The TRUTH behind the 'True Story'
When TECMO® first released Fatal Frame in 2002, the words '
Based on a true story' immediately caught game viewers eyes. What was the story behind the game? Was there really a Himuro Mansion? The answer isn't exactly as easy as it would seem.
First things first. Fatal Frame is not based on a story of two teenagers with sixth sense running around a haunted mansion, nor about a family named Himuro that sacrificed young women in
Shinto rituals. According to Tecmo, it's based on two specific urban legends/ghost stories from Japan.
(Personal Note: It's good to point out at this point that because they're based on ghost stories, while there may be SOME facts to them, it's also possible that there isn't any haunted mansion at all.)
What TECMO® has said concerning the Himuro Mansion
(quote by Makoto Shibata, Chief Producer of Fatal Frame):
In an area outside Tokyo, there lies a mansion in which it's said seven people were murdered in a grisly manner. On the same property, there lie three detached residences that surround the mansion, all of which are rumoured to have ties to the mansion's troubled past. It's said there is an underground network of tunnels that lay beneath the premises, but nobody knows who made these tunnels or what purpose they served. Many inexplicable phenomenon have been reported occurring on the property. Bloody handprints have been found splattered all over the walls. Spirits have been spotted on the premises… even in broad daylight. A narrow stairway leads to an attic where a spirit-sealed talisman is rumoured to be locked away. Men have sought this talisman, only to be found later with their bodies broken and rope marks around their wrists. There's a crumbling old statue of a woman in a kimono, but its head is missing. If you take a photo of a certain window, a young girl can be seen in the developed picture. These incidents have provoked fear in the people of Tokyo, and many believe that those who live near this area will become cursed. The deaths of those seven people are unexplained to this day."
Basic Facts concerning Himuro:
-
Himuro is a very popular name in Japan. Think of it as the equivalent to the last name 'Smith' in the US or 'Lee' in China. Because of this, if there actually is a mansion, it's most likely not called the 'Himuro' mansion. This is probably to keep the mansion from becoming a tourist attraction to gaming fans.
- The actual mansion that Himuro was supposedly based on, most likely looks nothing like the mansion in the game. Not to mention, the Himuro mansion's construction is very similar to a lot of old residences in Japan, so even though you might come across a place that looks like Himuro from the game, it doesn't necessarily mean that the mansion *is* the Himuro mansion.
- A series of horrific mysterious murders took place at the mansion (I think it was seven murders, supposedly in the early 1900s*), which is the whole reason it's haunted to begin with. (nothing involving sacrificed shrine maidens and secret rituals. (And anyone who claims otherwise this is pretty much lying.))
* This date cannot be confirmed or proven
Online Rumours concerning Himuro:
(Note, these are RUMOURS/HERESAY/UNPROVEN information,
and I cannot currently back them up!)
- The mansion is supposedly on private property
- Another name for the Himuro Mansion is the Himikyru Mansion.
Why the mansion might not exist at all:
1. The most obvious reason is that the story comes from the rural mountain areas and it's a ghost story. While a lot of ghost stories are based on fact, it is also good to note that some are just stories meant to scare people.
2. The mansion is reportedly on private property and people currently live there. I would like to note, that this has been mentioned a lot online, and I don't have an actual definative source for this, but this would make sense as to also why the actual mansion's name has not been made public if it exists. It also could be an excuse why it's hard to find the mansion, go inside, and why the mansion itself may not exist at all.
3. 'In an area outside of Tokyo' is extremely vague. That's like saying 'in an area outside of New York City'.
Gamezone reported that 'both stories originated from the rural mountainous regions of Japan'. Still, not much help in the area of where exactly this supposed mansion actually is.
4. The Japanese version of Fatal Frame *never* included the tagline 'based on a true story'.
5. It is very likely given current evidence that the mansion was created from several stories/locations of different haunted places in Japan, and not one specific place.
Information taken from:
"
TECMO® reveals the two terrifying true tales behind Fatal Frame."
GameZone (5 April, 2002)
Internet. 2 Dec. 2003.
http://ps2.gamezone.com/news/04_05_02_12_51PM.htm
Boulding, Aaron. "
Finding Fatal Frame."
IGN (23 October, 2002)
Internet. 2 Dec. 2003.
http://xbox.ign.com/articles/375/375267p1.html?fromint=1
"
Glass Rose Playtest."
GameZone (12 November, 2003)
Internet. 2 Jan. 2004.
http://ps2.ign.com/articles/440/440191p1.html
Saito, Mayumi. "
Summer Haunts."
Metropolis Tokyo.
Internet. 2 Jan. 2004.
http://metropolis.japantoday.com/tokyofeaturestoriesarchive349/334/
Calvart, Justin. "
Glass Rose confirmed for Europe."
GameSpot (28 November, 2003)
Internet. 2 Jan. 2004.
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/glassrose/news_6084811.html
Creveling, Carissa. "
Frightening Reality in a Fantasy World."
Internet. 2 Dec. 2003.
http://www.geocities.com/kazamaceo/researchpaper2.html
Tecmo. "
Official Japanese Fatal Frame I Website."
Tecmo
Internet. 2 Dec. 2003.
http://www.tecmo.co.jp/product/zero/