Japan’s ‘Killing Stone’, Has Cracked Open

On March 6, 2022, the so-called ‘killing stone’, also known as the Sessho-seki, was discovered to be split in two in Nasu, Japan, causing dread and panic among villagers and social media users alike, who believe the splitting foreshadows the evil spirit’s departure.

“People’s reaction made the whole thing less serious, I saw a tweet saying there’s gonna be a demon walking free in 2022”, said Ziyue Y., a sophomore at AISG.

While the incident has terrified many people and sparked a slew of conspiracy theories, local police have stated that the stone had a crack and may have broken due to the cold.

“It’s really sad that such a cultural and historical item broke, there’s really no one to blame since it broke due to natural causes. But I do find social media’s reaction to the whole thing kinda amusing”, said Amy N., a senior at AISG.

According to Yomiuri Shimbun, a Japanese news website, the Nasu Town Tourist Information Centre confirmed the rock’s splitting and also claimed it may have broken due to rain and freezing temperatures.

The Sessho-seki is a stone in Japanese mythology that kills anyone who comes into contact with it. The stone is said to contain the ghost of an evil nine-tailed fox who disguised herself as a lovely woman named Tamamo-no-Mae and plotted Emperor Toba’s death. Tamamo-no-Mae’s spirit is said to have been trapped inside the Sessho-seki after she was defeated.