In ancient times, across many cultures, human sacrifices have been an integral part. Something similar was practised in Japan as well till the 16th century. But the shocking practice used to take place before the construction of buildings, dams, bridges and castles. The Japanese held a premature burial and the reason for this practice will leave you stunned. Hitobashira, which means human pillar in English, is also known as Da sheng zhuang in China, tumbal proyek in Indonesia and myosade in Burma. It is a cultural practice of sacrificing humans in East and Southeast Asia. A premature burial is held before the construction of any building.
Generally, a person was buried alive under or near large-scale buildings like dams, bridges and castles. It was believed to be a prayer to Shinto Gods. The Japanese believed that this way, they would be able to protect the building from getting destroyed in case of natural disasters like floods or enemy attacks.
The practice of Hitobashira was reportedly first proposed by Lu Ban. The Japanese man believed that moving the soil during large-scale construction like forts, bridges or dams could disturb the Feng Shui of the land. It could anger the ghosts of those who died unjustly which may hinder construction. This practice was then proposed to get rid of evils and reduce the chances of accidents at construction sites.
As per archaeological evidence, the remains of an infant was found during Dongzhao excavation in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. Hitobashira practice was done to reduce bad or ill omens. People believed that a human sacrifice would please God and they could seek His blessings to protect their buildings or construction from disasters.
It is claimed that one of the oldest surviving castles in Japan, the Maruoka Castle, was constructed with a human pillar. Similarly, Hitobashira was practised before the construction of Matsue Ohashi Bridge and Matsue Castle. In China, a similar practice to Hitobashira was called Sakdaulung. During the flood situation, a child was forcibly put into the exit hole of a dam believing that the child’s sacrifice would stop the flood.
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