Yotsuya, Tokyo, Japan (folk tale)

The Curse of Oiwa

Folklore — not a documented case

Actors and directors adapting Yotsuya Kaidan, Japan's most famous ghost story, are said to meet with accidents unless they first visit Oiwa's shrine.

Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan is a kabuki play written in 1825 by Tsuruya Nanboku IV and widely regarded as Japan's most famous ghost story. In it, the samurai Iemon wants to rid himself of his wife Oiwa for a better marriage; a poisoned 'medicine' disfigures her and leads to her death. Her vengeful spirit then pursues Iemon and drives him step by step to ruin.

The stories in this section are folk tales and legends; they are not verified, real events and should not be confused with the rest of the archive.

From the same region