Investigation Summary
Mount Osore (Osorezan) is an active volcanic complex on the Shimokita Peninsula, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Bodai-ji temple operates in the volcanic caldera as a Sōtō Zen pilgrimage site associated with Buddhist traditions of death and the afterlife. The site is associated with itako — traditionally blind female mediums who perform kuchiyose (spirit-summoning) rituals during twice-yearly Itako Taisai festivals.
Academic research establishes that both the Jizō death cult and itako practice at Osorezan are primarily 20th-century and late-Tokugawa developments. No independently sourced paranormal witness accounts have been identified; itako practice is documented as religious and cultural tradition.