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By the way, everyone, the hot days continue these days, but aren't you suffering from summer fatigue?
Eating ice cream and watermelon, relaxing in an air-conditioned room, and enjoying the summer while taking measures against the heat.
Today, I would like to introduce a story that will make you feel a little cooler.
The story I would like to introduce is "Oiwa no Tatari". This is a very famous ghost story in Japan.
Think before you read.
There are many scary phenomena such as ghosts, curses, and poltergeists. What do you fear the most? Also, do you have any famous scary stories in your country? If so, compare that story with today's "Oiwa no Tatari" to find differences in the story and think about what scares you.
"Oiwa no Tatari"
Once upon a time, in the town of Edo, there was a daughter of a good family named Oiwa.
Oiwa was a pretty girl, but when she was five years old she suffered from smallpox, which made her face look ugly.
The father brought a ronin to be the son-in-law of his daughter who was about the age.
The ronin was fed up with his long life in poverty, so he said that he could be his son-in-law, even if he had a bad face.
The son-in-law served his father well and took good care of Oiwa, so he was liked by his superiors.
Among them, there was a superior who was particularly fond of the son-in-law and often invited him to his house.
While being invited to the house many times, the son-in-law fell in love with the maid who worked at the mansion.
However, if the son-in-law breaks up with Oiwa, he has to go back to being a ronin.
The son-in-law, who couldn't marry the maid, hated the ugly face of Oiwa, so he skipped work and didn't go home much.
Confused, Oiwa went to her superiors for advice.
However, the superior, who knew about the relationship between the son-in-law and the maid, wanted to bring them together and said to Oiwa,
"Hide yourself somewhere for the time being. After I convert my son-in-law, I'll surely pick him up."
Believing the words of her superior, Oiwa went to a distant samurai residence as a maid.
The son-in-law, who was pleased with it,
"Oiwa left her family behind and went somewhere else."
And so, he proudly married the maid of his superior.
Oiwa was looking forward to the day when her son-in-law would come to pick her up.
One day, a cigarette vendor who used to go to Oiwa's house came to Oiwa's mansion.
The tobacco seller was asked by Iwa how his son-in-law was doing and told him about his new wife.
Hearing this, Oiwa suddenly turned pale,
"I'm jealous...you tricked me!"
and jumped out.
And just like that, I was lost.
After that, strange things happened one after another around the son-in-law.
While the new wife and son-in-law were sleeping, the ghost of Oiwa came and stared at them with resentment.
And the child who was born suddenly fell ill and died in agony. In the end, the wife and son-in-law both died of madness.
Since then, people who feared Oiwa's attack built an Inari shrine on the site of their house and held a memorial service for Oiwa.
Since then, Oiwa no Tatari has disappeared.
How was it?
It was a little long story. There were some difficult words, so please take this opportunity to check it out.
"Tatari" and "curse" may not be used very often in everyday life, but they often appear in old scary stories. It is the spirit of a deceased person giving punishment in an attempt to punish a bad person.
The phrase Oiwa used to say, "I'm jealous..." is also a common phrase in ghost stories. Written in kanji, this is ``repentant'' and is used when you are very sorry or cannot forgive someone.
"Oiwa no Tatari" is a story based on an old rumor, so the content may be slightly different depending on the speaker, but that's part of the fun.
This story is also called Yotsuya Kaidan, and is a famous story in kabuki and rakugo. It has also been staged and dramatized, so please check it out if you are interested.
It is said that Oinari-san, who held a memorial service for Oiwa, is still called Oiwainari Tamiya Shrine in Tokyo today.
This time, I introduced a famous Japanese ghost story.
Are you feeling a little cooler? It wasn't scary at all! If so, please tell us more scary stories. In Japan, several scary story programs are broadcast in August every year, so it is highly recommended for those who like ghost stories. The scary video and talk may make it difficult for you to take a bath alone at night, so if you're scared, please watch it with someone!
At Koharu Japanese Language Office, you can take Japanese lessons with professional teachers while having fun. Lesson reservations are accepted every day, and we offer a 30-minute free trial lesson for the first time, so please feel free to contact us.
