Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Otsuya
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Otsuta, also known as Otsuya, is the daughter of a fishmonger who becomes a concubine in the household of the samurai Isobe Kazuenosuke. Favored for her beauty, she becomes entangled in a conspiracy led by the wicked retainer Iwagami Godayu and his son Tenzo, who seek to control the Isobe family. When Otsuta overhears their secret plans to poison their rivals, Tenzo decides to silence her. He first attempts to force himself upon her, but she refuses him. When Monzaburo intervenes and helps her escape, Tenzo accuses them both of adultery to conceal his own crimes.
Otsuta attempts to defend her innocence before Kazuenosuke, but Tenzo’s lies and accusations turn her master against her. She is tortured, falsely accused of breaking a precious family teacup, and forced to drink poisoned water. As she writhes in agony, Otsuta swears that she will soon return to take revenge. Tenzo mockingly challenges her to come back as a ghost, claiming that he has never encountered one outside a play. Kazuenosuke then strikes her repeatedly with his sword, and her body is thrown into a well where a former master had also murdered a concubine. Soon afterward, rain and wind extinguish the lights, and Otsuta’s ghost appears amid smoke and a sudden burst of flame before vanishing.
Otsuta’s spirit later appears to Monzaburo as he prepares to commit seppuku after being falsely accused of adultery. She stops him and reveals the conspiracy of the Iwagami father and son, explaining the truth she had been prevented from telling while alive. Although she has returned from the dead, Otsuta declares that she does not hate Kazuenosuke. Grateful because the money she earned in his service once helped save her family from debt, she intends to remain in the world of the living to protect his household. Monzaburo promises to safeguard her family, and Otsuta’s ghost disappears with a joyful expression. Her revelations help expose the conspiracy, leading to the downfall of the villains and the restoration of justice.
Sources
“おつた (Otsuta).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1077741622.html