A convincing example is the business district of Otemachi, now known internationally as an important hub of Japan’s banking and trading activities. Just beside the hundred-meter-tall building that houses the headquarters of the Mitsui Trading Company stands a monument so unobtrusive that most people walk by without giving it a second glance. For the businessmen who work in the vicinity, however, this monument is a solemn reminder that unhappy spirits have the power to disturb. It is said to mark the burial place of the head of Taira no Masakado, a disgruntled samurai who lived during the Heian period, which takes its name from Heiankuo, the old name for Kyoto. Toward the end of the eighth century, Japan’s capital was moved from Nara to Kyoto, which remained the center of government until the late twelfth century. In 939, planning to set up an independent state, Taira no Masakado named an alternative capital in Sashima, in what is now Chiba Prefecture, and declared himself the "New Emperor." His rebellion, however, was short-lived, the following year, he was killed by Taira no Sadamori and Fujiwara no Hidesato.

As the legend goes, he died from an arrow wound, after which his body was beheaded and the head displayed in Kyoto as a warning for other would-be rebels. But three months later the head was unchanged. In fact, people said it looked the same as when he was alive, except that now the eyes were especially fierce and the mouth grimacing even more horribly in death. One night, the head, enveloped in a glowing light, is believed to have taken off and flown toward Taira no Masakado’s home in what is now Ibaraki Prefecture. On the way, it was shot down by an arrow fired by a monk at Atsuta Shrine, which today houses one of Japan’s three sacred treasures. The head dropped to Shibazaki Village, where the villagers picked it up and buried it beneath a mound in Kanda Myojin Shrine. Some ten years later the mound began to glow and shake violently. The ghost of a haggard-looking samurai appeared regularly until special prayers offered by the terrified villagers seemed to put the spirit to rest.