Kureha Shrine
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A location in Minakami Village.
Background Info
The Kureha Shrine was the Shinto shrine that presumably served the religious needs of the people of Minakami Village. Behind the main altar is a door to an underground passage leading out of the village, but it was sealed after some twins tried to escape. According to the ceremony master, the twins were killed in a cave-in, though Mio writes in her memo that they were "ambushed and killed". The passageway is sealed by a mechanism in the Old Tree and by talismans placed on the door.
Painted over the entrance to the Kureha Shrine, and on the large cloth hanging along the back interior wall, is a giant Crimson Butterfly, which was the crest of the Kurosawa Family.
Deep Crimson Butterfly
In Deep Crimson Butterfly and its supplementary material, the background of the Kureha Shrine is elaborated upon. It is named after Kureha, the Shinto priestess of the shrine. She was a Twin Shrine Maiden long ago whose twin sister was stillborn, making her a Remaining at birth. Due to the spread of Minakami Village's religious beliefs throughout nearby villages in the mountains, there are multiple other Kureha Shrines in the area at which derivations of the Shadow Festival were held, and lanterns representing Crimson Butterflies were released into the sky. Mio and Mayu visited one such shrine, at the foot of the mountain near the village they lived in as children, as depicted in the Shadow Festival Ending. Many lanterns to be used in this festival were stored at the Kureha Shrine in the game.[1]
Legend has it that at the time of the Shadow Festival, the door at the back of the shrine opens onto a haunted house.
Fatal Frame II Remake
The Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake expands Kureha Shrine, making it possible to explore the shrine grounds and its raised exterior walkway. At the back of the shrine, many white spider lilies grow. Ryozo Munakata recalls playing behind the shrine with Itsuki when they were children.[2]
Ghosts Encountered
Fatal Frame II / Deep Crimson Butterfly
- Veiled Priests - will attack you as you try to leave/search the shrine.
Fatal Frame II Remake
- Seeker - searching for the runaway twins; attacks Mio in Chapter 2
- Veiled Priests - three of them will attack during Chapter 8
Notable Events
- Seijiro Makabe visited, having heard that there was an entrance to the Deep Path in the shrine grounds.[3]
- Masumi Makimura also visited in hopes of finding a way out of the village.[4]
- In the Lingering Scent Ending, Mio escapes alone through the passage out of the village through the shrine.
Misc. Info
- The Torii gate leading to the shrine has a plaque on it, which signifies that it is a Shinto Shrine with Buddhist influences.