The first version of a kabuki ghost story which would be filmed numerous times, the story is based on a historical incident which occurred in 1622 when an assassination attempt Tokugawa lemitsu, during his visit to Utsunomiya Castle. This alleged plan involved luring lemitsu into a "death-trap" room with a falling ceiling filled with rocks. A sub-plot involves retribution by the ghost of a man murdered and buried in a well.