Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Okita, おきた
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Okita is a tragic woman whose story appears in Tsuruya Nanboku’s illustrated supernatural novel Kaidan Iwakura Mannojō. She is the daughter of Chōshichi, who runs an establishment in Osaka associated with performers who specialize in female impersonation in Kabuki theatre. Okita falls deeply in love with Iwakura Mannojō, a female impersonator who becomes her husband. Despite her devotion, Mannojō is a reckless man who wastes money on drinking and gambling, repeatedly demands money from her, and eventually abandons her while travelling to perform in the provinces. Okita remains faithful and works hard to support herself, but her husband’s debts leave her homeless and destitute. Her only comfort comes from Matasuke, a former servant who helps her financially, and her beloved cat, which mysteriously brings her small silver coins.
Mannojō eventually travels to Echigo, where he begins an affair with Otaka, the daughter of a retainer named Yanagawa Geki. Geki learns Mannojō’s identity and schemes to elevate his own position by falsely presenting him as the missing second son of the Asai family. To clear the way for Mannojō’s new marriage, he sends Okita a letter claiming that her husband has died. Devastated by the news, Okita becomes ill, loses sight in one eye, and spends her days praying. When she finally learns the truth, her grief turns into overwhelming hatred. As she combs her hair, great clumps fall out before her, and she becomes consumed by a desire for revenge. She wanders about in a deranged state, asking for the way to Echigo, before disappearing. On the forty-ninth day after her disappearance, Matasuke discovers a woman’s skull in the Yodo River, with a large, one-eyed eel occupying its eye socket. The eel speaks in Okita’s voice, revealing that she drowned and remains trapped between life and death. She begs Matasuke to have her remains buried and Buddhist prayers performed, but declares that she cannot rest until her vengeance against Mannojō is complete.
Okita’s curse soon reaches Mannojō and Otaka. Her cat appears at their drinking party carrying a false Buddhist memorial tablet and scratches Mannojō’s face. When the tablet is placed against Otaka’s face, it sticks fast, and both suffer grotesque swelling and a mysterious illness. They become increasingly isolated as their servants flee, while Mannojō suffers visions of Okita and attacks those around him in fits of madness. Otaka eventually gives birth to a monstrous, one-eyed eel, which Geki secretly throws into a stream. The family’s misfortunes culminate in violence and betrayal, and Geki kills Mannojō and Otaka while attempting to conceal his own wrongdoing. At Mannojō’s funeral, a terrifying creature known as a Kasha descends amid a storm and seizes the corpse. Although the story does not explicitly identify the creature as Okita’s cat, the narrative suggests that her beloved animal may have transformed into the corpse-stealing monster. Geki is eventually captured after Matasuke exposes the truth, and the corrupt schemes surrounding Mannojō’s false identity are brought to an end. With the return of the Asai family’s stolen heirloom dagger, Okita’s brutal revenge finally concludes.
Sources
“Okita.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1060178316.html