#ghost of oiwa

[artschoolglasses]

Onoe Matsusuke as the Ghost of the Murdered Wife Oiwa, Utagawa Toyokuni I, 1812

[esmiephan]

Why are most of the Japanese ghosts 'victimized women'? - the feminist answer to Japan's sexist society

Let's talk a little about Japan and its horror culture. The "pale-dressed woman with black hair" ghost steriotype isn't an American invention, it came from the Japanese culture. This ghost is called Onryō (怨霊), a vengeful spirit that comes back from the dead to sick revenge against his/her killer or humanity itself. Onryō spirits mostly had violence deaths (murder, accident or suicide) and/or unfair lives. They are characterized as a pale person, with white clothes and a long, black hair. Some of the Onryō ghosts are marked with the violence they suffered before death. Male Onryōs can be found in the Japanese culture (cinema, mangas, animes, games and theatre), however, they are very rare and unusual, most of the Japanese ghosts are female. Female victims abused by men. After the iconic 2002 "The Ring", an American Remake of the Japanese best-seller Ringu, the Onryō image was introduced to the whole world.

Some of the most classic Japanese ghosts are: Oiwa, Okiku, Sadako Yamamura, Kayako Saeki, the Black Cat ghosts and Kuchisake-onna. All women. I will talk about them little by little and explain about their feminist essence. The Japanese culture was always male chauvinist and patriarchal, specially in the past. Women were treated as objects of male pleasure, they couldn't have any profission unless prostitution or cleaning/cooking. Men were the masters, women were the slaves. Many Japanese temples tought men that sexual activities with women was disgusting and exhausting, something that sucked vital energy. Sex with women should be ONLY for reproduction. It was a mysoginistic society, where the female body was faced as something vulgar and immoral. Women should mary as soon as possible (15-16 years old or less) or else they'll be called 'old whores'. Women couldn't even play in Kabuki shows (japanese traditional theatre) because it was considered immoral, the female roles were played by men. Rape, abuse (emotional and physical) and murder caused by men could be justified if their female victims were considered immoral women. Until today, women are oversexualized in Japanese culture specially if they are very young, hentais are a big example. There are Japanese companies that hire only men, there are victimized women that are still unheard and judged.

This male chauvinist opression has been answered for centuries with the legends of onryōs, curses and female revenge. The Japanese folklore and pop culture is full of feminists manifestations against the patriarchal society of Japan.

Oiwa (大岩)

This character appeared for the first time in the Kabuki best-seller show "Yotsuya Kaidan" (四谷怪談). She was a poor woman married to a greedy selfish man, Iemon. He was planning to marry a rich woman, but for this, he needed his wife to be all alone and defenseless, so he killed Oiwa's father. After that, he poisoned Oiwa with the intention of killing her, but she didn't die: her face melted and her hair felt. Iemon hired a man to rape his wife, then he could kill her with the excuse that she "cheated on him". However, the man was so disgusted with Oiwa's face that he couldn't rape her. Iemon, without any other choice, killed both Oiwa and the man he hired, throwing their bodies into the river. Iemon married a rich woman, but in his honeymoon, Oiwa's spirit came back from the dead and murdered both of them. The legend says she is still hauting her old village, and you get cursed by her spirit if you listen to her story (yes, I curses all of you😈😈).

Okiku (お菊元気)

The original story that inspired Koji Suzuki's Ringu series. Okiku was a poor employee that worked for a creepy rapey samurai named Aoyama Tessan. He wanted Okiku to be his lover, but she always denied it. One day, Aoyama planned to trap her: he gave her a closed bag with 9 coins, but he told her that there were 10 coins and that she should take care of them. Naïvely, Okiku took care of the bag for some days, until Aoyama came back and checked the coins. Again, there were always 9 coins, but he lied to her saying that there were 10, an employee couldn't doubt of her master's word so she never checked it before. Aoyama accused Okiku of stealing one of his coins. Desperate, she counted the coins: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9... over! No 10! Aoyama threatened Okiku, saying she could be spared if she agreed to be his lover. She denied for the last time. The samurai tortured the poor girl and throw her alive inside of a well. Okiku's ghost came back every single night to torment the samurai, forcing him to committ suicide. After Aoyama's death, a buddhist monk bought the land and freed Okiku's ghost after counting 'til 10, bringing her peace.

Kuchisake-onna (口裂け女)

The legend of Kuchisake-onna tells about this woman with a cutted mouth. There are a lot of versions about the legend, but the most famous one is where she was murdered by her husband, who, droven by jeaously because of her beauty, cutted her mouth and skin with scissors. Kuchisake-onna appears in dark lone streets at night, asking you if she is beautiful. If you say she is, she will cut your mouth to be just like her. If you say she isn't, she will just kill you.

Black Cat - 1968 movie (黒猫)

A classic Japanese horror movie. A mother and a daughter were raped and killed by a group of samurais, and now they are vengeful blood-lustful ghosts. They hallucinate the samurais and everyone near their home with a black cat, that guide them to their house. They seduce them and kill them.

Sadako Yamamura (山村 貞子)

The most iconic Onryō and Japanese horror symbol of all. Sadako's story suffered retcoms during the Ring franchise. In the 1991s novel, she is a young intersex person (she identifies herself as female) who grew up in a toxic family, being explored because of her psychic powers. At 19s, she is raped by a doctor named Jotaro and throw alive inside of the well. In 1998s Ringu, she was a cruel sadistic child who murdered a journalist and ruined her mother's life. She was murdered by her step-father that wanted to save the world from her evil, but she became a vengeful ghost. In the 2000s Ringu 0, Sadako is portrayed as a victim, since she can't control her powers and is afraid of her biological dad, a sea demon. She was drugged and isolated by her step-father during her life, emotionally abused and explored in her adult life, collectively beaten after being exposed to an old scandal and lated 30 years to die inside of the well. In every version of the story, she uses her nensha and telepathic powers to record a videotape that murders their victims in seven days. As technology is her weapon, she crawls out of people's TV (except in the novel).

Kayako Saeki (佐伯 伽椰子)

Based in Oiwa's legend, Kayako Saeki was a lonely neglected girl that married a jeaously abusive husband, Takeo Saeki. She had a kid with him, Toshio. We have more details about their relantionship in the first 2000s movie Ju-On: The Curse, where Takeo abuses his wife and kid more than one month before the curse started. When Takeo discovered Kayako had feelings for her childhood friend, Kobayashi – who ironically was Toshio's teacher –, he broke her neck, murdered their black-cat, their young child and even killed Kobayashi's pregnant wife. Their suffering was so cruel that it started a deadly curse inside of the house, which killed Takeo, the teacher and curses everyone and anyone that enters it.

With all of these stories, and many other legends about monstrous female creatures and ghosts, we can notice that Japanese women always had a grudge against their opressive misogynistic society. Most of the horror Japanese movies portray women that were victimized by men and now are searching for revenge. If their society thinks their suffering and death is OK or justificable, then, they have no other choice than searching for their own justice.

Japanese society improved significantly during the years. Women now have voice, power, intelligence and place in the Japanese society. Divorces are permitted, they have laws against misogynistic violence, women can work and be solo mothers, majority of cultural and intelectual institutions are occuped by women. Japanese society was always impressive, intelligent and productive, but they still needed to be socially envolved. And it is working.

Social evolution surelly doesn't depend on movies or legends, but fictional works and culture does influence people for the good. It is because of humanity's fights, discussions and progress that our world, including Japan that once was one of the most sexists couples ever, that we are progressing and giving voice/space/respect to minories. We don't need female ghosts to avenge women or to "teach men", we need to look at our interior and our own mistakes, and learn how to fix them.

[the-cricket-chirps]

Katsushika Hokusai

The Lantern Ghost, Oiwa (Oiwa-san), from the series One Hundred Ghost Stories

1826/1837

[k3llyyyyyy]

[venenoverde]

Oiwa ghost,crossnover kon Javi HDS

[necromancy-savant]

I went to the Asian Art Museum today. My favorite was an exhibit about the supernatural in depictions of Japanese Noh and Kabuki theater

[artforiasenibudayajepang]

7 Cerita Hantu Jepang Menakutkan Yang Dapat Membekukanmu Hingga Ke Tulang!

Cerita Hantu Jepang – Apakah anda takut akan kegelapan ? Jepang memiliki beberapa cerita hantu terbaik dan paling tidak dikenal atau yang disebut kaidan. Menariknya, sebagian besar cerita ini berpusat pada wanita. Bersembunyi di dalam selimut dan simaklah cerita hantu Jepang menakutkan dari para wanita hantu ini. Simak Juga : Mitos Hantu Funayurei Yang Berkeliaran Di Lautan Jepang Di Jepang…

[reductionisms]

arc where the gang goes back to the ghost ryoukan to help out bc its been suddenly filled to capacity (gag is that the guests are all different personas of utsuro)

[siraathena]

Oiwa the lantern ghost.

[mihotose]

it doesnt work out in a timeline at all but i think nikkari killed oiwa

[53v3nfrn5]

Hokusai (1832/1833)

Left: A lantern displaying the features of Mrs. Oiwa as it catches fire. Titled Mrs. Oiwa (Oiwasan), from the series A Hundred [Ghost] Stories (Hyaku monogatari). Woodblock, chüban, signed zen Hokusai litsu, published by Tsuruya Kiemon, 1832/33. Kunsthalle Bremen

Right: The ghost of Okiku rising from a well, her body made up of blue-and-white-plates. Titled The Mansion of Plates (Sara yashiki), from the series A Hundred [Ghost] Stories (Hyaku monogatari). Woodblock, chüban, signed zen Hokusai litsu, published by Tsuruya Kiemon, 1832/33. Kunsthalle Bremen

[metmuseum]

Onoe Matsusuke as the Ghost of the Murdered Wife Oiwa, in "A Tale of Horror from the Yotsuya Station on the Tokaido Road". 1812. Credit line: Gift of Louis V. Ledoux, 1927 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45290

[thenon-fictiondays]

Hirano to Kagiura light novel translation 4-5

Chapter 4: Fall.

Part 5

Prev || Next

Soon after walking around the festival while eating lunch with Kagiura, it was time for Hirano’s shift, so at the moment he is dressed as Oiwa-san.

He’s stationed in the area around the exit. In the middle of a passageway where it seems like there’s nothing scary, a fake pillar has been constructed to create a place for him to hide.

It’s an obvious place from the standpoint of the guests walking around, but that’s the point. If the places where they jump out and scare them are too unexpected, they might fall over or something. And this way, the guests will be able to see the SFX makeup.

That’s their plan of attack for this haunted house, and indeed, Hirano looks so terrifying as a ghost that popping up in unexpected places would be too dangerous.

He gives the guests two minutes of downtime upon entering the haunted house, but every time he slowly pushes his wig out of the way to show his face after the initial jumpscare, he gets a delightful scream from the two-stage trick.

Suddenly, he hears the pattering of footsteps.

Assuming they’re running, Hirano refrains from stepping out in front of them. He gets the feeling that the terrified guest is trying to escape the haunted house without letting themselves cry out.

Sure enough, someone is speed-walking a little behind the person they’re chasing.

“Hey, come on, Niibashi! I told you not to run!”

Wait, I know this voice.

It sounds familiar, and he realizes it’s Kagiura.

When he unthinkingly gives him a glimpse of his face, Kagiura looks his way and freezes on the spot.

“What’s with you? Come on, keep it moving.”

And after I told him not to come!

Hirano’s kind of uncomfortable being seen with long hair, and he reaches up his hand to take off the wig. It’s a little early to take a break, but naturally he doesn’t want his close companion to see him in drag.

“I think you even look good like this, Hirano-sa…”

To his disbelief, Kagiura had laid his hand on Hirano’s head. And now, when he tries to push the wig away from his face, he sees the made-up part that’d been hidden and lets out a loud yelp.

Seeing Kagiura play Hirano’s own trick himself is hilarious, and Hirano howls with laughter. He can’t help it, seeing someone play themself like that.

This time Hirano’s the one to close the distance between them.

Why don’t I give him a good, long look?

Kagiura had also started laughing, so Hirano had assumed he’d already gotten used to his appearance, but he screams again and suddenly leaps forward.

Hirano’s feet, clad in geta under his yukata, are particularly susceptible to surprise attacks. He can’t support Kagiura’s weight as he falls, so they go down together.

With a thud, they land in a heap right in the middle of the haunted house’s passageway.

The next guests, who’d caught up to them before they knew it, cry out at the sight of their entwined bodies laying atop one another.

“Huh…WAAAH-?!”

Startled, Hirano and Kagiura clamber to their feet, just as flustered.

Of the two girls who’d arrived, one had been walking a bit ahead of the other, and she’d been the one to let out a scream. For some reason, she grabs the other girl’s hand and drags her back around the corner they’d just come from, her voice coming out a little strange as she speaks.

“S-s-s-sorry! We didn’t see anything!”

“What’s wrong?” Apparently the other girl has not grasped the situation, and raises her voice in concern.

“N-n-n-nothing!”

Hirano thought her voice sounded a bit off, but figures, well, she’s probably just scared, since she just saw a ghost pull another guest down on top of him.

He sets his wig back in place while straightening the disarrayed hem of his yukata.

“Sorry, Kagi-kun. I screwed around too much. Go find your friend.”

“Fiiine.”

“Sorry, that was probably weird to walk in on,” he apologizes to the two girls they’d kept waiting.

“Not at all! We got to see something amazing!” The one girl replies, though Hirano doesn’t quite get her drift. She probably just means because Kagiura’s hot.

“Ah, after all that, we ended up ruining the haunted house vibe, sorry.”

Hirano rummages around in Sasaki’s bag, which was kept to the side, and foists some candy onto the girls.

“I’ll give you this to make up for it, so don’t hold it against us.”

He covers the half of his face with the makeup, which had gotten messed up by the disheveled wig, so he doesn’t scare them. Unfortunately, handing them something in this manner probably just makes it even more like a horror movie. It’d be bad to scare them while apologizing, though.

“Eek! Okay!” Just like earlier, the girl’s voice sounds just a bit off as she replies.

When it’s time for the shift change, Sasaki, portraying Hanako, returns. It doesn’t take him long to notice his bag’s been opened, and he astutely notices the difference from how he left it.

“I kinda feel like some of my candy’s gone.”

“Oh, I gave it to some customers.”

“Why, what for?”

Sasaki adds, “I get them all the time, so it’s fine if it’s just a little,” but he still seems suspicious, and Hirano wonders just how much he should explain.

Well, it’s not that big a deal, he concludes, and gives him the short version.

“It’s hush money.”

He doesn’t particularly want to tell him about his and Kagiura’s horizontal exploration.

“Sounds kinda sus.”

“Huh? No, it's wholesome. Oh yeah, give me one more piece. I’ll pay you back.”

“Uh, as long as it’s not one of the milk ones, I don’t really care. You can just have it.”

“Nah, I’ll pay for this one, since it’s for personal use.”

A strange expression crosses Sasaki’s face at Hirano’s request. The look in his eyes is enough to voice his doubt.

“Hm? ….I kinda feel like you’ve changed.”

His own countenance has changed quite a bit. His smile has stretched into a leer.

Sasaki’s just about the last person Hirano wants to be told that by.

“Huh? Where the hell did that come from?”

“Haven’t you become really considerate?”

Hirano has a hunch that if he doesn’t change the subject, he’s going to end up getting teased.

“No idea.”

Turning his face away as if to push the thought aside, he rummages around in his wallet.

“Here, compensation.”  He hands over some pocket change in exchange for the candy. There are plenty of other pieces in Sasaki’s bag.

If what he says is correct, and he really has become more considerate, that would be Kagiura’s influence.

Even if he’s seriously worried about him, he won’t make a difference just by unilaterally butting in—he’d learned this while living with him. He’s learned about joy and feelings of gratitude, as well.

Lately, he’s been thinking that his parents naturally understanding each other is probably the result of communicating their thoughts to each other before he’d been born, and sharing the feeling of treasuring their partner.

That’s why, he should communicate even with his platonic friends.

“Oh yeah, about what happened before summer vacation.”

Although Hirano is a bit self-conscious, it’s now or never, so he decides to broach the topic.

“Hm?”

“The incident behind the school building. Your injuries all better yet?”

Hirano had been so fired up to find the culprits and resolve the incident before summer break, that what he should’ve said to Sasaki has been a loose thread.

“You’re talking about way back then? They’re long since healed.”

“I see…thanks for helping my kouhai.”

He’d meant to say it nonchalantly, but Sasaki’s voice rises in undisguised shock.

“You saying something like that…wild.”

“Shut up.”

*****

Prev || Next

With that, chapter 4 is a wrap and we have just the epilogue left!!! One more part and it's all over :') which also means one more part before I do the draw for the merch giveaway! To make things easier on yall, I'm just going to say this will happen ONE WEEK FROM TODAY -- Saturday October 7th. You have one week to reblog your favorite part from the novel with a short comment about why you liked it. Full details can be found in this post , or you can DM me if you have any questions!

And as always thank you so so much to my reading list members @jeizet, @jujupanic, @massyworld, @umbreonwolfy, @acidsuzanne-blog, @neoday, @lary-the-lizard, @tsmginc 🙏

[the-cricket-chirps]

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北京, Oiwa (Oiwa-san), from the series "One Hundred Ghost Tales (Hyaku monogatari)" 1831-32 [top left]

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北育, Kohada Koheiji, from the series "One Hundred Ghost Tales (Hyaku monogatari)" 1831-32 [top right]

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北新, The Laughing Demoness (Warai Hannya), from the series "One Hundred Ghost Tales (Hyaku monogatari)" 1831-32 [below left]

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北新, The Mansion of the Plates (Sara yashiki), from the series "One Hundred Ghost Tales (Hyaku monogatari)" 1831-32 [below right]

[lemon-dokuro]

Ikigusare - Oiwa-san Rock

The song, the lyrics (with an english translation by me) and some commentary are below.

Japanese, directly from the subtitles in the video:

映画 お芝居やるのなら お参りしないと祟られる お名前 口にするのなら 敬称つけぬと祟られる

そんな猛烈な呪い お江戸の時代から 今この現代まで ずっと続いてるなんて

なんて凄まじい情念でしょう なんて素晴らしい怨念でしょう どうすれば貴方様のようになれるのかしら 誰か私に毒を盛って

鏡の前 髪をすくと ズルリ ゴッソリ 抜け落ちる ご遺体 釘付けされた 戸板 川に浮かび上がる

そんな恐ろしい場面 ひどく陰惨な場面 そんな時も貴方様 お美しいのですね

なんて凄まじい情念でしょう なんて素晴らしい怨念でしょう どうすれば貴方様のようになれるのかしら 誰か私に毒を盛って

なんて凄まじい情念でしょう なんて素晴らしい怨念でしょう どうすれば貴方様のようになれるのかしら 誰か私に毒を盛って English:

Filming a movie, writing a play, Visit her grave, or you'll get cursed. Saying her name, Address her properly, or you'll get cursed.

Such a powerful malediction, dating back to the Edo times, They say it still goes strong to this day.

Such great passion, isn't it? Such wonderful hatred, isn't it? Ah, what must I do to become like you? Somebody, give me that poison!

In front of the mirror, you're combing your hair. It's so loose that it falls out completely. A corpse nailed to a board Rises to the river's surface.

What a horrific scene, what a scene of terrible despair. Even in such a moment, you are more beautiful than ever...

Such great passion, isn't it? Such wonderful hatred, isn't it? Ah, what must I do to become like you? Somebody, give me that poison!

Such great passion, isn't it? Such wonderful hatred, isn't it? Ah, what must I do to become like you? Somebody, give me that poison!

Commentary (explaination + personal thoughts):

Obviously, this is referencing Yotsuya Kaidan, a classic japanese ghost story and kabuki play. I suggest reading or watching a retelling of the story to get the whole context. This is what you'll need to know to understand the lyrics... Basic: Oiwa is the main character of Yotsuya Kaidan. The story isn't very consistent between its different versions, but the gist is that her husband Iemon betrays her and her family in several ways, mainly by killing her father and then having an affair with a different woman. That woman later poisons Oiwa so that Iemon can marry her instead. When Oiwa dies, she becomes a vengeful spirit and torments Iemon. This is a very basic summary of her part in the story. Verse 1: There's a belief that when making an adaptation of Yotsuya Kaidan, be it a movie or a stage play, the cast, crew and other creators should visit Oiwa-san's grave and shrine and ask her to bless their production, lest her curse befall them. The part about adressing her properly isn't anything I recognise, but I imagine you'd have to be pretty polite when talking to a vengeful spirit who may curse you. Bridge 1: The story is set in the Joukyou era (~1684-1688) and loosely based on an incident that happened in the Genroku era (~1688-1704), which are eras in the Edo period (1603-1868). The play was written in 1825. Chorus: Oiwa was tricked into disfiguring herself with a poisonous facial cream. That's the poison being sung about. Because of it, her eyes started drooping and her hair partially fell out, among other things. Her disfigured face is particularly iconic, especially how Iemon kept seeing it everywhere after her death. Verse 2: Lines 1-2: In the play and in adaptations, there is usually a scene of Oiwa combing her hair in front of a mirror and it falling out from the poison. From what I know, the scene is a tragic and horrific play on a type of sexy fan-service scene in kabuki plays where a beautiful woman combs her long hair. Lines 3-4: When Oiwa eventually dies (either from the poison, from despair or from both), her body is nailed to a board and dumped into a river by her husband. Later, when he's trying to fish, he catches her, nailed to that board.

Anyway, I really like this song. It sounds gentle and romantic, even though it really isn't. I like the traditional japanese feel it has despite (to my knowledge) not having any straightforwardly traditional musical elements. Ikigusare is kind of hit-or-miss for me musically, but when it's a hit, that song quickly becomes one of my favourites. The lyrics are rather nice and well-written, though I can't help but feel like some of them are pretty generic. The visuals, though, are spectacular every time and I have nothing bad to say about them. The low-poly music videos add so much surrealism and mistique to the songs, a lot of which wouldn't be very remarkable in a different entourage. The girls' stilted dancing and position switching only adds to that surreal feeling. The girls themselves have amazing designs, very simple and striking. The one-two-three eyes pattern, their image colours being very basic and distinct (RGB, literally), their constantly changing themed outfits and the unique slightly grotesque twist on a common idol persona look that each girl has make them work very well as a unit, especially a horror-themed one. Overall, a rather interesting group/artist. I have at least four Ikigusare songs that I want to translate and post. I'll do it at some point in the near future if nobody beats me to it.

[polycrowtruther]

As Kaz stumbled down the Market, chest weeping sticky blood, he felt himself smile. Sharp, dangerous, but with a newfound glee bubbling within him. He popped the safe end of the smudged incense between his lips as he reached out for the stall closest to him. He swiped a leaf of wax paper, folding Oiwa’s old silks and wrapping them in the paper as he kept walking forward. At the next stall he casually unspooled a length of twine, angling it against the sharp edge of the counter so it would snap and tail behind him obediently. He wrapped the bundle efficiently as he walked, until he had reached his newfound destination. 

“Dolinde,” He called out, removing the spent incense stick and tucking it under the straps of the tied package with a flourish, “I need you to make a delivery.”

“I’m working, bossman,” Dolinde, a freshly fourteen-year-old Zemni girl, retorted. She ran a bustling stall selling shortbread at the end of the West Stave. She was a talented baker, specializing in sweet pastries and bread that melted in your mouth. Flakey, warm and fresh. Matthias was obsessed with all of her baked goods, and made Kaz stop frequently whenever work took them close to the West Stave. As such, Dolinde became an honorary Dreg of sorts. She was a shrewd business woman who always bargained hard and networked harder. She spoke eight languages roughly, and five of them fluently. 

“Make time for me, and I’ll make it worth your wild,” Kaz shrugged. 

“Oh please. With what, your little pocket drüskelle? Newsflash, his labor is free now, he comes to help me make deliveries of his own volition,” Dolinde said haughtily, “You have nothing to offer me. I don’t want your money, and I don’t need your labor.”

“Not even if the delivery is at the bequest of the Ghost King?” Kaz raised an eyebrow, already knowing he had won. More than anything, Dolinde loved rumors. He had wrangled many a favor out of her in exchange for ghost stories and torrid gossip. With this newfound talk of a Ghost King, she must have been frothing at the mouth for more details. Details that he was sure he could provide, if she were willing to cooperate. 

Dolinde scowled, eyes narrowing, “Talk of the King of Ghosts only surfaced this morning, and you already claim to be working for him?”

“Working with him,” Kaz corrected, “I don’t work for anybody. So, are you interested or not?”

“What’s the delivery?” She asked skeptically, but Kaz could see she was practically vibrating with excitement already. 

“This goes directly to Tante Heleen herself,” Kaz said, handing over the bundled package, “Compliments of the Ghost King and his malevolent shadow Tamiya Oiwa.” 

Dolinde’s eyes bulged in shock, “So the Ghost King really did tame the Shadow of Yotsuya?”

“She tamed him, so I heard,” Kaz smiled knowingly. “Will you deliver it or not?”

Dolinde studied the package for a moment, eyes picking up every detail available, “Yeah, sure, I’ll deliver it. Payment’s the usual?”

“There’ll be a stool waiting for you at the Six, and if you bring something baked I’m sure Jesper will add a glass or two of Amasi to your payment as well,” Kaz nodded, “I’ll give you just about every detail I know. But give me at least a day before you hound me for details. I have business to attend to first.”

“The deal is the deal,” Dolinde said with a mock salute, tucking the package under the counter of her stall. By the end of the day it’ll be back at the Menagerie, hopefully driving Tante Heleen positively nuts. Kaz delighted at the thought of it.

(Sequal to The Shadow of Yotsuya coming soon on Ao3!

In the meantime, read The Shadow of Yotsuya here - https://archiveofourown.org/works/48130705)