According to traditional belief, every person is born with two eyes to see the physical world and a hidden “third eye” nestled in the forehead. This eye can perceive truths beyond ordinary vision. This inner sight, known as the celestial eye, was believed to help people distinguish right from wrong and avoid becoming lost in their pursuit of fame and fortune.
In ancient times, it was said that everyone could see into higher realms with this spiritual eye. But as people reincarnated over many lifetimes, accumulating more karma from wrongdoing, the third eye became clouded or even sealed shut. Only those who had committed fewer evil deeds retained some of their ability to see beyond the material world.
Rarely have individuals with an awakened third eye been reported throughout history worldwide. One such person was Chizuko Mifune, a Japanese woman whose short life in the Meiji era became a cautionary tale of the potential and the peril of such a gift.
Chizuko Mifune’s early gift
Chizuko Mifune was born in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, on July 17, 1886, into a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. At 22, she married a lieutenant in the Japanese army. Shortly after their wedding, her husband was sent to the battlefield, leaving Chizuko to live with her in-laws.
One day, her father-in-law noticed that 50 yen had gone missing from his wallet. Chizuko Mifune paused briefly, then said it was in a drawer. To the family’s astonishment, the money was indeed found there. But instead of gratitude, suspicion fell on Chizuko Mifune. Her mother-in-law accused her of theft and contacted her son, who, still away at war, sent word to divorce her.
Banished from her marriage, Chizuko Mifune returned to her parents’ home and began helping at her father’s herbal medicine shop. Because her third eye was open, she could diagnose illnesses with uncanny accuracy, and the family business flourished.
Later, Chizuko Mifune’s brother-in-law, Kiyohara Takeo, introduced her to hypnosis and guided her through deep breathing techniques to enhance her abilities. Under hypnosis, she could see other dimensions — realms hidden from ordinary people.
Fame, betrayal, and public scrutiny
Word of Chizuko Mifune’s abilities spread. One day, a wealthy coal mine owner asked for her help locating coal veins. After walking with him and his team for four hours, she pointed out likely spots, and they successfully struck coal. In return, the grateful industrialist paid her an enormous sum. The event made headlines, sparking curiosity across Japan.
But not everyone celebrated her success. Kiyohara Takeo, the brother-in-law who had trained her, was outraged. He believed that Chizuko Mifune would never have developed her powers or gained such wealth without his guidance. He demanded a large share of the payment, leading to intense family disputes that deeply troubled Chizuko.
Her fame grew as more people sought help finding lost items or gaining wealth. In 1910, Dr. Shinkichi Imamura from Kyoto University and Dr. Tomokichi Fukurai from Tokyo University invited her to Tokyo to test her abilities before Japan’s scientific community.
Before an audience of renowned scholars, Chizuko Mifune took part in two controlled experiments. She was asked to use her powers to read words sealed inside a lead pipe. After steadying her breath and entering a focused state, she accurately wrote down the concealed text, astonishing those present.
However, the scientists, most committed to rationalism and atheism, were unable to explain what they had witnessed. Rather than admit defeat, they publicly denounced Chizuko Mifune as a fraud. The media repeated their claims, casting doubt on her abilities.
A gifted life cut short
Devastated by the backlash, Chizuko Mifune left Tokyo and returned to her hometown. But the damage was already done. News coverage had spread widely, and instead of welcoming her back, her neighbors mocked, insulted, and misunderstood her. Under mounting emotional pressure and feeling abandoned by society, she took her own life by drinking poison. She died on January 18, 1911, at the age of 24.
Remembering Chizuko
Chizuko Mifune’s story reflects the awe and the fear that society often has toward the unexplained. Whether one believes in the idea of a third eye or not, her life invites reflection on how easily gifted individuals can be crushed by suspicion, jealousy, and public scrutiny. Her tragedy continues to resonate more than a century later in a world quick to label the unexplainable as false.
Translated by Elaine
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