Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Akana Sōemon, 赤穴宗右衛門
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Akana Soemon is a samurai and military scholar who appears in “The Chrysanthemum Vow,” the second story in Ueda Akinari’s collection of supernatural tales, Ugetsu Monogatari. Soemon serves En’ya Kamonnosuke, the lord of Tomita Castle in Izumo Province, and is sent as a secret messenger to Sasaki Ujitsuna in Ōmi. During his absence, Amago Tsunehisa launches an attack, kills Kamonnosuke, and seizes the castle. When Soemon urges Ujitsuna to oppose the Amago clan, Ujitsuna refuses and confines him to prevent his departure. Soemon eventually escapes, but falls gravely ill while travelling home. He finds shelter in Harima Province, where he meets Hasebe Samon, a devoted scholar who nurses him with medicine and food despite the danger of contagion. Deeply moved by Samon’s kindness, Soemon promises to repay him and the two men become close friends, eventually swearing an oath of brotherhood. Since Soemon is five years older, he asks to be treated as Samon’s elder brother, and Samon’s mother welcomes him affectionately.
When Soemon prepares to return to Izumo, he promises to visit Samon again on the ninth day of the ninth month, the Double Ninth Festival. Samon trusts his friend’s word and eagerly awaits his return, preparing food, drink, and chrysanthemums for the occasion. As evening falls, Soemon finally appears, but he remains strangely silent and refuses to eat or drink. At last, he reveals the truth: he is no longer among the living and has returned only as a spirit to fulfill his promise. After reaching Izumo, Soemon discovered that the people of the province had largely submitted to the Amago clan and that his former lord’s loyalty had been forgotten. His cousin Akana Tanji introduced him to Tsunehisa, but Soemon found little reason to remain in the service of a suspicious ruler. When he announced his intention to leave and honor his oath to Samon, Tsunehisa ordered him confined within Tomita Castle. Trapped until the appointed day, Soemon feared that failing to return would betray his friend’s trust. Remembering the saying that the soul can travel a thousand miles in a single day, he took his own life with his sword and sent his spirit across the distance, borne by a shadowy wind, to keep his promise. After explaining what happened, he urges Samon to care for his mother before vanishing.
Overcome with grief, Samon entrusts his mother to the care of the Sayo family and travels to Izumo to avenge Soemon’s death and defend his friend’s honor. He confronts Akana Tanji, condemning the family’s disregard for the kindness once shown to them by Soemon’s lord and praising Soemon for preserving his oath even at the cost of his life. Samon then draws his sword and kills Tanji before departing. When Amago Tsunehisa learns what has happened, he is so moved by the brothers’ extraordinary loyalty that he orders no pursuit. The tale celebrates the sacred force of friendship and the determination to keep one’s word, even beyond death. Its story is adapted from the Chinese tale “Fan Juqing’s Relationship with Chicken and Millet,” from the collection Stories to Caution the World, compiled by Feng Menglong, with the setting transferred to Japan’s Sengoku period.
Sources
“Akana Soemon.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1067235174.html