Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Miyagi
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Miyagino was a beautiful courtesan who lived in Suruga Province during Japan’s Sengoku period. She was admired not only for her beauty but also for her skill in calligraphy, her knowledge of waka poetry, and her compassionate nature. At a gathering held on a full-moon night in August, Miyagino joined a group of young men composing poems about the moon. Her verses expressed the sorrow and longing of a woman whose life as a courtesan had brought her many painful separations. Among those listening was Fujii Seiroku, the unmarried heir to a wealthy family. Captivated by her beauty and character, he paid a large sum to secure her freedom and married her. Although Seiroku’s mother initially disapproved of the marriage, Miyagino’s kindness and devotion soon won her affection, and she came to treat her daughter-in-law with great love.
When Seiroku’s uncle in Kyoto became gravely ill, Seiroku travelled to the capital to visit him. Miyagino encouraged him to go, believing it was his duty to care for his family, and the couple exchanged sorrowful poems before his departure. After his uncle died, Seiroku distributed his inheritance among the widow and children and attempted to return home. However, warfare spread throughout the provinces, and military checkpoints prevented him from reaching Suruga for an entire year. With communication almost impossible, he could not discover whether his wife and mother were still alive. Meanwhile, Seiroku’s elderly mother grew increasingly ill from grief and longing. Miyagino cared for her day and night, praying that she might take her mother-in-law’s suffering upon herself, but the old woman eventually died. Miyagino was devastated by the loss and became so thin and sorrowful that those around her pitied her.
In the eleventh year of the Eiroku era, Takeda Shingen’s army invaded Suruga. Soldiers entered the homes of ordinary people, committing acts of violence and brutality. When they discovered Miyagino, they pursued her, intending to violate her. Rather than submit to them, she fled into a back room and hanged herself. The soldiers were moved by her tragic fate and buried her beneath a persimmon tree behind her house. By the time Seiroku finally returned, his home lay in ruins, overgrown with weeds, and his mother and wife were nowhere to be found. A servant eventually told him what had happened. Seiroku dug beneath the persimmon tree and uncovered Miyagino’s body. Astonishingly, her skin had not lost its colour, and she appeared as beautiful as if she were still alive. Overcome with grief, Seiroku buried her alongside his mother and spent about twenty days visiting their grave each morning and returning home at dusk.
One night, as Seiroku sat alone beneath a starry sky, Miyagino appeared before him like a shadow. She explained that she had received permission to return after bidding farewell to the deity who recorded the sins of the dead. Weeping, she told him of her suffering and how their marriage had allowed her to abandon her former life and follow a virtuous path. She believed her violent death was retribution for her previous existence, but her filial devotion had earned her a remarkable reward: permission from the heavenly and earthly authorities to be reborn as a boy. She instructed Seiroku to visit the wealthy Takakura family near the Kamakura Pass, where she would be born the following day. When he met the child, she promised, the boy would smile as proof of her return. Seven days later, Seiroku visited the family and met their infant, who had remained in the womb for twenty months and cried constantly after birth. The moment the baby saw Seiroku, he stopped crying, smiled brightly, and began making joyful sounds. Recognizing this as the sign Miyagino had promised, Seiroku revealed their story to the family and thereafter maintained a close relationship with them, treating them as his own relatives.
Sources
“宮城野 (Miyakino).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1060375378.html