They say that Himejijo is haunted by a female ghost - can you see her in this photo?
Supposedly, a servant named "Okiku" was serving the lord of the castle, when she overheard the one of the chief retainer's plottings to kill the lord and inherit the castle. She spread the word of the evil plan, thus saving the lord's life. When the retainer learned that it was she who foiled his plot, he took his revenge by stealing one of the 10 treasured dishes and blaming Okiku. She was tied up and stoned to death over the course of several days. The retainer then threw her body in a nearby castle well, where visitors report "sensing her presence" to this day.