- In Search of the Manor of Sleep
Based upon the research of Mr. Yuu Asou, the surviving notes and writings of Mr. Akito Kashiwagi detailed within it, records of interviews with Kaname Ototsuki, and the research of Dr. Kunihiko Asou, alongside old occult magazines and various books and documentation found across the Tohoku region, I believe it highly likely that the "Manor of Sleep", a haunted house said to exist in the northeast, is part of the Kuze Shrine.
However, aside from those such as Dr. Asou who dealt with issues related to supernatural phenomena, virtually no mention of people dreaming of this Manor of Sleep can be found within the research of contemporary folklorists (including Akito Kashiwagi) or the fields of modern ethnology and cultural anthropology. Despite sharing common traits with real - and rather peculiar - customs, I suspect that the reason it has been overlooked until now is that its properties make it easy to dismiss it as baseless nonsense. It certainly seems extraordinarily far-fetched to link a pathological field which has not even been explained from a scientific perspective to old customs found only within a specific region.
The dreaming sickness and dreams of the Manor of Sleep that so many people have had are, in fact, real. I know this because I, Kei Amakura, have personally experienced the dreams, and also because too many details of these experiences, documents and other testimony bear such a striking resemblance to the tragedy that appears to have played out at that mansion.
- Dr. Asou's Research
I have in my possession two of the fruits of Dr. Asou's research: the "Camera Obscura", a device capable of capturing images of the spirit world, and the "Spirit Stone Radio", a crystal radio that can perceive sound waves from the spirit world. These items, which belonged to the late Mr. Yuu Asou, a descendant of Dr. Asou, played a significant role in this research, as well as research into the dreaming sickness that I myself experienced, and the Manor of Sleep.
Though these days the Camera Obscura is broken and no longer works, film left inside it produced images of the Manor of Sleep I saw in my dreams, thanks to which I was even able to obtain clues that led me to others suffering from the dreaming sickness who had also become trapped within the Manor of Sleep.
The Spirit Stone Radio is a special crystal radio that was developed in order to allow the user to hear voices from the spirit realm. This radio detects strange sounds through an earring that seems to have belonged to the aforementioned Kaname Ototsuki, who is mentioned in Dr. Asou's research materials. These sounds made a great deal of impact on those of us who actually wandered throughout the dream.
As documented in the records of Dr. Asou's interviews with Kaname Ototsuki, he claimed to have seen the dreams and heard the voice of Reika Kuze, who was both the priestess and his sweetheart, in his sleep. Perhaps those dreams were shown to him by the earring.
- Those Who Continue to Sleep
After waking from my dream of the Manor of Sleep, I went back over the records of the rare sickness known as the "dreaming sickness" or "Manor of Sleep" reported across the country. The statements of the patients recorded within were, as I had suspected, consistent with my own memories and dreams.
Again and again, I read testimonies of people who began to have the dreams following the death of a loved one. They then wandered into a Japanese-style house in their dreams, gradually falling deeper into sleep before finally disappearing.
It was thanks to the two aforementioned products of Dr. Asou's research into the spirit world, as well as being able to cooperate with people coincidentally suffering from the same symptoms as myself, that I and a few others were able to escape from the dream. Within the dream we shared, it seemed as though the tragedy of the Kuzes was brought to an end, freeing Reika of her grudge. However, there is no guarantee that a similar disease will not arise again in the future.
- The Meaning of "The Sleeping Priestess"
I currently have in my possession an audio tape, found in a gramophone that had been left in a university laboratory, containing a recording that I believe to be of "The Sleeping Priestess" dating back to that time period. It concludes with a third verse, as follows:
The Sleeping Priestess, Verse 3?
yukinasayo hatate
yukinasayo hatate
yukibune yurashite hatate
konokishi hiraite hatate
rourou miwatari kanokishi ni
shisei watashite naku ga teage
In writings by Mr. Akito Kashiwagi that were not officially published, he analyses this final verse thusly:
The priestess engraved with the special marks (ichiwara) is told to "go" (yukinasayo) as she is sent off to the horizon (hatate).
[...]
In the line "shisei watashite naku ga teage", I believe that "shisei" means "tattoos", due to the use of the word "engrave" in the first verse. These are conferred upon the priestess, and people cry (naku) as they see her off (teage). In this region, "teage" is a word used to denote final farewells, or tributes made to those who are leaving.
Perhaps this final verse is sung when the priestess, engraved with her sacred marks, is sent off to the Other Shore (kanokishi).
(Excerpt from Mr. Kashiwagi's writings, believed to be the original copy of Songs and Legends)
At first, it seemed that this verse was a continuation of the first two, referring to the final portion of the ritual. However, as the priestess has actually been staked down by this stage, it seems unlikely that sending her to the "Other Shore" is also a part of the ritual.
Accordingly, I interpreted the song as detailing the response undertaken were the Unleashing to occur. In other words, I read this verse as being about "subduing" a priestess who awakens after having taken on the tattoos.
The dream myself and others experienced ended exactly as described within this verse.
- Continuing the Investigation
This investigative report may be dismissed as nonsensical, occult-related ramblings of dubious veracity. Even if it is, I believe that if I am able to leave it behind in some form for posterity, it may serve to aid any people who find themselves once again being drawn into the dream.
I intend to continue digging deeper into this incident and related medical cases, and report more accurate findings in a future follow-up.
Finally, I would like to give thanks to my good friend Yuu Asou for finding and leaving behind a treasure trove of literature to reference.
I pray that his soul rests in peace, and hereby conclude this report for the time being.
- References
- Songs and Legends - Akito Kashiwagi
- Folklore Anthology 7: Tamashizume - Seijiro Makabe (edited by Ryozo Munakata)
- The "Spirit World"
- The Camera Obscura