Kainan Hoshi

The Izu islands look like a picturesque and idyllic place to visit, but in Japanese folklore there is a tale about kainan hoshi, a type of yokai that haunts the area. They are believed to be the ghosts of drowned shipwreck victims who roam the open sea, riding in washtub boats. In one version of the tale they are said to be the souls of twenty-five local men who fought to free the island from an awful oppressor. After murdering him, they escaped to see in wooden washbasins and floated from island to island looking for shelter. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, they were turned away by the local inhabitants in each village and as a result, they drowned at sea. 

'Izu Dogashima' - Kawase Hasui, 1937

In vengeance, they haunted the area and every year on the 24th night of the first lunar month, kainan hoshi returned to the ports and villages of the Izu Islands. On this night each year, locals stay locked in their homes, too scared to go out. They put fragrant leaves in their door cracks which are ceremonially burned and buried the following day. It is believed that anyone who sees these ghosts would be sent mad and doomed to die.

Shinichi from 'Yurei Attack'