Yotsuya Kaidan (四谷怪談), the story of Oiwa and Iemon, is a tale of betrayal, murder and ghostly revenge. Onryō (怨霊 is a Japanese ghost who is able to return to the physical world in order to seek Vengeance. 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 today. "Kwaidan" redirects here For the book by Lafcadio Hearn see Kwaidan Stories and Studies of Strange Things. J-Horror is a term used to refer to Japanese contributions to Horror fiction in popular culture
Written in 1825 by Tsuruya Nanboku IV as a kabuki play, the original title was Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan (東海道四谷怪談). is a form of traditional Japanese theatre. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate Make-up worn by some of its performers It is now generally shortened, and loosely translates as Ghost Story of Yotsuya.
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History
First staged in July of 1825, Yotsuya Kaidan appeared at the Nakamuraza theater as a double-feature with the immensely popular Kanadehon Chushingura. The double feature, also known as a double bill, was a Motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatre managers would exhibit two films for the price of one The revenge of the, also known as the Forty-seven Samurai, the Akō vendetta, or the took place in Japan at the start of the eighteenth century 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.
The 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 all together. However, the base story usually remains the same, and recognizable.
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 who discovered his concubine was having an affair with a servant. is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial Japan. Concubinage is the state of a woman or youth in an ongoing quasi-matrimonial relationship with a man of higher social status The samurai had the faithless concubine and servant nailed to a wooden board and thrown into the Kanda River. The stretches 246 km from Inokashira Park in Mitaka to the Sumida River under the Ryōgoku Bridge at the boundary of Taitō, Chūō
Oiwa and Iemon
The story opens with a murder. Iemon, an unemployed ronin married to Oiwa, killed his father-in-law because he was aware of Iemon's evil past deeds. A was a Samurai with no lord or master during the Feudal period (1185–1868 of Japan. Penniless, Iemon has been forced to make his living as an oilpaper umbrella maker in order to support his delicate wife and new child. This situation has led him to resent Oiwa.
Iemon is lured into a scheme to marry the beautiful granddaughter of a well-to-do neighbor, who is in love with him. In order to clear the path for the new marriage, Iemon and the neighbor plot to murder Oiwa. Iemon gives Oiwa poison disguised as "blood-road medicine," intended to bring back her strength. In the context of Biology, poisons are substances that can cause damage, Illness, or Death to Organisms usually by The poison does not kill her, but instead disfigures her, causing her hair to fall out and her eye to droop. When a mirror is held in front of her, her despair at her disfigurement and the knowledge of her husband's betrayal causes her to die.
When a faithful servant, Kobote Kohei, becomes aware of the murder, Iemon accuses him of theft and has him killed. He then has Kohei and Oiwa's bodies crucified on two sides of a wooden door, which is then flung into a nearby river. Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from
Thinking his troubles are over, Iemon plans his new marriage. On his wedding day to his new bride, Iemon lifts her veil to see Oiwa’s ruined face. He instantly beheads her, only to discover he has killed his new bride. Decapitation (from Latin, caput, capitis, meaning head or beheading, is the cutting off of the head of a person or animal Horrified, he flees to the neighbor's house to confess, where he is confronted by Kohei's ghost. Slashing at the ghost, Iemon finds he has killed his neighbor, his new father-in-law.
From there the haunting continues, with the vengeful spirit of Oiwa pursuing Iemon. Onryō (怨霊 is a Japanese ghost who is able to return to the physical world in order to seek Vengeance. Everywhere he goes, he sees her ruined face, even projecting from an overhead lantern. Seeking escape, he retreats to the mountains and goes fishing. Instead of fish, he hooks the board with the corpses of Oiwa and Kohei. He then flees to a cabin in Hebiyama, where the ropes and vines of the cabin transform into snakes and the smoke from the fire transform into Oiwa's hair.
Fleeing the cabin, he runs into his brother-in-law, who kills Iemon and avenges all of the murders.
Popularity
Yotsuya Kaidan's popularity is often accounted for by the way it fit the mood of its time, as well as its use of universal themes. A theme, from Old French tesme, is a broad idea in a story or literary work or a message or lesson conveyed by a written text The Bunsei era was a time of social unrest, and the repressed position of women in society was severe. was a after Bunka and before Tenpō. This period spanned the years from 1818 through 1830 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 than Okiku, another popular kabuki ghost, and she is much more brutal. Banchō Sarayashiki, （番町皿屋敷） ( The Dish Mansion at Banchō) is a Japanese ghost story of love separated by Social class, and broken trust 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, with her ruined face projecting magnificently from an onstage lantern, and her hair falling out in impossible amounts. The illusions used in the Film, Television, Theater, or Entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called
The Ghost of Oiwa
Oiwa is an onryō, a ghost who seeks vengeance. Onryō (怨霊 is a Japanese ghost who is able to return to the physical world in order to seek 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 onryo.
Most famous is her right 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. 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.
Yotsuya Kaidan and ukiyo-e
Being a popular Kabuki play, Yotsuya Kaidan soon became a popular subject for ukiyo-e artists as well. "pictures of the floating world" is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints (or Woodcuts) and Paintings produced between the 17th In 1826, the same year the play opened at Sumiza Theater in Osaka, Shunkosai Hokushu produced The Ghost of Oiwa. is a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshū She is recognizable by her drooping eyes and partial baldness.
An unusual image featuring a still-living Otsuya was depicted as one of the New Forms of Thirty-Six Ghosts by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi ( 1839 - June 9, 1892) (月岡 芳年 also named Taiso Yoshitoshi ja 大蘇 芳年 was a Japanese artist
Shunkosai Hokuei created the most famous image of Oiwa, titled The Lantern Ghost of Oiwa, showing her face emerging from a swinging lantern while Iemon turns to meet the apparition, drawing his sword. The lantern scene is a favorite, also being carved into netsuke. Netsuke (Japanese根付 are miniature sculptures that were invented in 17th century Japan to serve a practical function (the two Japanese characters ne+tsuke mean "root"
Utagawa Kuniyoshi illustrated the scene at Hebiyama, showing a still-lantern-headed Oiwa coming for Iemon, surrounded by snakes and smoke. Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese 歌川国芳 ( 1797 - April 14, 1861) was one of the last great masters of the Japanese Ukiyo-e style
Film Adaptations
Yotsuya Kaidan has been adapted for film more than any other Japanese story. The exact number of adaptations is unknown, due to the large scale destruction of Japanese films by the Allied forces during the Occupation. The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. At the end of World War II, Japan was occupied by the Allied Powers, led by the United States with contributions also from Australia, British However, there are estimated to be over 30 versions.
The first film adaptation was in 1912, and it was filmed some 18 times between 1913 and 1937. A notable adaptation was Shinpan Yotsuya Kaidan by Itoi Daisuke, one of the foremost Japanese directors of his time. A 1949 adaptation Yotsuya Kaidan I & II by Kinoshita Keisuke removed the ghostly elements and presented Oiwa as an apparition of her husband's guilty psyche.
The seminal adaptation is considered to be Nobuo Nakagawa's 1959 Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan, which is a very faithful version of the original story, updated only to take advantage of modern special effects. was a Japanese Film director, most famous for the stylized Folk tale -influenced Horror films he made in the 1950s and 1960s
In 1994, Kinji Fukasaku returned to the Kabuki roots and combined the stories of Chūshingura and Yotsuya Kaidan into the single Crest of Betrayal. was a Japanese film actor writer and best known as a celebrated and innovative director. is the fictional account of the revenge by the Forty-seven Ronin of the death of their master Asano Naganori. is a 1994 Japanese film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. Cast Koichi Sato as Iemon Tamiya Saki Takaoka as
An adaptation was made in 2002, in Story 1 of the jdorama Kaidan Hyaku Shosetsu [1]. also called dorama (ドラマ are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily
Influences
It is hard to measure Oiwa's influence on modern Japanese Horror films. J-Horror is a term used to refer to Japanese contributions to Horror fiction in popular culture Many of her traits are standard to the onryō, including her costume of white burial kimono, white and indigo face, and long, disheveled hair. In this sense, her influence is no greater than any other in the same genre.
However, Sadako from the film Ring is a clear homage to Oiwa. is a 1998 Japanese horror mystery Film from director Hideo Nakata, adapted from the novel of the same name For medieval usage see Homage (medieval and Commendation ceremony, or Homage (disambiguation Homage (from the French Her final appearance is a direct adaptation of Oiwa, including the cascading hair and drooping, malformed eye. Also, Sadako's use of the television to manifest could be considered analogous to Oiwa's use of the lantern.
Miscellanea
- Oiwa is supposedly buried at a temple, Myogyo-ji, in Yotsuya, a neighborhood of Tokyo. is a neighborhood in Shinjuku Tokyo, Japan. It is immediately adjacent to the Kojimachi area that falls within Chiyoda. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The date of her death is listed as February 22, 1636. Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne
- Several productions of Yotsuya Kaidan, including television and movie adaptations, have reported mysterious accidents, injuries and even deaths. It is now a tradition, before staging an adaptation of Yotsuya Kaidan, for the principal actors and the director to make a pilgrimage to Oiwa's grave at and ask her permission and blessing for their production. This is considered especially important of the actor assuming the role of Oiwa.
See also
- Botan Doro
- Bancho Sarayashiki
- Kaidan
- Onryō
- Obake
- Yūrei
- Japanese mythology
- J-Horror
- Ayakashi: an anime which animates the story. Banchō Sarayashiki, （番町皿屋敷） ( The Dish Mansion at Banchō) is a Japanese ghost story of love separated by Social class, and broken trust "Kwaidan" redirects here For the book by Lafcadio Hearn see Kwaidan Stories and Studies of Strange Things. Onryō (怨霊 is a Japanese ghost who is able to return to the physical world in order to seek Vengeance. and (sometimes obakemono) are a class of monster or spirit in Japanese folklore. are figures in Japanese folklore, analogous to Western legends of Ghosts The name consists of two Kanji, 幽 ( yuu) meaning "faint" Japanese mythology is a system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculture-based Folk religion. J-Horror is a term used to refer to Japanese contributions to Horror fiction in popular culture (anime in Japanese,
Notes
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- ^ Iemon is sometimes romanized as Iyemon, due to the kana ゑ which is no longer in use. The romanization of Japanese or ( is the use of the Latin alphabet to write the Japanese language. This romanization gives a more archaic feel to the name. In Language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current
- ^ Yotsuya is an area of Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on the western edge of Shinjuku. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. is one of the 23 Special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center housing the busiest train station in the world ( Shinjuku Station
References
- ^ (Japanese) Kaidan Hyaku Shosetsu [怪談百物語] :: jdorama.com
- Addiss, Steven, Japanese Ghosts and Demons, USA, George Braziller, Inc. , 1986, ISBN 0-8076-1126-3
- 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, ISBN 0-87421-179-4
- Ross, Catrien, Supernatural and Mysterious Japan, Tokyo, Japan, Tuttle Publishing, 1996, ISBN 4-900737-37-2
- Yotsuya Kaidan. Retrieved on July 06, 2006. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- Yotsuya Kaidan. Retrieved on February 22, 2006. Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- Yotsuya-Kaidan, A Japanese Ghost Story. TOPICS online magazine. Retrieved on February 22, 2006. Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- Yotsuya-Kaidan on Film. Wild Realm Review. Retrieved on July 28, 2006. Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
External links
- Kaidan Hyaku Shosetsu (Story 1) (2002) at JDorama
- Chushingura gaiden yotsuya kaidan (1994) at the Internet Movie Database
- Masho no natsu - 'Yotsuya kaidan' yori (1981) at the Internet Movie Database
- Yotsuya kaidan - Oiwa no borei (1969) at the Internet Movie Database
- Yotsuya kaidan (1966) at the Internet Movie Database
- Kaidan Oiwa no borei (1961) at the Internet Movie Database
- Tōkaidō Yotsuya kaidan (1959) at the Internet Movie Database
- Yotsuya kaidan (1959) at the Internet Movie Database
- Yotsuya kaidan (1949) at the Internet Movie Database
- Shinpan Yotsuya kaidan (1928) at the Internet Movie Database
- 田中貢太郎「南北の東海道四谷怪談」& 田中貢太郎「四谷怪談」 online texts of Yotsuya Kaidan by Tanaka Kotaro at Aozora Bunko. (Japanese)
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