Japan's most famous ghost story

394,171 plays|

Jeffrey Angles |

TED-Ed

• October 2025

Long ago, a temple was built near the site of a naval battle that concluded the long and gruesome conflict known as the Genpei Wars. For centuries after, performers throughout the country honored this tragic past in beautiful, haunting performances. But the most skilled storyteller of all was a monk from this very temple. Jeffrey Angles digs into the Japanese legend of Hōichi the earless. [Directed by Masayoshi Nakamura, Good General, narrated by Adrian Dannatt, music by Zak Engel].