English Version
Ningyo Toge, or “Doll Pass,” is a mountain pass associated with a cluster of unsettling rumors and old tales.
Visitors and locals have spoken of strange sights and sounds: a pair of children’s shoes walking with no child inside them, a soaked woman standing silently whose face appears crushed when seen up close, the sound of a baby crying, and a man walking with his joints bent the wrong way.
The name of the pass is also said to come from an older legend. Long ago, a monstrous giant spider was believed to appear on the pass and attack travelers trying to cross it. The villagers, desperate to stop the creature, decided to work together to defeat it. Since they knew a direct attack would only get them killed, they used a doll as a decoy and managed to slay the monster. According to the story, this is how the place came to be called Ningyo Toge.
The area is located around 1539 Kamisaibara, Kagamino, Tomata District, Okayama Prefecture. If you visit, stay on public roads and permitted areas, avoid trespassing, and be especially careful in mountain areas or after dark.
Japanese Language
子供用の靴だけが歩いている、全身が濡れた女性が立っていて顔を見ると潰れている、赤ちゃんの泣き声が聞こえる、関節が逆方向に曲がった男性が歩いている等。かつて峠には大蜘蛛の化け物が現れ峠を越えようとする旅人を襲っていたという。困り果てた村人は一丸となり化け物を退治する事を決める。正面から向かっても返り討ちに合うことはわかっていたので、人形を囮に使い退治したのだという。そこから人形峠という名がついたと言われているようだ。岡山県苫田郡鏡野町上齋原１５３９
