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, the story of Oiwa and Tamiya Iemon, is a tale of betrayal, murder and ghostly revenge. Arguably the most famous Japanese ghost story of all time, it has been adapted for film over 30 times and continues to be an influence on
Japanese horror Japanese horror, also known as J-horror, is horror fiction derived from popular culture in Japan, generally noted for its unique thematic and conventional treatment of the horror genre differing from the traditional Western representation of horr ...
today. Written in 1825 by Tsuruya Nanboku IV as a
kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...
play, the original title was . It is now generally shortened, and loosely translates as ''Ghost Story of Yotsuya.''


History

First staged in July 1825, ''Yotsuya Kaidan'' appeared at the Nakamuraza Theater in Edo (the former name of present-day Tokyo) as a double-feature with the immensely popular '' Kanadehon Chushingura''. Normally, with a Kabuki double-feature, the first play is staged in its entirety, followed by the second play. However, in the case of ''Yotsuya Kaidan'' it was decided to interweave the two dramas, with a full staging on two days: the first day started with ''Kanadehon Chushingura'' from Act I to Act VI, followed by ''Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan'' from Act I to Act III. The following day started with the Onbo canal scene, followed by ''Kanadehon Chushingura'' from Act VII to Act XI, then came Act IV and Act V of ''Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan'' to conclude the program. The play was incredibly successful, and forced the producers to schedule extra out-of-season performances to meet demand. The story tapped into people's fears by bringing the ghosts of Japan out of the temples and aristocrats' mansions and into the home of common people, the exact type of people who were the audience of his theater...


Story

As the most-adapted Japanese ghost story, the details of ''Yotsuya Kaidan'' have been altered over time, often bearing little resemblance to the original kabuki play, and sometimes removing the ghostly element altogether. However, the base story usually remains the same and recognizable. (Note: the following summary is of the original 1825 Nakamuraza production. As such, it does not detail the numerous subplots and characters added to the story over the intervening years.)


Act 1

Tamiya Iemon, a
rōnin In feudal Japan to early modern Japan (1185–1868), a ''rōnin'' ( ; , , 'drifter' or 'wandering man', ) was a samurai who had no lord or master and in some cases, had also severed all links with his family or clan. A samurai became a ''rō ...
, is having a heated exchange with his father-in-law, Yotsuya Samon, concerning Samon's daughter Oiwa (Iemon's name is sometimes romanized as ''Iyemon''). After it is suggested by Samon that Iemon and his daughter should separate, the ronin becomes enraged and murders Samon. The next scene focuses on the character Naosuke who is sexually obsessed with Oiwa's sister, the prostitute Osode, despite her being already married to another man, Satô Yomoshichi. As this scene begins, Naosuke is at the local brothel making romantic advances toward Osode when Yomoshichi and the brothel's owner, Takuetsu, enter. Unable to pay a fee demanded by Takuetsu, he is mocked by both Yomoshichi and Osode and forcibly removed. Shortly afterwards he kills his former master, whom he mistakes for Yomoshichi, at the precise time of the slaying of Samon. It is at this point that Iemon and Naosuke unite and conspire to mislead Oiwa and Osode into believing that they will exact revenge on the people responsible for their father's death. In return Osode agrees to marry Naosuke.


Act 2

Oume, the granddaughter of Itô Kihei, has fallen in love with Iemon. However, believing herself to be less attractive than Oiwa, she doesn't think Iemon will ever want to become her husband. Sympathizing with Oume's plight, the Itôs scheme to have Oiwa disfigured by sending her a topical poison disguised as a facial cream. Oiwa, unbeknownst to her at the time, is instantly scarred by the cream when she applies it. Upon seeing his wife's ghastly new countenance, Iemon decides he can no longer remain with her. He asks Takuetsu to rape Oiwa so that he will have an honorable basis for divorce. Takuetsu cannot bring himself to do this, so instead he simply shows Oiwa her reflection in a mirror. Realizing that she has been deceived, Oiwa becomes hysterical and, picking up a sword, runs towards the door. Takuetsu moves to grab her but Oiwa, attempting to evade him, accidentally punctures her own throat with the sword's tip. As she lies bleeding to death before a stunned Takuetsu, she curses Iemon's name. Not long after, Iemon becomes engaged to Oume. Act 2 closes with Iemon being tricked by Oiwa's ghost into slaying both Oume and her grandfather on the night of the wedding.


Act 3

The remaining members of the Itô household are annihilated. Iemon kicks Oyumi, the mother of Oume, into the Onbô Canal and Omaki, the servant of Oyumi, drowns by accident. Naosuke arrives in disguise as Gonbei, an eel vendor, and blackmails Iemon into handing over a valuable document. Iemon contemplates his prospects while fishing at the Onbô canal. On the embankment above the canal, Iemon, Yomoshichi and Naosuke appear to fumble as they struggle for possession of a note which passes from hand to hand in the darkness.


Act 4

At the opening Naosuke is pressuring Osode to consummate their marriage, to which she seems oddly averse. Yomoshichi appears and accuses Osode of adultery. Osode resigns herself to death in atonement and convinces Naosuke and Yomoshichi that they should kill her. She leaves a farewell note from which Naosuke learns that Osode was his younger sister. For the shame of this, as well as for the killing of his former master, he commits suicide.


Act 5

Iemon, still haunted by the ghost of Oiwa, flees to an isolated mountain retreat. There he rapidly descends into madness as his dreams and reality begin to merge and Oiwa's haunting intensifies. The act closes with Yomoshichi slaying Iemon out of both vengeance and compassion.


Historical basis

Nanboku incorporated two sensational and real-life murders into ''Yotsuya Kaidan'', combining fact and fiction in a manner that resonated with audiences. The first involved two servants who had murdered their respective masters. They were caught and executed on the same day. The second murder was from a
samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
who discovered his
concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...
was having an affair with a servant. The samurai had the faithless concubine and servant nailed to a wooden board and thrown into the
Kanda River The stretches 24.6 km from Inokashira Park in Mitaka, Tokyo, Mitaka to the Sumida River under the Ryōgoku Bridge at the boundary of Taito, Tokyo, Taitō, Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, and Sumida, Tokyo, Sumida. Its entire length lies within Tok ...
.


Popularity

''Yotsuya Kaidans popularity is often accounted for by the way it fit the mood of its time, as well as its use of universal
theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical appearance for certain software. * Theme (linguistics), topic * Theme ( ...
s. The
Bunsei was a after '' Bunka'' and before ''Tenpō''. This period spanned the years from April 1818 through December 1830. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * April 22, 1818 (): The new era name was created to mark the enthronement of the emp ...
era was a time of social unrest, and the repressed position of women in society was severe. The exchange of power for powerlessness was something audiences could relate to. Oiwa went from a delicate victim to a powerful avenger, while Iemon transforms from tormentor to tormented. Also, Oiwa is much more direct in her
vengeance Vengeance may refer to: *Vengeance (concept) or revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance Film * ''Vengeance'' (1930 film), action adventure film directed by Archie Mayo * ''Vengeance'' (1937 film) or ''W ...
than Okiku, another popular kabuki ghost, and she is much more brutal. This added level of violence thrilled audiences, who were seeking more and more violent forms of entertainment. In addition, the performance of ''Yotsuya Kaidan'' was filled with fantastic
special effects Special effects (often abbreviated as F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the fictional events in a story or virtual world. ...
, with her ruined face projecting magnificently from an onstage lantern, and her hair falling out in impossible amounts. ''Yotsuya Kaidan'' paired the conventions of ''kizewamono'' "raw life play", which looked at the lives of non-nobles, and kaidanmono "ghost play".


Ghost of Oiwa

Oiwa is an
onryō In Japanese traditional beliefs and literature, are a type of ghost () believed to be capable of causing harm in the world of the living, injuring or killing enemies, or even causing natural disasters to exact Revenge, vengeance to "redres ...
, a ghost who seeks vengeance. Her strong passion for revenge allows her to bridge the gap back to Earth. She shares most of the common traits of this style of Japanese ghost, including the white dress representing the burial kimono she would have worn, the long, ragged hair and white/indigo face that marks a ghost in kabuki theater. There are specific traits to Oiwa that set her apart physically from other onryou. Most famous is her left eye, which droops down her face due to poison given her by Iemon. This feature is exaggerated in kabuki performances to give Oiwa a distinct appearance. She is often shown as partially bald, another effect of the poison. In a spectacular scene in the kabuki play, the living Oiwa sits before a mirror and combs her hair, which comes falling out due to the poison. This scene is a subversion of erotically-charged hair combing scenes in kabuki love plays. The hair piles up to tremendous heights, achieved by a stage hand who sits under the stage and pushes more and more hair up through the floor while Oiwa is combing. Oiwa is supposedly buried at a temple, Myogyo-ji, in
Sugamo is a neighborhood in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. It is home to , a shopping street popular among the older generation, earning it the nickname "Granny's Harajuku." It lies at the crossing point of the JR Yamanote Line and National Route 17. Availabl ...
, a neighborhood of
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. The date of her death is listed as February 22, 1636. Several productions of ''Yotsuya Kaidan,'' including television and movie adaptations, have reported mysterious accidents, injuries and even deaths. Prior to staging an adaptation of Yotsuya Kaidan it is now a tradition for the principal actors and the director to make a pilgrimage to Oiwa's grave and ask her permission and blessing for their production. This is considered especially important of the actor assuming the role of Oiwa.
Sadako Yamamura is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Koji Suzuki's ''Ring'' novel series and its eponymous film series. Her backstory varies between continuities, but all depict her as the vengeful ghost of a young psychic who was murdered and ...
from the film ''
Ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...
'' is a clear homage to Oiwa. Her final appearance is a direct adaptation of Oiwa, including the cascading hair and drooping, malformed eye. Also in ''
Ju-On is a Japanese horror media franchise, franchise created by Takashi Shimizu. The franchise began in 1998 with the release of the short films Katasumi and 4444444444, ''Katasumi'' and ''4444444444''. Shimizu attended the Film School of Tokyo, w ...
'', when Hitomi is watching the television, the television presenter is morphed into a woman with one small eye and one large eye, possibly a reference to Oiwa.


''Yotsuya Kaidan'' and ukiyo-e

Being a popular Kabuki play, ''Yotsuya Kaidan'' soon became a popular subject for
ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock printing, woodblock prints and Nikuhitsu-ga, paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes ...
artists as well. In 1826, the same year the play opened at Sumiza Theater in
Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
, Shunkosai Hokushu produced ''The Ghost of Oiwa''. She is recognizable by her drooping eyes and partial baldness. An unusual image featuring a still-living Oiwa was depicted as one of the ''New Forms of Thirty-Six Ghosts'' by
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (; also named Taiso Yoshitoshi ; 30 April 1839 – 9 June 1892) was a Japanese printmaker.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005)"Tsukoka Kōgyō"in ''Japan Encyclopedia,'' p. 1000. Yoshitoshi ha ...
.
Katsushika Hokusai , known mononymously as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. His woodblock print series '' Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'' includes the iconic print ''The Great Wave off Kanagawa''. Ho ...
created perhaps the most iconic image of Oiwa, in his series ''
One Hundred Ghost Stories ''One Hundred Ghost Stories'' () is a series of ukiyo-e Woodblock printing in Japan, woodblock prints made by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) in the Yūrei-zu genre circa 1830. He created this series around the same time he was creating his most ...
'', in which he drew the face of her angry spirit merged with a temple lantern. Shunkosai Hokuei made a visual quotation of Hokusai's design in the illustration above, including Iemon as he turns to meet the apparition, drawing his sword. The lantern scene is a favorite, also being carved into
netsuke A is a miniature sculpture, originating in 17th century Japan. Initially a simply-carved button fastener on the cords of an box, later developed into ornately sculpted objects of craftsmanship.Yuji Yamashita (2014), ''Meiji no saimitsu kogei'' ...
. This image of Oiwa appears to give Akari Ichijou a cup of tea in her victory pose in the arcade game ''
The Last Blade ''The Last Blade'' is a fighting game developed and released by SNK for the Neo Geo system in 1997. It was also ported to several home systems. A sequel, '' The Last Blade 2'', was released in 1998. A second sequel, '' The Last Blade: Beyond the ...
''.
Utagawa Kuniyoshi Utagawa Kuniyoshi (, ; 1 January 1798 – 14 April 1861) was one of the last great masters of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting.Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric ''et al'' (2005). "Kuniyoshi" in He was a member of the Utaga ...
illustrated the scene at Hebiyama, showing a still-lantern-headed Oiwa coming for Iemon, surrounded by snakes and smoke.


Film adaptations

The first film adaptation was made in 1912, and it was filmed some 18 times between 1913 and 1937. A notable adaptation was ''Shimpan Yotsuya Kaidan'' by Itō Daisuke, one of the foremost Japanese directors of his time. A 1949 adaptation, ''The New Version of the Ghost of Yotsuya'' (''Shinshaku Yotsuya kaidan''), by Kinoshita Keisuke removed the ghostly elements and presented Oiwa as an apparition of her husband's guilty
psyche Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" ( ψυχή). Psyche or La Psyché may also refer to: Psychology * Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious * ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unc ...
. It was also known as ''The Phantom of Yotsuya''. The
Shintoho was a Japanese movie studio. It was one of the big six film studios (which also included Daiei, Nikkatsu, Shochiku, Toei Company, and Toho) during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. It was founded by defectors from the original Toho company ...
studio produced
Nobuo Nakagawa was a Japanese film director, most famous for the stylized, Folklore, folk tale-influenced horror films he made in the 1950s and 1960s. Career Born in Kyoto, Nakagawa was early on influenced by proletarian literature and wrote amateur film revi ...
's 1959 ''Ghost of Yotsuya'' (''
Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan is a 1959 Japanese supernatural horror film directed by Nobuo Nakagawa. The film is based on the kabuki play '' Yotsuya Kaidan''. It was among the many horror films that Nakagawa adapted for Shintoho in the late 1950s and was one of the many a ...
''), which is often considered by critics to be the finest screen adaptation of the story.
Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
produced a version of ''Ghost of Yotsuya'' in 1965 directed by
Shirō Toyoda was a Japanese film director and screenwriter who directed over 60 films during his career which spanned 50 years. He was denoted for his high-quality adaptations of works of many important twentieth-century Japanese writers. Career Born in Kyo ...
and starring
Tatsuya Nakadai is a Japanese film actor. He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including '' The Human Condition'' trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus '' Harakiri'', '' Samurai Rebellion'' and '' Kwaidan''. Nakada ...
that was released as '' Illusion of Blood'' abroad. In 1994,
Kinji Fukasaku was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Known for his "broad range and innovative filmmaking", Fukasaku worked in many different genres and styles, but was best known for his gritty Yakuza film, yakuza films, typified by the Battles With ...
returned to the Kabuki roots and combined the stories of ''
Chūshingura is the title given to fictionalized accounts in Japanese literature, theater, and film that relate to the historical incident involving the forty-seven ''rōnin'' and their mission to avenge the death of their master, Asano Naganori. Including ...
'' and ''Yotsuya Kaidan'' into the single ''
Crest of Betrayal ''Crest of Betrayal'', known in Japan as , is a 1994 Japanese film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. Written by Motomu Furuta and Fukasaku, it combines two enduring Japanese legends; '' Chūshingura'', which tells the story of the historical forty-seve ...
''. There have also been adaptations on television. Story 1 of the
Japanese television drama , also called or J-drama, are television programs that are a staple of Television in Japan, Japanese television and are broadcast daily. Format All major Television networks, TV networks in Japan produce a variety of Drama (genre), drama serie ...
''Kaidan Hyaku Shosetsu'' was a version of ''Yotsuya Kaidan'', and episodes 1–4 of '' Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales'', a 2006 anime television series, were also a retelling of the story. Some critics have identified loose connections between the story of Oiwa and the plot of the ''
Ju-On is a Japanese horror media franchise, franchise created by Takashi Shimizu. The franchise began in 1998 with the release of the short films Katasumi and 4444444444, ''Katasumi'' and ''4444444444''. Shimizu attended the Film School of Tokyo, w ...
'' films.


See also

*
Banchō Sarayashiki is a Kaidan, Japanese ghost story (kaidan) of broken trust and broken promises, leading to a dismal fate. Alternatively referred to as the tradition, all versions of the tale revolve around a servant, who dies unjustly and returns to haunt t ...
*
Botan Dōrō is a Japanese ghost story () and one of the most famous in Japan. The plot involves sex with the dead and the consequences of loving a ghost. It is sometimes known as , based on the kabuki version of the story; this title is commonly used i ...
*
Japanese mythology Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of years of contac ...
*
Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...
*
Obake and are a class of ''yōkai'', preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore. Literally, the terms mean ''a thing that changes'', referring to a state of transformation or shapeshifting. These words are often translated as "ghost", but prima ...
*
Onryō In Japanese traditional beliefs and literature, are a type of ghost () believed to be capable of causing harm in the world of the living, injuring or killing enemies, or even causing natural disasters to exact Revenge, vengeance to "redres ...
*
Vengeful ghost In mythology and folklore, a vengeful ghost or vengeful spirit is said to be the spirit of a dead person who returns from the afterlife to seek revenge for a cruel, unnatural or unjust death. In certain cultures where funeral and burial or crem ...
*
Yūrei are figures in Japanese folklore analogous to the Western concept of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, (''yū''), meaning "faint" or "dim" and (''rei''), meaning "soul" or "spirit". Alternative names include , meaning ruined or departed ...


Notes


References

*Addiss, Steven, ''Japanese Ghosts and Demons'', USA, George Braziller, Inc., 1986, *Araki, James T., ''Traditional Japanese Theater: An Anthology of Plays'', USA, Columbia University Press, 1998 *Iwasaka, Michiko, ''Ghosts and the Japanese: Cultural Experience in Japanese Death Legends'', USA, Utah State University Press 1994, *Ross, Catrien, ''Supernatural and Mysterious Japan'', Tokyo, Japan, Tuttle Publishing, 1996, *Scherer, Elisabeth, ''Haunting Gaps: Gender, Modernity, Film and the Ghosts of Yotsuya Kaidan'', in: Journal of Modern Literature in Chinese 12.1, Winter 2014, Special Issue on "Recognizing Ghosts", pp. 73–88. * * * *


External links


田中貢太郎「南北の東海道四谷怪談」
online texts of ''Yotsuya Kaidan'' by Tanaka Kotaro at
Aozora Bunko Aozora Bunko (, , also known as the "Open Air Library") is a Japanese digital library. This online collection encompasses several thousand works of Japanese-language fiction and non-fiction. These include out-of-copyright books or works that t ...
.
Oiwa Inari Tamiya Jinja, a shrine connected to one of Japan's most famous ghost stories "Yotsuya Kaidan"
{{Japanese folklore long Japanese ghosts Japanese folklore * Kabuki plays 1825 plays Japanese horror films Female legendary creatures