The scenes of crime and bloodshed presented were shocking and intended to arouse suspense and fear. Surprisingly, these plays were quite popular, and print artists reproduced many scenes of these Kabuki productions. Lore tells of a pregnant woman travelling along this road at night to meet her husband. Bandits accosted her and she was barbarously murdered. Her blood spilled onto the rock, which became the habitation of her ghost.
Legend has it that the rock weeps at night.
2 Japanese Demons Demons in Japanese lore wander between the living and the dead. Sometimes demons do good deeds in the world, and sometimes they wreck havoc. According to Japanese belief, some demons are the root of all disasters, both natural and man-made. Japanese demons are not altogether evil but are also tricksters and enjoy playing practical jokes. In the Edo period they began to depict the demons with humour, especially in Netsuke figures 3 .