ABSTRACT

First published in 2001. Kwaidan are what Lafcadio Hearn calls 'stories and studies of strange things' - eerie tales which convey the enduring mystery of traditional Japanese culture and the world of the samurai. In this volume, de Benneville's rendition of the Yotsuya Kwaidan of Shunkintei Ryuo paints a picture of life in the capital city of Edo among the samurai of the highest class, jostling for power at the court of the Shogun. At the heart of the story is the Lady of Tamiya, a daughter of the samurai who is sold by her brutal husband into the floating world of brothels, from which she escapes only in death. Thereafter, the Lady is avenged as mis-forutune relentlessly overtakes all who betrayed her, and she is still remembered today in a Tokyo shrine popular with women who seek her protection. More than any history, kwaidan reveal the inner morality of the samurai code.

chapter I|11 pages

O'Mino and Densuké

chapter II|7 pages

Kawai San of Kandu Ku

chapter III|8 pages

Takahashi Daihachirō

chapter IV|6 pages

The Appearance of O'Iwa San

chapter V|14 pages

The Affair of the Shiba Kiridōshi 1

chapter VII|12 pages

Iémon Appears

chapter VIII|7 pages

If Old Acquaintance be Forgot

chapter IX|6 pages

Love Knots

chapter X|7 pages

The Plot Against O'Iwa

chapter XI|8 pages

The Plot Develops

chapter XII|9 pages

Kwaiba's Revenge

chapter XIII|8 pages

The YŌTaka (Night-Hawks) of HonjŌ

chapter XIV|10 pages

The Punishment

chapter XV|14 pages

Chōbei Gets the News

chapter XVI|7 pages

News Reaches Kwaiba

chapter XVII|11 pages

News from Kwaiba

chapter XVIII|7 pages

In The Shadow of the Go-Inkyō

chapter XX|17 pages

Kibei Dono

chapter XXI|10 pages

Matters Ecclesiastical

chapter XXII|11 pages

The Rites for O'Iwa San