Tale of Ghosts, Vengeance, and Greed (Except For When It Is Not): The History of Yotsuya Kaidan and its Adaptations

This paper discusses the evolution of the traditional Japanese Yotsuya Kaidan ghost story by analyzing its two main characters within Japanese cinematic adaptations in the U.S. occupied period of 1949 and culturally confused period of 1959.This analysis is then compared against the original kabuki play written in 1825, in order to understand why the adaptations made certain changes, and to what effect.This analysis intends to show the way a story's message is a reflection of the beliefs and values of the time in which it was produced, and how contemporary history and events-like occupation, censorship, cultural confusion-will inevitably bleed into the media that is created during them, and thus are important context to recognize when analyzing film.Through thorough analysis of both film and contemporary history, this paper finds that there is always more nuance beneath the surface of what a film is trying to say, and how it chooses to say it, and the best way to uncover this nuance is through deeper understanding of historical and cultural context.LeGacy uses reception theory-which states the importance of an audience in ascribing meaning to a text-to argue that "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is a reflection of Cold War anxieties in the U.S, and that is why it was so popular upon release.He highlights the role of the U.S. audience in ascribing meaning to the film through their own lived experience at the time, regardless of the creators' intentions.Alternatively, Brothers uses a social and political institutional approach when discussing the 1954 movie "Gojira."He describes the public sentiment of the United States in Japan at the time and the political climate of the country after World War II and the U.S.'s occupation of Japan.He asserts that these are extremely relevant in the creation of the film, even directly quoting the creator of the film describing his desire for the film to be a strong allegory for the bombing of Japan and a way for the public of Japan to feel represented in their trauma.Though the two approaches differ, both writers describe the historical context of the film, either using it to explain the mindset of the creator or of the audience to support their respective points about the allegorical nature of the two films.Similar to both Brothers and LeGacy, Donovan employs the historical context of each time period discussed to explain why and how the ykai (traditional Japanese demon) trope evolved the way it did in Japanese cinema.Donovan ultimately argues that the evolution of ykai in Japanese fiction can be seen as a direct reflection of the historical evolution of Japanese values and identity, and specifically touches on how J-horror films post-U.S. occupation, commonly featuring faithful yokai interpretations, can be seen as a return to traditional Japanese culture that was not encouraged or even allowed during the censorship of the U.S. occupation.These are the main film theories that are utilized throughout this paper.The Yotsuya kaidan myth is the focus of this paper because of its significant presence in Japan as a quintessential ghost story.Thus, it is a good reflection of Japanese culture and values through the years as they change and evolve.The two adaptations in 1949 and 1959 respectively were chosen because these time periods feature important cultural shifts and chaos within history.This heightened historical relevance further enhances the ability to assume changes within the respective plots are influenced by these significant eras. III. Iemon's TimelineThis section of the paper will focus on the main character of Iemon and his transformation and changes in the adaptations discussed.His personality and narrative treatment change and evolve within these adaptations, respective to their eras of creation. 1825: The Original IemonYotsuya Kaidan was originally written by Tsuruya Nanboku IV in 1825 and performed as kabuki, a traditional form of Japanese theater.Iemon, our ronin, or masterless samurai, is set to be divorced from his wife, Oiwa, because Oiwa's father Samon has discovered that Iemon stole from Samon in order to marry Oiwa in the first place.Iemon cannot stand this injustice, and thus murders Samon.Iemon claims innocence to his wife, and promises he will enact vengeance on the killer.Instead of pretending to keep his promise, Iemon is occupied by his rich neighbor Kihee, whose granddaughter is deeply in love with Iemon and desperate to have him.Kihee schemes how to get Oiwa out of the way, and sends her an ointment that horribly disfigures her.After Oiwa uses the ointment, Iemon then threatens his servant and tells him to go and force himself upon Oiwa in order to give Iemon a valid reason to divorce Oiwa on the grounds of cheating.Iemon instead is left with Oiwa's corpse, as she discovered Iemon's plot and accidentally killed herself while in a rage.He thinks little of it and simply hides her body, claiming