Ghost of Tsushima fans help rebuild shrine on real Tsushima island

Jim Hargreaves 11/01/21 Comments Closed

It’s time for some happy new now as we once again shine a spotlight on the fantastic Ghost of Tsushima. However, this story doesn’t have as much to do with the game than the small Japanese island it is set on, fans helping to raise more than $260,000 to rebuild a sacred Tsushima shrine.

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The island’s scenic Watatsumi Shrine was heavily damaged during a typhoon last year. In response, priest Yuichi Hirayama took to Japanese online crowdfunding platform Campire for support last November, the campaign finishing at 27,103,882JPY, 540% more than its original goal. The work to repair Watatsumi Shrine is due to start in April and finish sometime in August.

What’s next for Ghost of Tsushima?

Here’s what Hirayama had to say about the campaign and the involvement of Ghost of Tsushima players (via VGC):

We have received a great deal of support from the players of the Ghost of Tsushima game set in Tsushima, and I feel that it is God’s guidance.

Although a work of fiction, Ghost of Tsushima is based on real-world history with the Mongol invasion of Japan around 1268AD. If you want to learn more, we did a deep dive last year as part of our “Playing With History” series.

Looking at photos of Watatsumi Shrine, you’d swear they were punched up screenshots taken from Ghost of Tsushima. However the shrine – located in the central region of Tsushima island – doesn’t appear in-game though you can find several landmarks, as outlined in this tourism guide.

Source: VGC