Fans Of 'demon Slayer' Flock To Shrine In Oita
Fans of the blockbuster animated movie "Kimetsu no Yaiba," or "Demon Slayer," are flocking to a shrine in southwestern Japan because of its association with the film.
The movie is based on a hit manga series about a boy who battles demons in Japan about a century ago.
Fans have found a number of similarities between the manga series and Hachiman Kamado, a shrine in the city of Beppu, Oita Prefecture. They regard the site as a "holy place."
The picture of a dragon on the shrine's ceiling is similar to what appears in the anime story. The shrine also has some demon-related legends.
On Tuesday, a national holiday, many people from the prefecture and beyond visited the shrine. Some drew pictures of characters from the manga series on wooden plaques, while others took photos.
A man with his family said his child first watched the TV anime series, and then his whole family really got into Demon Slayer. He said he wants to take his time to tour the shrine and find similarities with the manga.
Shrine officials say the number of weekend visitors dwindled due to the coronavirus outbreak to a several dozen at one point, but recovered to over 2,000 last weekend.
