When I first came to the village, Ryokan Kurosawa, the head priest, welcomed me here with open arms.
The village lacks any formal mayor to speak of. Instead, he serves as its principal organizer.
In all likelihood, Minakami Village probably began as a settlement of religious and ritualistic practitioners, with this informal leadership structure being a remnant of that history.
The region remains culturally rich even today, with folklore about the Gate to Hell passed down through generations.
The Kurosawa house that I'm sitting in as I write this certainly lives up to its role as the home of a chief priest, filled with many surviving records about the village and its history dating back to ancient times. Many of these records relate to those myth and legends that permeate this region, as well as the area's main ritual, among other things.
As a folklorist, I can tell that there is a trove of valuable information within these documents.
Surprisingly, the head priest has even allowed me to freely search through this literature, which I appreciate.
One traditional, hidden ceremony specific to this part of Japan is the Crimson Sacrifice Ritual, where the twin maidens serve to seal the Gate to Hell, or so it goes.
The Gate to Hell itself is a type of legend that concerns a boundary between our living world and that of the dead such as a hole or, indeed, a gate. This realm of the dead goes by multiple names, such as "Hell" or "the Underworld."
Access to these venues is typically forbidden, making them spaces to be simultaneously abhorred and feared, but also sometimes revered.
Such beliefs about the underworld have occupied people's minds since ancient times. It is my sincere desire to get to the bottom of them and uncover the truth.
Though Minakami Village is said to host a hidden ceremony that directly pertains to the Gate to Hell, the mere mention of it isn't allowed, let alone witnessing it.
Seeing as it's a ritual that involves that boundary to Hell approaching our world, a religious quarantine of sorts is probably held, which would explain the strict limitations.
The villagers lead simple, if difficult lives deep in the mountains.
Minakami Village has almost no interaction with the outside world whatsoever. It's a place that feels stuck in the past and in old ways, ignorant of the passage of time and the rest of society.
It's as though it was plucked out of the relentless march of history and kept off to the side.
Regardless, I've also been granted permission to read through the literature stored in the other houses, for which I'm immensely grateful.
There are three main households that comprise the nucleus of the village. These are the Osaka house, the first house I was shown; plus the Tachibana and Kiryu homes, also known locally as the Twin Houses. Though I was only able to enter a small selection of rooms when I previously visited the Kiryu house, I'm sure I'll be able to comb through it more deeply before long.
Once I've finished searching the Kurosawa house, I think I'll next set my sights on the Osaka house.
Folklorist's Note 2 (FF2R)
 This page contains spoilers for a recent release. |
For the version of this note that appears in Fatal Frame II, see Folklorist's Note 1 (FF2).- For the version of this note that appears in Deep Crimson Butterfly, see Folk Scholar's Writings I.
Folklorist's Note 2 | |
| |
| Kanji | 民俗学者の手記 二 みんぞくがくしゃのしゅき に |
| Game | Crimson Butterfly Remake |
| Author | Seijiro Makabe |
| Chapter | Chapter 3: The Repentance |
| Located at | Kurosawa House, Guest Room |
| Obtained | |
| Description | Written remarks from a folklore scholar who came to study Minakami Village, summarizing Minakami Village's unique customs and history. |
| Related Notes | Folklorist's Note 1, Folklorist's Note 3, Folklorist's Note 4, Folklorist's Note 5, Folklorist's Note 6, Folklorist's Note 7, Folklorist's Note 8, Folklorist's Note 8, Folklorist's Note 10, Folklorist's Note 11, Folklorist's Note 12, Folklorist's Note 13, Folklorist's Note 14, Folklorist's Note 15, Folklorist's Note 16, Folklorist's Note 17, Folklorist's Note 18, Folklorist's Note 19, Folklorist's Note 20 |
TBA