Chitenjo – Ceilings of Samurai Blood

Across Japan there are at least 12 temples that have what are known as Chitenjo, ceilings of samurai blood. The stories tell that the timbers used to line the temples’ overhead interiors were originally the floorboards from certain castles, in particular Gifu and Fushimi Castles, where the besieged defending warriors committed seppuku rather than face capture or surrender, or were cut down in its hallways by the invaders. In yet another case, the bloody ceiling planks were originally used to display heads taken in battle, and then reused to line the temple ceilings.