Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Koheiji Obata, Kohada Koheiji, Ghost Koheiji, The Vengeful Spirit of Asaka Marsh
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Kohada Koheiji is a famous vengeful ghost figure in Japanese ghost stories of the Edo period. His tale is told in Fukushū Kidan Asaka Numa, one of the earliest stories about his supernatural revenge. In life, Koheiji was an actor from Edo who performed in rural theatres throughout Japan. His acting was generally considered poor, earning him the mocking name “Kohada,” after the small fish, although he excelled at ghost plays and was sometimes called Ghost Koheiji. His first wife died after giving birth to their son, Kotaro. His second wife, Otsuka, was cruel to her stepson and secretly involved with Adachi Sakuro, a drummer and acquaintance of Koheiji.
Sakuro conspired with his criminal associates to murder Koheiji so that he could take Otsuka as his wife. Under the pretext of a fishing trip, Koheiji was taken by boat to Asaka Marsh and thrown into the water. His death was treated as an accidental drowning, and the search for his body was soon abandoned. At a hideout, Sakuro found Koheiji’s corpse, covered in mud and foam. He stole five gold coins sewn into the dead actor’s collar and mocked him for being too foolish to recognize the betrayal that had led to his death. As Sakuro prepared to leave, Koheiji’s cold hand suddenly gripped his wrist. The corpse opened its eyes, terrifying Sakuro so badly that his accomplice cut off the hand to free him, eventually severing the fingers that remained embedded in his arm.
When Sakuro returned to Edo and told Otsuka what had happened, she claimed that Koheiji had already returned home sick and was resting behind a screen. A thin, blue hand emerged from behind it and held the screen shut. When Sakuro forced it open, the room was empty, and a faint flame escaped through the window. The rotten fingers left behind were unmistakably those cut from Koheiji’s corpse. Otsuka showed little fear, declaring that such hatred was to be expected. Sakuro nevertheless married her and took possession of Koheiji’s house. For a time, the couple lived peacefully, but Koheiji’s spirit continued to torment them. Sakuro began seeing a mysterious man lying beside Otsuka, and later believed he had caught her with another lover. When he attacked the figure with his sword, it vanished, leaving only mocking laughter from the roof. Otsuka lost the fingers of one hand while gripping the blade and soon fell seriously ill, her mind and body breaking under the relentless haunting.
A Shinto priest warned Sakuro that his house was cursed by the dead and gave him a talisman, instructing him to keep the doors closed and maintain ritual purity for thirty-two days. Each night, Koheiji’s ghost patrolled the house, appearing as a shadowy fire and threatening to take Sakuro’s life. On the thirty-second night, Sakuro believed the danger had passed and opened a window. A gust of wind carried the ghostly flame inside, and a scream came from the bedroom. Otsuka had vanished, leaving blood on the wall and long strands of hair on the eaves. Sakuro later sought protection from a Zen monk, who warned that his life was in danger and gave him a sealed packet that supposedly contained gold and would protect him for three days. After the period had passed, Sakuro discovered that the gold was counterfeit. When he confronted the monk, the man beat him with an iron staff. Sakuro returned home badly injured, developed a high fever, and died in delirium, imagining that he was being dragged into water and forced to drink as though he were drowning.
The tale attributes the disasters that befell Sakuro and Otsuka to Koheiji’s vengeful spirit. His soul remained at Asaka Marsh, tormenting people who encountered the place, and the story became so feared that theatrical performers reportedly avoided discussing it. Even those involved in the murder who escaped the ghost’s immediate vengeance eventually met their deaths. In the end, however, Koheiji’s spirit was said to have attained Buddhahood through the teachings of the Zen master Ryōzen, bringing the hauntings to an end. The marsh was later converted into rice fields known as Koheiji Shinden. His son Kotaro grew up to become a successful actor, but was deeply saddened by his father’s transformation into a vengeful spirit and devoted himself to Buddhist prayer.
Sources
“Kohei Obata.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654425.html