The Real-Life Woman That Inspired Japanese Horror Classic Ring - SlashFilm (2024)

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The Real-Life Woman That Inspired Japanese Horror Classic Ring - SlashFilm (1)

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Hideo Nakata's 1998 J-horror sensation "Ring" ("Ringu") revolves around images, mainly the distortion of photographs that denote Sadako's (Rie Inō) marked victims, and the eerie, anxiety-inducing cursed tape that comes alive in grotesque ways. Even Gore Verbinski's 2002 remake employs this photographic distortion — smudged and blurred faces that hint at the tragedy that befell the ones photographed, as if their very souls were smudged out of the frame.

The idea that photographs capture the essence of our souls is not recent, nor is its relation to spirit photography far-fetched, as the shadows and aberrations captured are often considered proof of something amiss. When Nakata was asked about this concept in an interview with Offscreen, the director affirmed that the idea for the smudged photos was inspired by a real-life woman who could allegedly manipulate objects with her clairvoyance, just like Sadako's influence manipulated the photographs:

"Mister Takahashi, who wrote the script with me, suggested strongly that we have the idea of the photos, which is actually based on a real-life person named Mifune Chizuko, a paranormal. As a paranormal this woman, Mifune, was able to project written words on paper and make words materialize on paper, these are things that paranormals can usually do ... This kind of shinrei shashin, which is the appearance of ghosts and spirits in photos, apparently really happened in Japan ... All this is related to the photographs and the image distortion we use[d] in the film."

Nakata's mention of Mifune Chizuko is rather interesting, as her story also serves as the blueprint for Shizuko, Sadako's mother, who is characterized as a renowned psychic inKoji Suzuki's "Ring," the novel that Nakata's film is based on. Let's learn more about the real-life Chizuko, and how her clairvoyance proved to be a double-edged sword.

Chizuko, the inspiration behind Shizuko in the Japanese Ring

The Real-Life Woman That Inspired Japanese Horror Classic Ring - SlashFilm (2)

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Let us start with a Tokyo Imperial University assistant professor named Fukurai Tomokichi, whom Nakata also mentions in the interview linked above in relation to Chizuko. Tomokichi was researching extra-sensory perception from a supernatural lens and was interested in a method known as a mesmeric state, a form of hypnosis that was believed to alter memory, perception, and consciousness in the duration of the fugue state. Mesmerism became a coveted experience during the early 1900s, as people believed it to be a conduit for attaining clairvoyance and other special abilities. Chizuko, a woman who was introduced to a variation of this hypnosis by her in-laws, allegedly developed abilities by the age of 24, piquing Tomokichi's interest as a possible research test subject.

After testing her alleged abilities privately, the professor held a public experiment on 15 September 1910, where Chizuko had to state what was written inside sealed envelopes, and mentally project the same writings to a target object near her. This experiment was overseen by physicist Yamakawa Kenjiro and was conducted over in the presence of several groups, and Chizuko's abilities appeared to be genuine at first glance. However, the press honed in on several flaws in the experiment: it was not controlled appropriately, as the writings in the envelopes were furnished by Tomokichi instead of a third party and the seals were tampered with. Moreover, Chizuko was left alone with the envelopes in a separate room for some time, further diluting the rational integrity of the experiment and its outcome. A combination of these factors sullied Chizuko's reputation, and she was publicly reviled for being a charlatan.

In a severely tragic turn of events, Chizuko died by suicide four months later from ingesting poison.

The birth of a doomed, tragic character in Nakata's Ring

The Real-Life Woman That Inspired Japanese Horror Classic Ring - SlashFilm (3)

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Koji Suzuki's "Ring" novel directly mirrors Chizuko's tragic story in Shizuko's arc, whose death is one of the core reasons behind Sadako's unmitigated rage. In Nakata's film, we learn about the events that befell the island of Ōshima, where a psychic named Shizuko Yamamura gained great renown after predicting a volcanic eruption. However, this fame turns against her when a professor of parapsychology exploits Shizuko's abilities, leading to a public demonstration gone wrong. After the local reporters question her abilities, and these criticisms lead to her suicide, Sadako unleashes her powers on the press, killing several. This rage fuels her even after death, and the cursed tape becomes a portal to hell, spreading like a disease that cannot be treated unless Sadako's spirit is assuaged.

Although Shizuko is not the focus of "Ring," her tragic death serves as the catalyst for everything in happens after, especially in Suzuki's novels, which detail Sadako's deteriorating psyche after the incident in vivid, excruciating detail. The virality of Shizuko's fame, which became a double-edged sword later on, is translated into the virality of the cursed tape, which takes on the form of a contagion that is replicated again and again to ensure survival. Just as the former claimed an innocent life, the latter went on to claim the lives of many unwitting souls, like a chain reaction that has a lot to say about the spectral nature of the moving image.

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The Real-Life Woman That Inspired Japanese Horror Classic Ring - SlashFilm (2024)

FAQs

What type of ghost is the girl from the ring? ›

Specifically, Sadako is a type of yūrei known as an onryō, bound by a desire for vengeance. In Sadako 3D, Sadako appears as her human self while still displaying traits of an onryō, in addition to the standard yūrei appearance. Ring: Kanzenban was the only rendition that differs from a traditional yūrei appearance.

Is Ringu based on a true story? ›

But before Hideo Nakata's Ringu or any of The Ring films, and even before the book series, a ghost story that would have occurred at Himeji Castle in Japan hundreds of years ago would inspire a slew of terrifying, impactful media.

What is Sadako horror? ›

Kayako (貞子 vs 伽椰子, Sadako bāsasu Kayako) is a 2016 Japanese supernatural comedy horror film directed by Kōji Shiraishi. It is a crossover of the Ju-on and Ring series. The film was first teased as an April Fools' joke on April 1, 2015, but was later confirmed on December 10 to be a real production.

Who is The Ring girl in real life? ›

Daveigh Chase
Chase in 2008
BornDaveigh Elizabeth Chase-Schwallier July 24, 1990 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Other namesDaveigh Elizabeth Chase
OccupationActress
1 more row

Who is the creepy girl from The Ring? ›

Samara Morgan is the main antagonist character in The Ring film series and the Western adaptation of Sadako Yamamura from the original Koji Suzuki novel, as well as from the Ringu franchise. Samara was once a child gifted with the psychic ability known as nensha.

Is it safe to watch The Ring? ›

Parents need to know that The Ring is a 2002 remake of a Japanese film that is very, very scary. Four people and a horse die on-screen, with the potential for many more untimely demises throughout.

Why is the tape cursed in The Ring? ›

The video tape's curse was created by Samara likely after her death in the well. Having a miserable and lonely life, Samara was nearly drowned at birth by her mother Evelyn, nearly drove her adoptive parents mad, and was eventually pushed down a well to her death seven days later.

Why was Sadako killed in Ringu? ›

Not yet even 20 years old, Sadako is murdered by a doctor at the sanitarium where she is kept following her mother's suicide. This doctor, entranced by Sadako's constantly noted physical beauty, first rapes her. Then, upon discovering she is intersex, throws her into a nearby well to her death.

Who is the girl in the ring? ›

Samara Osorio, better known as Samara Morgan, is the main antagonist of The Ring franchise, which was a remake of the Japanese psychological horror franchise Ring. She is the vengeful ghost of a young mass murderer and her character is based on Sadako Yamamura, who shares a similar backstory.

Is Sadako real in Japan? ›

In the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, there is a Statute of the A-Bomb Children. The statue is modeled on the young girl Sadako Sasaki (1943 – 1955). When she was two years old, Sadako was exposed to the radiation of the atomic bomb. She developed leukemia 10 years later and died at the age of 12.

What kind of monster is Samara? ›

Character Overview

In her cursed form, Samara is very haunting in appearance, resembling a Japanese Onry spirit, and spirit focused on vengeance. Her hair is now dark and soaking wet, hiding her waterlogged and deformed face which has turned somewhat gray in color and she has sunken, nearly colorless eyes.

Who is the ghost girl in The Ring? ›

Samara Osorio, better known as Samara Morgan, is the main antagonist of The Ring franchise, which was a remake of the Japanese psychological horror franchise Ring. She is the vengeful ghost of a young mass murderer and her character is based on Sadako Yamamura, who shares a similar backstory.

What is the ghost female version called? ›

Banshee is the closet you can get to a female spirit or ghost.

What is Samara Morgan's origin? ›

(From Rings) Her mother was called Evelyn. At one point she was kidnapped and raped by a priest and this impregnated her. (From The Ring Two) She believed that Samara is possessed by a demon, and tried to drown her, but the nuns prevented her. Evelyn was sent to the madhouse and Samara put up for adoption.

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