Inunaki Village, Japan

The Myth Deep in the dense forests of Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyūshū lies what locals call “The Village of the Howling Dog.” Few places in Japan have inspired darker folklore. According to the story, Inunaki is a settlement that deliberately severed all ties to the modern world. At the village gate, people say, hangs a weather-beaten board declaring that no law of Japan holds sway beyond that point.

One version of the legend claims the inhabitants are descendants of Edo-period outcasts who, after centuries of isolation, regressed to a feral state. They are rumored to practice sinister rites, even cannibalism, and to hack down anyone who wanders in with sickles and hatchets. The tale’s “point of no return” centers on a young couple who supposedly lost their way, stumbled into the empty village, and were welcomed by a disturbingly polite old man—who then suddenly attacked and murdered them with a sickle.

From 100 Cursed Places · Fern Flower Press