English Version
Matsudagawa Dam in Matsuda, Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, is often mentioned in local ghost stories. Reports commonly describe apparitions of children and women, including claims of a woman standing on the surface of the water.
Some people who believe they are sensitive to spirits say they experience headaches or nausea around the dam. There are also more unusual rumors of a ghost described as a cross-dressing or gender-nonconforming figure, though details vary depending on the storyteller.
The area is also tied to a real tragedy. In 1999, a child was reportedly thrown into the dam, and a one-year-old boy lost his life in the incident.
The dam is also said to be a place where suicides have occurred. Older stories about Matsuda say that until around 1945, the town suffered frequent river flooding, and not a few people are believed to have died as a result. Some locals suggest that this long accumulation of deaths may be connected to the ghostly rumors that continue today.
Location: 3450 Matsudamachi, Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture.
If you visit, treat the area as a real public site, not an attraction. Do not enter restricted zones, avoid the waterside at night or in bad weather, and be respectful of the people connected to the tragedies described here.
Note: Some details in this article have been updated for clarity and organization.
Japanese Language
子供や女性の幽霊の目撃報告が多い、水面に女性が佇んでいるなど。霊感がある人は頭痛や吐き気がするともいう。興味深いことにはオカマの幽霊が出るといった噂もあるという。1999年に子供がダムに投げ捨てられる事件があった。この事件で、一歳の男の子が亡くなっている。自殺の多い場所。昭和20年ごろまで松田町は川の氾濫なども多く、それが原因で亡くなる人も少なくなかったということであり、多くの死の積み重ねが、今も心霊現象となって現れているということなのだろうか。
栃木県足利市松田町3450 ※この記事は情報整理のため一部内容を更新しました
