In addition to the previous article on the ghost tale of Yotsuya Kaidan, we have today a short story (approx. 2 minutes reading time) of a shopkeeper and his mysterious encounter with the ghost mother…
The Tale of the Ghost Mother
“Late in the evening, just when he decided to close his store, the shopkeeper saw a woman enter the store. She looked pale and tired, with tangled hair and a frightened look. Without saying a word she pointed at his ame – a nutritious syrup for babies – gave him some money and disappeared into the dusk.
Rushed and Out of Breath
There was something strange about this woman, but he didn’t know what it was. He went back to work, and a moment later he had forgotten about her. The next evening, however, she came back into the store, rushed and out of breath. The next two evenings the same. Because she always waited for the last customer to leave the store, he was the only one who saw her and nobody could tell him who she was after he described her.
‘Ichikawa Yonezō as the Ghost of Oiwa holding a baby‘ (c.1865) by the Osaka school artist Enjaku
Petrified of Horror
He became more curious every day and eventually he decided to follow her during one of the evenings. On the way he got an undefined premonition and therefore asked some of his friends to come along. That turned out to be a good decision, because at the temple the woman stopped at the cemetery, turned around and then stepped through the gate. The shopkeeper and his friends followed her with pounding heart, and petrified of horror they saw her lift a tombstone and disappear into the grave.
Crying Baby
The biggest shock, however, was still to come, because when they got closer to the grave, they heard a baby crying inside. Quickly they took some lamps and tools, and a moment later they could open the tomb. In the coffin lay the lifeless body of the mysterious shopkeeper’s client. A satisfied smile on her lips, and a living child in her arms, round and blushing from the good care of his dead mother.
Dead and Buried
The woman was dead and buried before she could have given birth to her child, and had no choice but to give birth and care for the child like any other living mother. Now that she had let her child be found by caretakers who could raise him among the people, she could pass on the child to them with peace of mind and finally rest in peace.”
Click HERE for more articles on ghosts and demons…!!
Source: ‘Het Rijk van de Rijzende Zon‘ (Dutch) by Tony Allan (a.o.)
If you like these ghost stories, do not hesitate to let us know and I will add them more often in the future … !!!
