Case No. #1474
The Grudge Record of Himuro House, Tokyo
Summary
A late-Meiji-era structure in Kita Ward, Tokyo — known locally as "Himuro House" — accumulated documented reports of anomalous phenomena from the 1980s until its demolition in 2019. The most consistent reports were severe headaches affecting visitors to a specific upstairs room and footsteps heard in the corridor at night. Electromagnetic readings and a localized cold layer were measured in that room by researchers in 2015 and 2016. After demolition, similar sightings began in the adjacent parking lot.
Details
The name "Himuro House" derived from the prewar family who last occupied the building as owners (name withheld). The structure was a two-story wooden building of late-Meiji construction, situated in a residential street in Kita Ward, Tokyo, until its demolition in August 2019. From at least the 1980s, the property was known among local real estate agents for its high tenant turnover, with most residents vacating within months.
The Bureau documented three on-site investigations between 2015 and 2019. In 2015, a folklore research group conducted a survey with the owner's permission. Electromagnetic field meters in the rear upstairs room showed repeated spikes. Two members reported simultaneous severe headaches and vacated the room after thirty minutes. A follow-up visit in 2016 measured a localized temperature layer approximately 15 centimeters above the floor in the same room: consistently 3.5 degrees Celsius lower than readings taken elsewhere in the building. This cold layer was reproduced across multiple measurements.
In 2018, urban explorers entered without authorization and later claimed that their audio recordings contained unidentifiable voice-like sounds. A specialist analysis of these recordings concluded that building vibration and external audio could not be ruled out as sources. Photographs from the same visit showed what some interpreted as a secondary human-shaped outline behind a subject; an imaging specialist assessed this as a probable optical ghost artifact.
Demolition in August 2019 was completed without structural incident. One laborer reported hearing repeated sounds from an unoccupied room during interior demolition work; other workers reported hearing nothing. Following demolition, between 2020 and 2022, multiple independent reports described a human-shaped figure visible in the adjacent parking lot at night. The Bureau records these as potentially related phenomena.
The relocation of reported activity to adjacent space after demolition is noted in the file.
Timeline
- 1980s onwardReports of headaches in a specific upstairs room and nighttime footsteps reach local real estate agents via tenants.
- 2015Folklore research group investigates. EMF spikes and simultaneous headaches in two researchers recorded in rear upstairs room.
- 2016Follow-up visit measures a 3.5-degree cold layer 15 cm above the floor in the same room. Reproduced across multiple measurements.
- 2018Urban explorers conduct unauthorized visit; record unidentified audio and ambiguous photograph. Specialist analysis inconclusive.
- August 2019Building demolished. One laborer reports sounds from vacant rooms during demolition.
- 2020–2022Multiple reports of a human-shaped figure in the adjacent parking lot at night. Bureau records as potentially related.
Witness Testimony
Folklore researcher (male, 40s)"The moment I entered the rear room, my head felt compressed. The EMF meter alarmed continuously. The physical symptom and the instrument reading were simultaneous. Something was interfering — I'm certain of that."
Former tenant (female, 30s)"Every night around two or three in the morning, footsteps moved down the corridor. I was alone. No one was visiting. I stayed six months and left. I have no wish to return to that house."
Demolition worker (male, 50s)"While we were breaking up the second floor, something fell on the ground floor. My partner checked — no one was down there. When we heard it a second time, we both put our tools down and took an early lunch."
Kyu's Analysis
When the building was removed, the activity moved. The structure was not the source. The record continues.
