OIWA

Lore

According to surviving documents kept at Myogyo-ji Temple in Tokyo's Nishi-Sugamo district, a woman named Oiwa died of a lingering illness made worse by the strained relationship with her husband, a samurai of the Tamiya clan. The records mention no signs of violence, yet after her death the family suffered a string of misfortunes, giving rise to a local legend about a curse cast by a wronged soul.

The theatrical retelling, Yotsuya Kaidan, paints a far darker picture. In this version, Oiwa is a devoted wife whose husband, Tamiya Iemon, becomes enticed by the prospect of marrying a wealthy neighbor's granddaughter. To clear the path for this new union, Iemon and his conspirators plot to kill Oiwa, tricking her into consuming a poisonous "medicine" under the guise of restoring her health.

The poison did not kill her instantly but instead caused a hideous disfigurement, causing her right eye to sag and her hair to fall out in clumps. Upon seeing her reflection and realizing her husband's horrific betrayal, Oiwa died in a fit of agony and despair. Her spirit returned as a powerful onryo, a vengeful ghost whose rage was so great it could manipulate the physical world to torment her murderers.

Oiwa's image is most famously linked to the paper lantern (chochin), as her disfigured face often manifests within the glowing paper to startle the guilty. She remains one of Japan's most feared ghosts, and actors still visit her grave to pay respects before performing her story, fearing that neglecting her memory might invite the very curse that claimed Iemon's life.