The Ghost In My Machine

Stories of the Strange and Unusual

The Most Dangerous Games: The White Kimono Game

by

Previously: Sever the Cord. 

The White Kimono Game reminds me a little bit of the Corner Game  in that they both utilize the four corners of a room to summon a spirit; the difference is that the White Kimono Game is a single-player game, so if you’ve been having trouble finding folks willing to try the Corner Game with you, this one is a reasonable alternative. Admittedly I’m not totally sure why you’d want to summon the spirits described in either game, as you don’t seem to get anything out of it other than bragging rights if you survive… but maybe that’s the point. Remember that whole tempting fate thing? I suspect it comes down — yet again — to that.

For the curious, the particular kind of white kimono Japanese ghosts are often depicted wearing is called a kyōkatabira. It’s basically a funeral shroud — the kimono in which people’s earthly remains are wrapped before burial. In Buddhism, it’s part of something called the shinishozoku (“the costume for one going to death,” according to Zack Davisson of the Japanese folklore site Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai); the full shinishozoku consists of the kyōkatabir, a triangle-shaped headband, a zutabukuro (small bag) containing the fee for passage across the Sanzu River (the river of the dead), a walking stick, arm, leg, and back coverings, and prayer beads.

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I haven’t been able to find a satisfactory translation of the summoning chant, so unfortunately I can’t tell you what it means. According to Scary for Kids, the original Japanese for it is apparently おんべいろきゃましろにそわか — if anyone out there is handy at translations, feel free to drop a comment.

As always, play at your own risk.

Players:

  • One principal.

Requirements:

  • A dark room with precisely four corners — no more, no less. The curtains should be drawn, and all sources of exterior light pollution should be eliminated.
  • A light source with an easy-to-operate switch.
  • A compass. Optional, but recommended if your sense of direction is somewhat lacking.

Instructions:

The Invitation:

  1. Begin after midnight. Between two and three o’clock in the morning is suggested.
  2. Go to your room, close the door, and lie down on your back. The lights should be on, but arranged such that they will be easy to turn off from your current position. (A small lamp positioned near your location of repose is ideal.) Your gaze should be focused on the ceiling.
  3. Turn your gaze to the northernmost corner of the room.
  4. Shift your gaze to the westernmost corner of the room.
  5. Shift your gaze to the southernmost corner of the room.
  6. Shift your gaze to the easternmost corner of the room.
  7. Repeat Steps 3 through 6 two more times, gazing at each corner in turn, moving counterclockwise, for a total of three circuits around the room.
  8. Cross your arms on your chest.
  9. Repeat the following words three times: “On be iroki yamashironi sowaka.”
  10. In your mind’s eye, picture a woman. She has long black hair, and she is dressed in a white kimono — or at least, it would be white, if it weren’t for the fact that it is heavily stained. The stain is red, a rusty red that invites terrible thoughts.
  11. She is walking towards you.
  12. She is still walking towards you.
  13. She is getting closer.
  14. She is very close.
  15. She is right before you.
  16. Uncross your arms.
  17. Turn off the lights.
  18. Go to sleep.

The Dream:

  1. If you see the woman in your dream, the invitation was successful. You may appreciate her presence; however, DO NOT:
    • Speak to her.
    • Tell her your name.
    • Let her whisper anything in your ear.
  2. If she begins whispering in your ear: Wake up immediately. Shaking your right hand in your dream is recommended; however, if you are skilled at lucid dreaming, you may use whichever method for waking yourself up you find to be the most effective.

The Awakening:

  1. Upon waking, examine the corners of the room. Do you see a shadow lurking in any of them? A shadow which should not be there?
  2. No? Then you are safe.
  3. Do not attempt this ritual again.

Additional Notes:

It is recommended that all players develop skills in lucid dreaming before attempting this ritual. Resources may be found below:

If You See A Shadow In The Room Upon Waking:

Turn the lights on immediately. Do not allow yourself to be alone in the dark again. Ever.

If You Are Unable To Wake Yourself Up:

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.

The White Kimono Game: FAQ.

***

[Photo via CecilJames/Pixabay, remixed by Lucia Peters]

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Haha this probably isn’t much help because I used Google Translate, but I attempted to translate the summoning chant:
    -On should be trickling when cats mashiro to sowaka

    Seems like nonsense to me

    Reply

  5. is this like with the bath game? for the bath game i heard that Daruma-san haunts your dreams if you fail to cut her loose. will the spirit in this game haunt your dreams as well?

    Reply

  6. i just have few questions 😉
    what if you cant wake up???
    what if you cant lucid dream but you still play?
    what if you dont even dream about her?
    and lastly… what if she doesnt even wear a white kimono??
    ohhh mannn if you try this or any of the other games then lemme know

    Reply

    • If you can’t wake up: you’re a goner.
      If you can’t lucid dream, but still play: all I can say is, goodluck. You’ll need it.
      If you don’t even dream about her: you have failed to summon her. Try again, if you dare.
      If she doesn’t even wear a white kimono: that’s probably not her, the one you see might be even more…..dangerous.

      Reply

    • 1. You’re screwed.

      2. Good luck! Hope you’ll wake up!

      3. The ritual didn’t work or you summoned something else other than her……..beware.

      4.You probably summoned something else, watch out.

      Reply

  8. I think the summoning chant has no actual meaning. It might just be a spell in the Japanese Shinto. I never heard the おんべいろきゃましろにそわか one, but I’ve heard a similar spell before and they both begin with “On” and end with “sowaka” so I suppose they fall in the same catalog.

    Reply

    • By the way, I forgot to mention that the correct pronunciation of the chant should be “On beyirokyamashironi sowaka” (I don’t know where to put spaces so…) The important thing is that the characters きゃ has only one syllable in Japanese, so they should be pronounced as “kya” instead of “ki ya”.

      Reply

    • You go watch Netflix and forget about the whole thing.
      Once the memory of her is gone, the ritual cannot be completed

      Reply

  10. I’m a beginner so my Japanese is a bit rusty, but I think I can translate. The 1st character translates to “Honorable,” the next character is used at the end of a sentence as a way of asking for approval. The 3rd character is used in a sentence as an invitation, the 4th character translates to “Greatness.” The 5th character translates to “Fireplace,” the 6th character means “Spirit.” The 7th means “Melting,” while the 8th means “Demon.” The 9th translates to “Death.” The 10th is the same as the fifth, while the 11th means “Two.” The 12th character means “White Silk,” And the 13th represents Admiration. The final character translates to “Beautiful.” Hope this helps! Love these posts!

    Reply

    • Are you serious… Japanese cannot be translated Hiragana by Hiragana, though these characters originated from Chinese characters, they have lost their meaning in Japanese. Basically you should form words with the Hiragana, like forming words in English with letters.

      Reply

  11. I forgot to mention the tenth may translate to “Silk Gauze” Instead of being the same as the fifth. They may be the same character but may have different translations depending on the sentence. Sorry about that, should have mentioned that in my previous comment.

    Reply

  13. You say “never be alone in the dark again”. What counts as “dark”? Does it have to be pitch black, or does dusk count?

    Reply

    • Good question. I think basicly they dont want you to be in a dark room again. Pitch black, yes you never want to enter a pitch black room after doing this ritual. But dusk and dawn im pretty sure dont count.

      Reply

    • Can you easily identify your surroundings without needing your eyes to adjust? If no then that’s probably what’s considered dark.

      Reply

  14. So, have you been interested in this kind of stuff since you were a kid? Because you’ve been posting so many games and even running a whole site on, you know,’the unknown’, so I was just wondering if you have always been into such stuff. You seem to be pretty interested in these, just like your loyal readers.

    Reply

      • Wow, can’t wait! Thank you so much for having a whole essay to post just to answer my question. You definitely know how to keep your readers interested in this site! I would like it if you mention my username in that essay saying that I asked this question. Love your profile picture though!

        Reply

    • I’ve actually had the essay on the calendar for a while — it’s part of my Halloween schedule, which I’ve been planning for about a month — but it’s fortuitous that your question popped up now!

      Reply

  15. Also, this question doesn’t relate to this game, it’s more a general question, but I’d like to ask it. While I haven’t seen any games that require you to wear all black on this particular site, may do, and you’re the online paranormal expert I trust the most. When a game says to wear all black (or any other color) does everything have I be black? Like, do any underlayers and my underwear have to be black, or can I just toss on a black trench coat?

    Reply

  18. What if I see her in my dreams but don’t perform the ritual? (I have really bad lucid dreams all the time and can never wake myself up)

    Reply

    • It’s highly unlikely to be her. It’s more than likely your subconscious. I’d like to say I’m 100% positive it’s not her, buts ghosts are a finicky thing. Still, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.

      Reply

      • This happened to me. I accidentally started the ritual but didn’t finish. For two weeks she haunted my dreams. Then months later she came into my house and started pacing back and forth in front of my bedroom door. It made me an insomniac for two months. Then when that stopped I heard someone at my frompnt door one morning at 6am. I got out of bed to answer it and when I looked out of the peephole she was standing at my door, looking at the peephole as if she knew I was there and was looking me right in the eye. I was on the verge of a breakdown. DO NOT PERFORM THIS RITUAL

        Reply

  19. I used Google translate and, adding spaces to the characters given, came up with “thank you for your cooperation”. It sounds like it could be right. Rituals like this usually involve thanking spirits and being very polite. I’m probably wrong, but just a thought.

    Reply

      • Leaving one in an endless nightmare from which one can never wake up might be a thing more torturous than just dying. Imagine a comatose person who is trapped in such a grave situation for his entire life… He will beg for death but how will he convey? His family members won’t let him die thus unknowingly elongating his torturous life.

        Reply

  22. Ah man this one is really creepy, I don’t think I could ever do something like this. Props to anyone who has done it.

    Reply

  25. Not only are the actual stories and games entertaining, I like to read the comments. Whether it’s people stating their own experiences (normally unlikely), or the questions burning in the back of their mind. I think it’s funny how people question the unknown. It’s like getting a bad ending in a video game. You want to know what happens so you can test it, even if it’s simply dying or a game over. But this is real life. You can’t save then make a stupid choice. Yet, as a human we always try to find loopholes in rules and such. But if we’re so inclined to find said loopholes…

    Aren’t we just asking spirits to cheat as well?

    Reply

  26. on-beiro appears to have some significance in shintoism, but i was unable to find anything in detail. it should be what you’re summoning as kyama is a very respectful honourific. the rest says “come crawling towards me, dressed in white.”
    “on-beiro-kyama, come crawling towards me, dressed in white.”
    -6 years of japanese study
    you want to pronounce it as:
    “on-bay-ee-row-kyah-mah, she-row nee so-wah-kah”

    Reply

  27. I want to use this game in my book that I’m writing. It’s about this game and two girls. Do I have to get permission? I just want to make sure, because I’m going to copy and paste like the instructions on the book. If I do have to get permission, how do I get it? And not be illegal?

    Reply

    • Hi there — please don’t copy and paste the rules for this game as written by The Ghost In My Machine, either in part or in whole, in your book. The versions of the urban legend/ritual games we post here are researched and written specifically for this site and may not be reproduced elsewhere.

      You’re welcome to do your own research and write your own versions of any of the legends we’ve covered, just as we do ourselves. If you choose to do so, please be sure to properly credit and cite each source you use as research.

      Reply

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