Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Rui, Myōrin Shinnyo
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Kasane is a vengeful female ghost associated with the village of Hanyu in Shimōsa Province, in present-day Ibaraki Prefecture. Her story begins with Rui, a woman who was murdered by her husband, Yoemon. Although Rui was deeply disliked for her appearance and temperament, she had inherited valuable farmland, which led the impoverished Yoemon to marry her. Eventually, he decided to kill her so that he could take another wife and keep her property. He pushed Rui into the Kinugawa River, trampled on her chest, forced sand into her mouth, injured her eyes, and strangled her. A man named Seiemon witnessed the murder but remained silent. Yoemon then concealed the crime by claiming that Rui had died suddenly and arranged for her burial under the Buddhist name Myōrin Shinnyo.
Yoemon remarried, but his successive wives died, and his sixth wife eventually gave birth to a daughter named Kiku. When Kiku was fourteen and newly married to Kingorō, Rui’s spirit began possessing her. Kiku collapsed, foaming at the mouth and crying out in pain, before speaking in Rui’s voice and revealing the truth about the murder. Rui explained that she had returned to take revenge on Yoemon and that her resentment had damaged his crops by turning into insects. She also described the suffering of the dead and the torments of hell. Although Yoemon eventually confessed and entered the Buddhist order, his lack of genuine repentance did not end the possession. Kiku continued to suffer until a Buddhist ceremony was performed at Hōzōji Temple, causing Rui’s spirit to disappear temporarily.
During the possession, Kiku described Rui as a terrifying old woman with dark skin, one rotten eye, a wrinkled nose, a wide mouth, and a face marked by smallpox. Her hands were twisted, and one leg was shorter than the other. Yet Rui’s departure did not bring lasting peace. She returned repeatedly, demanding that a stone Buddha be erected and that further prayers be performed. She also revealed the alleged sins of villagers and described the fates of their ancestors, frightening everyone who heard her.
Eventually, the monk Yūten arrived with other monks to free Kiku from the spirit. Their prayers initially failed, and Rui refused to leave Kiku’s body. Yūten finally ordered Kiku to chant the Buddhist invocation herself, despite her fear that Rui would prevent her from doing so. As Kiku chanted, Rui gradually retreated from her chest toward her hand before vanishing. However, the haunting was not truly over: Rui’s spirit later possessed Kiku again, continuing the cycle of suffering and revenge.
Sources
“累 (Kasane).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654426.html