Japanese Urban Legends

Okiku

Okiku's story is one of the big three ghost stories of Japan. Along with Oiwa and Otsuyu. Her story has been retold countless times, but though the outline remains the same, details such as name, location, and surroundings have changed.

Urban legend
Once ago, there was a woman named Okiku who worked as a dishwashing servant in Himeji Castle. She was very beautiful, and it didn't take any time before her beauty caught the eye of one of her master's retainers, a samurai named Aoyama. Aoyama tried many times to seduce Okiku, but she declined his advances.

Though eventually, Aoyama grew impatient with Okiku and decided to trick her into becoming his lover. In the castle, there was a set of ten very expensive dishes. Aoyama hid one of them, and then called for Okiku. He told her how one of his master's fine dishes was missing, and demanded to where it was.

This led to Okiku being frightened.

Losing one of her Lord's prized dishes was punishable by death. She counted the dishes,"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine"She recounted them again and again. But each time she came up one short. She was distraught.

Aoyama told Okiku that he would overlook the mistake, and tell his master that it wasn't Okiku who lost the dish, but only if she would be his mistress. Though Okiku wanted to live, she refused Aoyama once again. This time Aoyama became furious.

He ordered his servants to beat Okiku with a wooden spoon. Afterwards, he had her tied up and suspended over the castle well. He tortured Okiku repeatedly, he dunked her into wells, only to pull her back out of the water and would then beat her himself. Aoyama once again demanded for Okiku to be his mistress for the final time. She refused. So Aoyama struck her violently with a sword and dropped her body down into the well.

Not long after Okiku's ghost was seen wandering around the castle grounds. Night after night, she would rise she'd rise from the well and enter her master's house, searching for the missing plate. She would count the plates "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9". After counting the ninth plate she would let out a blood curdling scream that could be heard throughout the castle. She tormented Aoyama in this way, every night, robbing him of his rest. Those who heard part of her counting became unawarely I'll, and those who heard until the end would die suddenly after.

Finally, the lord of the castle decided something had to be done about Okiku's ghost. He called a priest and asked him to pray for her and to exercise her spirit. The priest waited in the garden all night, chanting suttas. And there she was, once again, her ghost rose out of the well as she began to count the dishes "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9" As soon as she counted the ninth dish and before she could scream the priest yelled shouted out TEN! Okiku's ghost was relieved that someone had found the tenth dish, and she could finally rest.