Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Eye of God at Newchurch in Pendle
St. Govor’s Well.
St. Govor’s Well
Shivsrushti
Pierced domes of Hammam Seffarine.
Hammam Seffarine
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
25 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
26 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
27 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
28 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Japan Kurozuka (Black Tomb)
AO Edited

Kurozuka (Black Tomb)

Local legend claims that this is the final resting place of an infamous cannibal hag.

Nihommatsu, Japan

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The grave of the cannibal hag.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The grave of the cannibal hag.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Kurozuka: the Black Tomb.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
One of the funerary monuments.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A tall tree stands atop the mound.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The story of the Onibaba.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Once upon a time, over a thousand years ago, a Buddhist monk named Yūkei was traveling across the Adachi-ga-hara plain when he sought a lodging for the night and found a cavern occupied by an old woman. She agreed to accommodate him on condition that he does not look inside the chamber at the back while she was away to fetch some firewood.

As always expected in such tales, however, curiosity got the best of Yūkei. What he found was a scene of horror—a mountain of human bones. Remembering the rumors of a cannibal hag, Yūkei ran away from the cavern, only to be discovered by the hag herself and pursued. As he was about to be killed, the monk prayed to Cintamicakra, who manifested as a ray of light that annihilated the monster. To thank the bodhisattva, Yūkei founded a temple on the site and built a mound for the hag which would come to be known as Kurozuka, or the Black Tomb.

Known across Japan for centuries, the legend inspired numerous works of drama and literature, including the popular 15th-century noh play Kurozuka and its sci-fi retelling Adachi-ga-hara written in 1971 by manga legend Osamu Tezuka.

Today, the storied Black Tomb can be found in the city of Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, just off the grounds of Kanze-ji Temple founded by Yūkei. The mound is topped by several funerary stelae and a tall tree, standing by the Abukuma River as spookily as can be.

Related Tags

Legends Tombs Buddhism Witches Folklore
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto

Explore a different side of Japan.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Published

October 22, 2024

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Kurozuka (Black Tomb)
Nihommatsu, 964-0938
Japan
37.594356, 140.461994
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Motomiya Movie Theater

Motomiya, Japan

miles away

Mushi Mushi Land

Tamura, Japan

miles away

Ubayu Onsen

Yonezawa, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Japan

Japan

Asia

Places 786
Stories 110

Nearby Places

Motomiya Movie Theater

Motomiya, Japan

miles away

Mushi Mushi Land

Tamura, Japan

miles away

Ubayu Onsen

Yonezawa, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Japan

Japan

Asia

Places 786
Stories 110

Related Places

  • Cairn T

    Ballineale, Ireland

    Loughcrew Cairns

    These Neolithic burial mounds and a still-intact passage tomb may have solar calendar significance on the spring and autumn equinoxes.

  • The tombstone on the wall

    Panaji, India

    Dona Paula's Tombstone

    Legends of adultery, love affairs, and charity swirl around this mysterious 17th-century Portuguese woman.

  • The story.

    Tōno City, Japan

    Denderano

    According to local legend, elderly villagers were once brought to this hill and left to die.

  • A unique place of worship in Umeda, Osaka.

    Osaka, Japan

    Umeda Kitamuki Jizo

    A rare north-facing Ksitigarbha statue enshrined in a passageway off Osaka’s busiest area.

  • The Demon Oak Tree.

    Hirosaki, Japan

    Demon Oak Tree of Onizawa

    A mountain demon once helped a local villager construct a canal, after which he sat on this oak tree to rest.

  • The Tomb of the Nue at night.

    Osaka, Japan

    Tomb of the Nue

    The tomb of an infamous chimeric monster whose corpse once washed ashore in Osaka.

  • The Iron Knight

    Prague, Czechia

    Iron Knight

    The statue of a cursed knight is said to come to life every 100 years.

  • Lehmja, Estonia

    Lehmja Oak Forest

    An ancient oak forest where, legend has it, a wedding party was magically transformed into trees.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.