Tōkaidō Yotsuya kaidan is a 1959 Japanese horror film, directed by Nobuo Nakagawa and based on the 19th century Japanese kabuki play by Nanboku Tsuruya titled Yotsuya Kaidan. It is also known as The Ghost of Yotsuya in film reference sources. The English-subtitled print runs 76 minutes. The film was in Eastman Color and Shintoho-Scope, and is considered by many critics to be the best of the myriad adaptations of the Yotsuya Ghost Legend. The film falls in a trend of Japanese horror films throughout the 1950s and 1960s. In these ghost story films, greed commonly leads to murder and extramarital affairs, many involving former Samurai characters.
Plot
Ruthless samurai Iemon Tamiya wants to marry Oiwa. Iemon waits outside of the home of Oiwa's father Samon, begging him to let him marry Oiwa. He is insulted by Samon and his companion Sato. Enraged, Iemon attacks Samon and Sato, killing them. A low-ranking criminal and witness to the murder, Naosuke, who had been working for Samon, offers to keep quiet about the murders in exchange for Iemon's help. The two form a conspiracy to convince Oiwa and her sister, Sode, that their father had been murdered by known criminal Usaburo. They plan to murder Yomoschichi, the son of Sato and fiancé of Sode, so that Naosuke can marry Sode. The two attack and seemingly kill Yomoschichi, throwing his body over a waterfall. A year later, Iemon and Oiwa are married and living in Edo with their infant son. Unknown to Oiwa, her sister Sode and Naosuke are also living together in the same city. Tiring of his lack of status, as well as his marriage to Oiwa, Iemon begins to court Ume, daughter of the nobleman Ito. He and Naosuke plan to poison Oiwa so that Iemon can marry Ume and become a wealthy nobleman. Iemon recruits the masseuse Takuetsu to seduce his wife, thus allowing Iemon to legally kill his wife for adultery. After failing to seduce Oiwa, Takuetsu tells her about Iemon's plan. Simultaneously, having ingested the poison, Oiwa's face breaks out in horrific boils. In a fit of madness, Oiwa attacks Takuetsu with a razor, but instead mortally wounds herself. As she dies, she swears revenge on Iemon. Iemon returns to the house and kills Takuetsu. He and Naosuke nail the two bodies to a pair of shutters and sink them in the river. That same night, Iemon is wed to Ume. Soon, both Iemon and Naosuke are haunted by visions of the dead and deformed Oiwa, as well as Takuetsu. The terrified Iemon attacks the spirit at his new home at night, accidentally killing Ume as well as both of her parents. He flees to a Buddhist temple in search of sanctuary. That same night, Oiwa's ghost visits her sister Sode and Naosuke. Upon seeing her, Naosuke confesses to his crimes and flees to the same temple. The ghost of Oiwa leads Sode to the home of Yomoschichi, who had survived the attempted murder. Yomoschichi and Sode resolve to avenge their slain loved ones. At the temple, Naosuke taunts Iemon, who in turn kills Naosuke. Yomoschichi and Sode arrive and attack Iemon. Driven mad by the spirits of Oiwa and Takuetsu, he is unable to defend himself and is killed. The film ends with a vision of Oiwa, her appearance restored and holding her infant son, presumably in Heaven - her spirit now able to rest in peace with her revenge complete.
