Shrine for ghosts

Actually I took this picture last winter but the shrine is still there so I have posted it (not again, I hope). This shrine is located on the main route from my area into downtown Sendai. I frequently walk by it either going to or coming from town. This was the approximate location of an execution and torture ground. There is a small river nearby to wash away the blood and bodies. The shrine itself is dedicated to the people who died here, but as far as I can tell they only have one activity - a once a year, one day festival. The big tree is a cherry but for some reason they cut all the branches off it during the summer. It is now about the same height as the top of the roof of the shrine. Very appropriately the building on the left is a funeral parlor and, although it is not in the picture, very unappropriately the building on the right is a Chinese restaurant aimed at young people. The people who live in this area claim that they frequently see ghosts of the dead. Many times I have walked past late at night but have yet to see a ghost.

This spot that was originally way out of town but as Sendai got bigger the outskirts crept closer and closer. Also the main road to the north passed very close to here. In the end they moved the facility to a spot about a kilometer from our apartment. It was at the base of a high hill and is now completely developed so they will never find the actual site (if anyone was interested).