Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: O-Chiyobon’s Ghost
Category: Ghost
The Myth
O-Chiyobon’s ghost is a female spirit who appears in the supernatural world of Kegawa Daiko-den, a tale by Jippensha Ikku. After leaving Hell and returning to the world of the living, the ghost becomes lost on a mountain path. She discovers the illuminated home of Momonjii, a kindly monster who rents out underground holes to other supernatural creatures, and asks him for shelter and a cup of tea. Momonjii welcomes her inside and learns that she has returned to the living world to haunt a man against whom she holds a grudge. However, the man has moved to the foot of the mountain, and while searching for him, she lost her way. Momonjii offers to let her stay at his home and use it as a base for her nightly visits. The ghost happily accepts, asking him to find a strong companion who can help frighten her enemy, since she is too weak and timid to terrify him alone.
Meanwhile, Momonjii has been sheltering O-Chiyobon, a strange-looking woman whom he rescued from the drunken and violent monster Shiradawashi. After Momonjii and O-Chiyobon become lovers, Shiradawashi storms into the house carrying a huge log, furious that his woman has been taken from him. Momonjii retaliates with an axe, and the other monsters living in his rented holes intervene to settle the fight. After Shiradawashi is thoroughly beaten, Momonjii decides that he must compensate for his mistreatment of O-Chiyobon. He therefore gives the visiting ghost to Shiradawashi as his wife, forgiving his overdue rent and promising that he will never have to pay rent again. Although Shiradawashi complains that his new wife is too beautiful for a monster, he accepts the arrangement because of the financial benefits. He soon becomes unable to resist her charms and spends every night with her.
The ghost, however, finds life with Shiradawashi unbearable. Although she dislikes having a monster for a husband, she endures his advances because she still hopes to use his strength to take revenge on the man she hates. Eventually, her suffering becomes so great that she wishes she could return to Hell, but she no longer knows the way. Unable to escape, she abandons her desire for revenge and begins devoutly chanting the name of Amida Buddha, hoping to reach the Pure Land and find peace. In Hell, Enma, the King of the Underworld, grows furious that the ghost has failed to return and sends a troop of demons to bring her back. When they arrive to seize her, Shiradawashi fiercely fights the demons, throwing and striking the powerful beings in an attempt to keep his wife.
During the fierce battle, a purple cloud suddenly descends from the sky, and Amida Buddha appears within it. Addressing the ghost with a playful pun involving kinako mochi, he invites her to leave Hell behind and enter the Pure Land. Through the power of her sincere devotion, the ghost achieves salvation and escapes her suffering forever. Shiradawashi is left without a wife, and his story continues until he eventually becomes involved in a conflict between a tanuki and a fox, where he meets his end at the hands of O-Chiyobon.
Sources
“居候幽霊 (Isōrō Yūrei).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1072132463.html