Kanmon bridge

[En route, crossing the Kanmon Bridge, Fukuoka to Shimonseki, Yamaguchi, Japan]

A fleet of soft glowing greenish ghostly ships nestled across the Kanmon Straits as far as Alex's eyes could see from the start of the bridge. Most congregated around the left side of the bridge.

From the car windows, he could spot the sails with patterns that resembled a clan mon, an emblem, on them, and the many rowing paddles in rhythm, resembling a centipede's legs. Smaller ships flanked the few large ones.

The large cargo ships transporting freight from all over the world dwarfed the ghostly ships.

A rain of phantom arrows flew in the sky against an invisible target, fighting an eternal, unseen battle. Alex could spot the figures of arches and the long pole arms held by warriors rushing to the front for naught. Before the arrows could touch the bow of the cargo ships sailing through the Kanmon straits, the phantom arrows vanished.

In what time period were those ships stuck in? Alex mused as he continued observing the spectral scene before him.

The cargo ship blew its horn at a smaller approaching ship as it cut through the apparitions of its more ancient counterparts, which went up in smoke and then re-formed again after a while.

For the yachts sailing through, they went through the ghostly ships haunting the area, which did not dissipate.

"Ships don't have souls," Alex blurted out. "They are not living beings but constructed by man."

"Heh, Tsukumogami exists, but they need to absorb stray energy waves for a long time before they can form a soul," Yata said.

"The ships are not Tsukumogami," Shamoji muttered. "Just ghostly illusions generated by over two thousand ghosts which drowned with them. Enough to fool even yōkai and low level primeval beings."

"Which era were these ships from?" Alex asked.

"Heard of the Genpei war from 1180 to 1185?" Shamoji asked.

"Yes."

"The Battle of Dan-no-ura?"

Alex shook his head, only mildly comforted by the fact at least he had seen ships built in the last days of the Heian period to satisfy his knowledge. Pity he wasn't alive to give a full reconstruction of those ships to a living audience at a university.

He recalled reading about the Genpei war between the Taira clan and the Minamoto clan, but not in detail. The finale of the Genpei war led to the extermination of the Taira clan - that much Alex knew from the university lectures.

Wars were brutal, and he wondered why Shamoji mentioned this particular battle.

"How do you know it is over two thousand souls?"

Shamoji handed him his iPhone. "Google that and then let me know how many casualties were in that battle alone."

Alex tapped quickly into the iPhone and scrolled down to read. "Doesn't say how many, but it specifies the number of ships. Around 500 ships for the Taira clan versus 800 for Minamoto. Don't tell me they sunk the entire Taira fleet."

All those lost human lives on 500 ships plus casualties from the Minamoto side sunk or suicided. Alex calculated that would amount to at least over two thousand ghosts.

The Lexus was approaching the middle of the bridge. Alex continued looking out until three twisted and bloodied faces slammed into his window, causing him to reel back in fright. He could hear banging sounds all over the car.

"These are onryō, a type of vengeful ghosts. They died at sea during the battles, wars or the occasional suicide. More volatile than the average yōkai," Shamoji said as he drove on while Alex stared at Shamoji's side windows with at least a couple of horrifying ghosts banging to get in.

"A-are t-they g-going to get in?" Alex gulped.

"Nope."

"Why are they so angry and why our car?"

"They smelled meat."

Alex widened his eyes. He had a feeling dropping by KFC was a bad idea. The whole car still reeked of fried chicken. "The DAMN KFC?"

*THUMP THUMP THUMP*

Alex followed the sound to the top of the roof. Something was trying to hammer the roof in. His face crumbled as he thought of how thin the car roof might be. Wait, can metal even hold up against the ghosts?

*THUD*

*THUMP THUMP*

*THUD*

Now what? Something was jumping on the roof, making him cringe at the prospect of no escape.

Shamoji flicked his tongue slowly across his lips while Alex grew uneasy at the moment of silence.

Shamoji winked and said, "You. Weak, easy, and a lot of energy to sustain them for a while."

"HUH?"

"Truth," Yata pipped in.

Alex wished he could melt into the seat as more ghostly banging on the windows continued. More faces started crowding the front window of the Lexus.

"Goody. Yata? Ready for feeding time?"

Feeding time - Shamoji called it out like an enthusiastic zoo keeper with a bucket of meat, ready to throw in the hungry crocodile pit. Alex shrunk back further into his seat as far as he could go, hoping not to be noticed. He didn't want to be fed to the bunch of nasty ghosts outside trying to thump their way in.

"Not you, silly." Shamoji flipped the wiper stick up as a bright light engulfed those on the bonnet.

The other ghosts fled in panic while the sound of stones started rattling into the glove box in front of Alex.

"Easiest way to gain soul stones."

Alex stared at the glove box and then at the bonnet, but he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Shamoji even rigged this Lexus up to farm soul stones from unsuspecting ghosts.

"Alas, we can do once it in a while. The ghosts wise up for a bit and avoid the bridge." Shamoji shrugged as Alex opened the glove box and counted the thirty large soul stones glittering in its dark interior.

"Thirty! If you guys can farm like this, how come there are so many ghosts still here with their ships?" Alex blinked in confusion.

"The ghosts of the Taira clan stay on their ships below or near Akama Jingu on the left of the bridge, but a lot of others died around here over the centuries during the occasional suicide, and a lot of wars civil wars," Shamoji replied.

Alex typed Akama jingu into the google browser of Shamoji's iPhone, and his eyes shifted quickly through the information, mostly aimed at tourists. Then he caught sight of the tragic story of Akama Jingu near a tomb of a six-year-old child emperor, Antoku, laid.

"A dead six-year-old emperor?"

"Well," Shamoji paused. "His grandmother plunged into the waters with him to avoid capture. Pity, the child is very innocent."

Alex couldn't help but feel sorry for the young boy, but that was how bloody imperial families were - kill, or be killed in the struggle for power. Any threats to the throne had to be exterminated down to the last child. Human history in the distant past was too bloody for him, a human being of the recent times, to imagine.

"Is he a ghost?"

"I can take you to his shrine to meet him," Shamoji spoke of Antoku, like he was a real human child. "Once the humans enshrine anyone in this land, and the enshrined person has actual worshippers, it loses ghostly status and promotes onward to Kami rank if it has not entered Yomi-no-Kuni. Rules in Takamagahara differ from Xitian."

"What is Antoku like?"

"Well-behaved and timid child, but he throws tantrums at times. Still kept his innocence for centuries." Shamoji took a turn to the nearest exit.

"Won't others bully him since he is so young?"

Shamoji and Yata chuckled at his concern.

Shamoji replied, "They deal with thousands of angry Taira ghosts then. Those are nasty."

"MISHAKUJI," a voice roared from the car speakers against the lowered volume of the rap song, interrupting their conversation. Shamoji rolled his eyes and tapped on his steering wheel.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" the voice bellowed in demand.

Alex cowered at the threatening voice.

"Old fart, I am just visiting your shrine."

Alex stared at Shamoji. Was this Antoku? He sounded monstrous. That's not a kid's voice.

"OH, AND CAN YOU GET ME SAKE? THE GOOD SHIT, NOT THE CHEAP SHIT THEY LEAVE ME IN THE SHRINE."

Wait, kids don't drink? Or was it different in the Heian days without fresh water? Alex wondered. The ancient people were pretty odd with the habits.

"Junmai?"

"YES. A GOOD ONE. DON'T NEED THOSE ADDED ALCOHOL."

"Gotcha," Shamoji replied.

"SEE YOU!"

Alex pointed his trembling finger at the car dash board. "A child emperor who knows how to drink sake?"

Shimoji paused for a bit while Yata remained mum. "Yeah! He is an emperor - knows nothing but luxury."

Alex slapped his face. "That kid is too young to drink."

"He's older than you by roughly eight hundred years old."

Alex glanced at the mirror that Yata's face changed as his cheeks bloated up, struggling not to open his mouth.

"The speaker earlier isn't Antoku, is he?" Alex narrowed his eyes.

"I forgot to mention that Ōwatatsumi oversees the area. But for the moment — "

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Yata curled up laughing aloud in the backseat.

"… you thought he was Antoku," Shamoji replied.

"Ōwatatsumi, the eldest dragon god?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, but he is still younger than Ōmononushi and most of the Mishakuji," Shamoji replied. "He is fond of watching over Antoku around here since they share the shrine. So Taira ghosts and one enormous dragon being to deal with."

"By the way, heard of the heikegani crabs of Shimonoseki?"

Alex shook his head but quickly googled on Shamoji's iPhone. He grimaced at the pictures of crabs with the ferocious samurai mask-faces.

"Those hideous faces on their carapaces?"

"Yeah. The Taira Samurais according to local legends. Occasional messengers of Antoku but what does that 6-year-old have to do with it?"

"What?"

"Some local yōkai told us they are his playmates, not so much messengers."