The Sarayashiki (Plate Mansion) is one of Japan's foremost ghost stories. It recounts the tale of Okiku, a maidservant who, having broken one of a set of ten treasured plates, was executed by her lord and cast into a well on the estate. Thereafter, she became a ghost, counting the missing plates night after night. The Sarayashiki legend is found in various regions across Japan, and its precise origin remains undetermined. Notable versions include:

• The story associated with the 'Okiku Well' still preserved within Himeji Castle: During the Muromachi period, a woman named Okiku infiltrated the mansion of Aoyama Tetsuzan, a retainer who sought to usurp the Kodera family, the feudal lords of Himeji. Her identity was discovered, and she was slain by Tetsuzan and thrown into a well.
• The Amagasaki Sarayashiki story: The castle lord, Aoyama Harima-no-kami, killed a maidservant and cast her into a well.
• The Bancho Sarayashiki story from Edo: The wife of Hatamoto (a direct retainer of the shogun) Aoyama Shuzen, jealous of her husband's affection for his maidservant Okiku, tortured Okiku for breaking a treasured family plate, leading Okiku to throw herself into a well.