World and Lore / Kyoto mystery

The Hole in the Wall

Long ago in Kyoto, there occurred a most curious episode. Night after night, a child's hand was reported to have been seen emerging from a hole in the wall of a house. A monk was called to read sutras and perform various rites, but to no avail. The hand kept up its mischievous tricks. As a last resort, the monk stuck the metal tip of an arrow into the wall, after which the hand was seen no more. Given that metal is believed by some to serve as a charm to ward away evil spirits, it may be that the arrowhead scared the ghost into submission... Unless it had simply grown tired of playing its paranormal pranks?