Kurosawa Family

Two Kurosawa families appear in the series. One family originates in Minakami Village, and the Hinasakis are descended from this line. The second Kurosawa family originates in the Mt. Hikami region, where certain shrine maidens were given the name Kurosawa as a ceremonial title; a few shrine maidens survived the massacre on Mt. Hikami, and their descendants still carry the name and, it is said, the maidens' powers. This family was introduced in Fatal Frame V and retroactively linked up to Rei Kurosawa in Fatal Frame III. According to all currently available information, these two Kurosawa families are unrelated.

The name Kurosawa means 'black swamp', and its recurrence within the series is because of that imagery. Because Director Makoto Shibata associates the paranormal with moisture, he envisions the border of the underworld as a black swamp or lake, and so the name is used for certain families or individuals who take on the role of guarding the gate to the underworld.

Minakami Kurosawas

Fatal Frame II

‎In Fatal Frame II and Deep Crimson Butterfly, the Kurosawas were the ruling family in Minakami Village, and were responsible for overseeing and leading the rituals that took place there. They resided in Kurosawa House. The Kurosawa family crest, a butterfly, is represented throughout Minakami Village. The other main families in the village were all branches of the Kurosawas, though since the exact relationship is unknown, this article will only cover those who bore the Kurosawa name. The Kurosawas of Minakami Village are also the ancestors of the Hinasaki Family from Fatal Frame through Yae Kurosawa, the only survivor of the disaster that wiped out the village.

Unknown Father --- Unknown Mother                                    
                |                                                         
     +----------------------+
                                                           
Twin Brother(CS)    Ryokan Kurosawa(R)-~-Unknown Woman    
                                       |                            
                   +-------------------------------+
                                                            
             Sae Kurosawa(CS)                Yae Kurosawa(COV)-~-Ryozo Munakata(SA)
                                                               |
                                                         Hinasaki Family         

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• COV - Camera Obscura Victim
• CS - Crimson Sacrifice
• R - Remaining
• SA - Spirited Aways

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Ryokan Kurosawa (黒澤 旅館)

Ryokan Kurosawa was the father of Sae and Yae Kurosawa and the last Ceremony Master of Minakami Village before the Repentance occurred. He was a Remaining himself, having successfully completed the Crimson Sacrifice Ritual with his brother. He presided over Seijiro Makabe's Cutting Ritual, and his own daughter Sae's hanging after her twin sister ran away, in a final desperate attempt to stop the Repentance. After Sae's ritual failed, he was killed.

Sae Kurosawa (黒澤 紗重)

Ryokan's daughter and the twin sister of Yae Kurosawa. After her friends, Mutsuki and Itsuki Tachibana's Crimson Sacrifice Ritual failed, it was up to Sae and Yae to complete the ritual to prevent the Repentance. However, Yae convinced her to try to escape the village and, with Itsuki's help, they ran away. Sae only wanted to complete their ritual and become one with her sister, and purposely slipped and fell, hoping Yae would notice she'd fallen behind and stop so they would have to return to the village. Her sister, however, didn't notice her fall and continued running. Sae was soon recaptured and returned to the village by the villagers, who had been searching for the twins. Though no one could find her sister, Sae remained sure that Yae would return for her and perform their ritual together. However, Yae was never found, and Sae was hung alone from a rope that hung from the top of the gate at the entrance to the Hellish Abyss. Being killed by the Veiled Priests, and subsequently by hands other than that of her twin sister, the Hellish Abyss was not appeased and the Repentance occurred. Sae's vengeful ghost returned, along with that of the last Kusabi, and together they slaughtered the entire Kurosawa household, including the villagers that had gathered in the Great Hall prior to the ritual. Even after her death she continued to wait for Yae, and left a letter at the bottom of the steps to the Abyss for her sister to find when she eventually returned for her.

Yae Kurosawa (黒澤 八重)

Ryokan's other daughter and the twin sister of Sae Kurosawa. She planned to run away with Sae so they wouldn't have to perform their Crimson Sacrifice Ritual, as she didn't want to kill her sister. Yae wanted herself and Sae to be together forever, like they had promised each other. However, while attempting to escape the village, Yae failed to notice her sister slip and fall, and continued running. She became lost in the forest and by the time she found her way out the Repentance had already occurred, the village disappearing completely in its aftermath. Yae lost all of her memories, possibly due to this, and was found crying by the gate to the village by Ryozo Munakata, who had promised Itsuki Tachibana that he would look after Sae and Yae after they ran away.

Mt Hikami Kurosawas

Fatal Frame III

The main heroine of Fatal Frame III also had the surname Kurosawa. The creators have stated that she is not related to the Kurosawas of Minakami Village. Although she is not mentioned by name in Fatal Frame V, the guidebook states that she is from the same family as Hisoka Kurosawa, and compares what she does for Reika at the end of Fatal Frame III to glancing, a technique used by the shrine maidens on Mount Hikami.

Rei Kurosawa (黒澤 怜)

A photographer, she lost her fiancé Yuu in a car accident in which she was at the wheel. A few months later, whilst on an assignment taking photos of the ruins of a supposedly haunted house, Rei sees a familiar face around the corner. The person standing there is Yuu. Rei chases after him, only to realize no one is there. That evening, back at home, Rei dreams of a mansion covered in the snow. Led through the manor by Yuu, she eventually finds herself in a hallway, which she is then chased down by a woman dressed in blue, whose body is covered in a blue tattoo, and the woman's hand makes contact with her shoulder. Rei continues to dream of the manor, the same blue tattoo now spreading across her body every time she wakes from the dream, and eventually defeats and sends off Reika. Making her way to the Abyss of the Horizon, she sees the spirits of the dead crossing over. Spotting Yuu, she begs to go with him. Yuu tells her that she has to go on living, so a part of him can continue on with her. He absorbs her tattoos, and Rei wakes up in her bed.

Fatal Frame V

In Fatal Frame V, Kurosawa is a name bestowed on certain shrine maidens who played an important role in guarding the Shadowspring (kurokisawa).

Hisoka Kurosawa (黒澤 密花)

According to the official guidebook, Hisoka is descended from a shrine maiden who fled the mountain to escape Kyozo Kururugi's massacre. She is also in some way related to Rei Kurosawa. She is the owner of Kurosawa Antiques Shop, and as a psychic trained in Shadow Reading, she uses her ability to help people find lost items. Before the start of the game, she saved Yuri's life, and the two became friends, with Hisoka training Yuri as her assistant. Owing to a bad experience in the past, Hisoka tries to avoid taking on missing person cases, but reluctantly goes to search for Haruka Momose on Mount Hikami. During the search she vanishes.

Ose Kurosawa (黒澤 逢世)

The main antagonist of the game. As a shrine maiden on Mount Hikami, Ose had the honour of being chosen to become the "Great Pillar", serving as a sacrifice to purify and strengthen the whole mountain. In recognition of this important role, the surname 'Kurosawa' was bestowed on her. Her ritual failed, and she became a vengeful spirit. Since she took the name for ceremonial purposes only, and died shortly afterwards, she is most likely not biologically related to any of the other Kurosawas in the series.

Kurosawas of Unknown Origin

Pachislot Zero

Koto Kurosawa (黒澤古都)

Pachislot Zero introduces a new character, Koto Kurosawa, who investigates Himuro Mansion after Miku's return. It is not confirmed whether she is related to either of the two Kurosawa families in the main series, but fans have speculated that she may be related to Rei and Hisoka because of the beauty mark on her face, a feature Rei and Hisoka also share.