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Tales of the Kyoto Ghost Story Priest: True Horror Stories from Japan
When your house is haunted by demons, who do you call?
The beautiful city of Kyoto has an ancient history but beneath its placid exterior lies a dark and secretive world of supernatural phenomena. When people are terrorized by spirits, demons, ghosts and monsters they seek out Daiun Miki, a real-life priest at Renkyuji Temple. Known throughout Japan as the "Ghost Story Priest," Miki retells the stories of the desperate people he counsels and protects from these otherworldly creatures.
The eleven horrifying true stories in this book Broken Mirrors — A couple believe the mirrors in their home are cursed when they begin to show far more than their reflectionsThe Monster of Funaoka Mountain — A group of boys spend the night in a "haunted" park only to discover that legends are often more than mere mythsKokeshi Doll Mother — An orphan girl develops a powerful bond with her precious doll but when her friend comes between them the consequences turn deadly The Smell of Impending Death — Daiun explains his ability to smell the stench of death on people who are about to die, and how this is more of a curse than a blessingAnd seven other chilling tales!
Meticulously adapted by manga artist Tatsuya Morino, Tales of a Kyoto Ghost Story Priest is a fascinating look at the ghostly world of Kyoto from the perspective of a real Buddhist priest.
The beautiful city of Kyoto has an ancient history but beneath its placid exterior lies a dark and secretive world of supernatural phenomena. When people are terrorized by spirits, demons, ghosts and monsters they seek out Daiun Miki, a real-life priest at Renkyuji Temple. Known throughout Japan as the "Ghost Story Priest," Miki retells the stories of the desperate people he counsels and protects from these otherworldly creatures.
The eleven horrifying true stories in this book Broken Mirrors — A couple believe the mirrors in their home are cursed when they begin to show far more than their reflectionsThe Monster of Funaoka Mountain — A group of boys spend the night in a "haunted" park only to discover that legends are often more than mere mythsKokeshi Doll Mother — An orphan girl develops a powerful bond with her precious doll but when her friend comes between them the consequences turn deadly The Smell of Impending Death — Daiun explains his ability to smell the stench of death on people who are about to die, and how this is more of a curse than a blessingAnd seven other chilling tales!
Meticulously adapted by manga artist Tatsuya Morino, Tales of a Kyoto Ghost Story Priest is a fascinating look at the ghostly world of Kyoto from the perspective of a real Buddhist priest.
- GenresMangaShort StoriesHorror
176 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2025
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 18, 2026
A manga that is a collection of supposed real tales by clients who came to Daiun Miki, a Buddhist priest in Kyoto who makes popular appearances on Japanese TV & radio, who shares his ghost stories mixed with principles of Buddhism. These stories tend to focus on individuals who are experiencing some form of the supernatural and consult Daiun Miki for spiritual cleansing and advice. With the exception of two autobiographical stories from the author himself, the rest of the stories shown that some spirits are not at rest when there are unfinished business.
I never heard of the author before, but the stories were relatively easy to get into. They tend to have the author introduce us to the client and what their situation is before he takes on their requests. While the tales are not horrifying in how you would say a horror movie goes for western audiences, there are quite a few with a rather eerie tone to them. These tales are told in a slow and soft manner, which does help build up to the reveals. And by the end, the author would usually explains a Buddhist principle in how it relates to the story, serving as kind of a morale tale. A few of them, he does not, and leaves the ending feeling a little more haunted. The philosophy he applies to each tale is not overly preachy, but simple enough that you can comprehend their meaning. Similarly, the illustrations done by Tatsuya Morino is not your typical polished manga style, but is a combo between retro and uncanny valley, which supports the ghostly atmosphere in this novel. It's not my preferred style, but is done with good detail in the pages. As this is translated into English, I do feel like a few of the wording feels a little jilted, but this is very mild. Tales of the Kyoto Ghost Story Priest is a unique manga in showcasing the paranormal side of Japanese culture.
I never heard of the author before, but the stories were relatively easy to get into. They tend to have the author introduce us to the client and what their situation is before he takes on their requests. While the tales are not horrifying in how you would say a horror movie goes for western audiences, there are quite a few with a rather eerie tone to them. These tales are told in a slow and soft manner, which does help build up to the reveals. And by the end, the author would usually explains a Buddhist principle in how it relates to the story, serving as kind of a morale tale. A few of them, he does not, and leaves the ending feeling a little more haunted. The philosophy he applies to each tale is not overly preachy, but simple enough that you can comprehend their meaning. Similarly, the illustrations done by Tatsuya Morino is not your typical polished manga style, but is a combo between retro and uncanny valley, which supports the ghostly atmosphere in this novel. It's not my preferred style, but is done with good detail in the pages. As this is translated into English, I do feel like a few of the wording feels a little jilted, but this is very mild. Tales of the Kyoto Ghost Story Priest is a unique manga in showcasing the paranormal side of Japanese culture.
March 13, 2025
The author of this one is an actual Buddhist priest at a major Kyoto temple, so there's definitely some religion in here - in fact, he often uses ghost stories as a way to slip in sermons in real life. But if that doesn't bother you, this is a decent read, even if the translation isn't up to some of Tuttle's other books' standards.
May 23, 2025
4 stars.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews