Sacrificial Pillars

Sacrificial pillars, also known as "taboo pillars" (忌柱), "human columns" and hitobashira (人柱) , are human sacrifices dedicated to a specific purpose, usually strengthening a castle, bridge or other man-made structure. The practice is frequently mentioned in Japanese folklore, though it is uncertain whether it was ever really carried out. A particularly well-known example is that of Matsue Ohashi Bridge, where, according to the folklorist Lafcadio Hearn, a man by the name of Gensuke was sacrificed to fortify a bridge that was constantly being washed away. An annual festival is still held to appease the spirits of Gensuke and others who lost their lives during the construction of the bridge.

Fatal Frame II

In the Japanese version of Fatal Frame II, Kusabi were described as a type of hitobashira, though this was not directly translated into English. The Kusabi is an outsider sacrificed to temporarily appease the Hellish Abyss. The greater his suffering during the ritual, the more the Abyss would be calmed.

Fatal Frame III

In Fatal Frame III, sacrificial pillars were Shrine Carpenters who were sacrificed after their work was completed. They were then enshrined within the walls of the building in order to consecrate it and offer greater protection against calamity.

Sacrificial pillars were used in the Kuze Shrine throughout its history - in one case, two generations before Yashuu Kuze, several members of the Narumi clan were sacrificed following extensive repairs to the shrine - but particularly after the Unleashing, in order to slow the spread of the Rift. First the lower-status shrine carpenters were killed and encased in the walls of the Stained Corridor, then the Engraved Men submitted voluntarily to be made into pillars and buried alive, and finally, as a last and desperate measure, the Master Builder committed suicide in the Sacrificial Pillar room in order to become a cornerstone. The grave mound in the Grave Courtyard was dedicated to the dead carpenters. Kushimi dolls, red ones representing the carpenters and four white ones representing the Engraved Men, were also placed in the Spirit Tree Garden, in the hope that the deified spirits would guard the boundary between the real world and the spirit world.

Fatal Frame V

In Fatal Frame V, shrine maidens of Mount Hikami were placed in reliquaries and sunk as pillars to purify the black water and preserve the seal on the mountain. The strength of the individual pillar depended on the maiden's spiritual power, and could be enhanced by joining her to an outsider in a ceremony known as Ghost Marriage. The ideal outcome was for a maiden to become an Immortal Flower, who would endure a long time, untainted by the black water. The strongest sacrifices were sunk in the Shadowspring, the source of the black water, and became Great Pillars, protecting and purifying the whole mountain.

The rituals of Mount Hikami were loosely based on Sokushinbutsu, Buddhist monks who mummified themselves in boxes as a way of attaining enlightenment. The Pillars on Mt. Hikami are also sometimes referred to as "hakoiri-sama" (箱入り様), which taken literally means "respected people placed in boxes", though "hakoiri" has the additional meanings of a precious object or a girl who has been sheltered from the world.