love to hear your perspective! Creepy stuff! ^_^
Hello Debbie again!

It's strange the number seven crops up in the legends of many cultures, whether it is of east or west..isn't it?

I don't know why it's seven! But traditionally the most hated numbers in Japan are four and nine. Because four in Japanese is sometimes pronounced "Shi", which sounds the same as "Death" in Japanese. The number nine, likewise, is pronounced "Ku", which sounds the same as "Suffering" .

Thanks for your comment!!
Hello, Dateline Osaka

Wow, you are studying Japanese!?Good luck! Japanese is difficult - sometimes I don't speak it well enough either! Hope you found the information on Hashima useful! I love ruins and I would like to go to one, but I don have anyone adventurous enough to go with yet...But I will try to get more stuff about ruins on this blog! Thanks!!
Anonymous said…
Hello Saya, interesting story! It makes you realize that these spirits will keep multiplying... as in if each finds 7, then there will be 7x7 spirits... which is 49, which as you said 4 and 9 are the most hated numbers! I found out why its 7, haha!

I want to learn to speak Japanese some day. As of now I only know a few words or phrases and the numbers.
Hi bryan!
I didn't realise the 7x7 making 49 thing! Clever! What's inside your brain, dear? You must be eating lots of spinach.

If you want to learn to speak Japanese, this is definitely a good place to start!................sorry, I just lied.
Anonymous said…
Haha, thanks. I never eat spinach though... and sometimes I dont get the more simple things!
Anonymous said…
Bryan: Some of the phrases you SHOULD know before going to Japan are:

1) Sumimasen, ano, otearai wa doko desu ka?

2) Wakarimasen. Ano, boku wa baka gaijin desu.


Hope that hepls in your quest to learn Nihongo. :D
Huntar said…
I don't know about the 7x7 thing. I think the story means that the seven as a whole just have to kill one each. Otherwise, after just two generations, you'd have 443. And it'd continue to expand exponentially. Just thought I should voice my thoughts.
Anonymous said…
does that mean...if this is true...that the seven misaki will keep killing. and there will be another new seven misaki and theyll keep killing etc until there's not a single human left on earth???
Anonymous said…
7x2 or 7+7 = 14, readed "jyu-shi"(4 can also be read as Yon in japanese) or "ten death" in japanese/chinese, whiches worst in its combinations.

before you ask, yes china and japan share some of the supersition such as "4" which has the same sound as "death" in both chinese and japanese.
Anonymous said…
edit: in chinese, 14 is read "she shi" is somewhere near that
freshoutofthepan said…
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe one of the verses in the bible (sorry, not trying to promote religion or anything) mentions 77/70 x 7/7 x 7 times (a few variations), and it means something like "repeatedly" or "forever" or "never-ending", something to that extent. 7 also symbolizes the end of a cycle; the end of the 7-day week, and the end of the 7 days it took to create the Earth (as in the bible).

..Just some random things that came to my mind.
@freshoutofthepan: Cool, thank you for your contribution!