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Ghastly Tales from the Yotsuya kaidan
© Chisokudo Publications 2020
A newly revised and corrected translation of what is perhaps the most famous and oft told tales of horror in Japan. The legend of Iwa and her curse blurs the lines between fact and fiction as it spins its terrifying tale of ghostly vengeance. For nearly three hundred years in the repertoire of itinerant storytellers, in dramatic performances on stage, and in modern adaptations for anime and film, Iwa’s story has lost none of its intoxicating power over the imagination.
Also available as an Apple iBook and as a Kindle eBook
A newly revised and corrected translation of what is perhaps the most famous and oft told tales of horror in Japan. The legend of Iwa and her curse blurs the lines between fact and fiction as it spins its terrifying tale of ghostly vengeance. For nearly three hundred years in the repertoire of itinerant storytellers, in dramatic performances on stage, and in modern adaptations for anime and film, Iwa’s story has lost none of its intoxicating power over the imagination.
Also available as an Apple iBook and as a Kindle eBook
298 pages, Paperback
Published February 22, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 13, 2023
This is the folktale that inspired the kabuki play Yotsuya Kaidian, which was written in 1825. The first version I read was by James Benneville, published in 1916. He claims it was told to him by a storyteller in the Yoshiwara pleasure district, who insisted that it was the true account of the legend. That version was basically unreadable because of the horrid transcription/translation. So, luckily this version has come out, corrected and properly translated.
Its title, Ghastly Tales... is apt. It's truly one of the most ghastly tales I have ever read. It's based on a true story of an abused woman in the late 17th century named Oiwa. There is a shrine to Oiwa in Tokyo that women still pray to—women who have been abused by their husbands. According to the introduction to the 1916 version, hordes of women at that time were still flocking to the shrine. In the legend, she comes back as a ghost to take revenge on her husband and all of his conspirators. Her mistreatment in this story is almost unconscionable. I can't even describe the things they do to her. The treatment of women is a bit like a Mizogochi film, but worse.
Anyway it's an incredible story. I like it so much that I'm making a movie version of it set in medieval England! The kabuki play softened the violence up a little, and I'm basing my film on that version. My script is very English instead of very Japanese, but the original spirit is there. I'm watching a lot of classic Japanese films to prepare.
Its title, Ghastly Tales... is apt. It's truly one of the most ghastly tales I have ever read. It's based on a true story of an abused woman in the late 17th century named Oiwa. There is a shrine to Oiwa in Tokyo that women still pray to—women who have been abused by their husbands. According to the introduction to the 1916 version, hordes of women at that time were still flocking to the shrine. In the legend, she comes back as a ghost to take revenge on her husband and all of his conspirators. Her mistreatment in this story is almost unconscionable. I can't even describe the things they do to her. The treatment of women is a bit like a Mizogochi film, but worse.
Anyway it's an incredible story. I like it so much that I'm making a movie version of it set in medieval England! The kabuki play softened the violence up a little, and I'm basing my film on that version. My script is very English instead of very Japanese, but the original spirit is there. I'm watching a lot of classic Japanese films to prepare.
January 5, 2021
Japan's most famous ghost story was previously only available in English in a version by James S. De Benneville published in 1917. The archaic language used by that author was old-fashioned even at the time, and a bit off-putting today, so Takashi Saito has updated the language to make it more accessible to the modern reader, and he's done an excellent job. He has also written a very informative introduction explaining the complicated history and various sources of the story, while the book itself is well-formatted.
The story is surprisingly complex, with a large number of characters and sub-plots making it difficult to keep track of who's who (a list of characters is helpfully included at the back of the book). There are certainly enough grisly details to satisfy horror fans and I doubt I've ever read another book with so many incredibly nasty characters treating each other so abominably.
I was surprised at how different the story was from the several film versions I've seen - I believe this is because they were based not on this, but on the kabuki play by Nanboku Tsuruya which has not to my knowledge been translated. The films all feature Iemon as the protagonist, but here he's just one of many involved in the plot against Iwa, while she is described as being ugly from the start.
A couple of minor quibbles: I can't fathom why this is titled 'Ghastly Tales from...' instead of just 'The Yotsuya Kaidan', and it could have done with closer proofreading as I noticed quite a few errors (although this was not serious enough to spoil the book).
Whether this is a great work of literature is open to question, but it's certainly an interesting one.
The story is surprisingly complex, with a large number of characters and sub-plots making it difficult to keep track of who's who (a list of characters is helpfully included at the back of the book). There are certainly enough grisly details to satisfy horror fans and I doubt I've ever read another book with so many incredibly nasty characters treating each other so abominably.
I was surprised at how different the story was from the several film versions I've seen - I believe this is because they were based not on this, but on the kabuki play by Nanboku Tsuruya which has not to my knowledge been translated. The films all feature Iemon as the protagonist, but here he's just one of many involved in the plot against Iwa, while she is described as being ugly from the start.
A couple of minor quibbles: I can't fathom why this is titled 'Ghastly Tales from...' instead of just 'The Yotsuya Kaidan', and it could have done with closer proofreading as I noticed quite a few errors (although this was not serious enough to spoil the book).
Whether this is a great work of literature is open to question, but it's certainly an interesting one.
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April 24, 2025If you’re obsessed with Japanese ghost stories, this is an absolute gem — eerie, timeless, and steeped in blood-soaked folklore.
I read this during the height of the J-horror boom, and it cracked something open in me. Suddenly I wasn’t just watching Ju-on and Ringu — I was tracing their roots back to centuries-old stories filled with revengeful spirits, cursed women, and ghostly justice rising from the grave.
This collection doesn’t just deliver scares — it delivers atmosphere. It’s folk horror at its most poetic and brutal. You’ll find everything here: love stronger than death, divine justice, terrifying omens, and that distinct mix of piety, superstition, and ritual that makes Japanese ghost lore so intoxicating.
The tale of Oiwa, in particular, still haunts me. Not just because of the horror, but because of what lies beneath — a woman so wronged she becomes eternal. The book respects the story’s origin but makes it accessible, finally giving English-language readers a proper translation after years of clunky, outdated versions.
A must-read for anyone fascinated by Japanese supernatural folklore. If you’re chasing authenticity, timeless terror, and that ineffable chill that only old-world ghosts can deliver — this is it.
I read this during the height of the J-horror boom, and it cracked something open in me. Suddenly I wasn’t just watching Ju-on and Ringu — I was tracing their roots back to centuries-old stories filled with revengeful spirits, cursed women, and ghostly justice rising from the grave.
This collection doesn’t just deliver scares — it delivers atmosphere. It’s folk horror at its most poetic and brutal. You’ll find everything here: love stronger than death, divine justice, terrifying omens, and that distinct mix of piety, superstition, and ritual that makes Japanese ghost lore so intoxicating.
The tale of Oiwa, in particular, still haunts me. Not just because of the horror, but because of what lies beneath — a woman so wronged she becomes eternal. The book respects the story’s origin but makes it accessible, finally giving English-language readers a proper translation after years of clunky, outdated versions.
A must-read for anyone fascinated by Japanese supernatural folklore. If you’re chasing authenticity, timeless terror, and that ineffable chill that only old-world ghosts can deliver — this is it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews