The Mediums of Mount Osore
On a volcanic mountain in Japan said to be a gateway to the afterlife, blind mediums speak in the voices of the dead.
What was reported
Mount Osore, 'Fear Mountain', in the far north of Honshu, is a barren volcanic landscape of grey rock, sulphurous vents and a still crater lake, which Japanese Buddhist tradition sees as a gateway to the afterlife. A temple has stood there for over a thousand years.
During festivals each July and October, itako, traditionally blind women trained as mediums, offer to call up the spirits of the dead and speak with their voices to grieving families.
Explanations offered
The itako tradition is very old and has dwindled to only a few practitioners. Anthropologists see it as a way for families to grieve and find comfort, whatever one believes about the spirits. The landscape's strangeness comes from volcanic activity, which makes the lake acidic and the ground hot.
- When
- Festivals every July and October
- Where
- Mount Osore, Mutsu, Aomori, Japan
- Witnesses
- Pilgrims, and the itako mediums
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.