Hitobashira: The Tragic Stories of Human Pillars (Ep. 81)

<p>How do you build a bridge that stands up to storms and floods? Well, you have to appease the nature gods, of course. But how do you do that? Human sacrifice seemed to have worked in the past. Today I'll talk about <em>hitobashira</em> or human pillars. An ancient tradition of insuring strong river banks, fireproof castles, and tunnels that won't collapse.</p>