Hitobashira

Human sacrifice via premature burial

Hitobashira , also known as Da sheng zhuang in China, is a cultural practice of human sacrifice in East Asia of premature burial before the construction of buildings. Hitobashira was practiced formerly in Japan as a form of human sacrifice. A person was buried alive under or near large-scale buildings like dams, bridges and castles, as a prayer to Shinto gods. It was believed this would protect the building from being destroyed by natural disasters such as floods or by enemy attacks. Hitobashira can also refer to workers who were buried alive under inhumane conditions.

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