Low-ranking samurai Tamiya (Tomisaburô Wakayama) has lost his love Oiwa (Yoshiko Fujishiro) because of his non-stop lascivious lifestyle… that and the fact he straight-up put a murder on a rando dude (accidentally… allegedly).
Speaking of Oiwa, her pappy has fallen on hard times thanks to war that is ravaging the land, and sold his other daughter, Osode (Hiroko Sakuramachi) off to work as a masseuse in ye olde whorehaus!
Her job as a masseuse lasts roughly 3.5 seconds before she is immediately offered sex work, which honestly will surprise absolutely no one.
This doesn’t sit well with her fiancé, samurai Yomoshichi (Sentarô Fushimi), but there isn’t much he can do since said war is about to have him shipped out for a year… which leaves a small gap for horny admirer Naosuke (Jûshirô Konoe) to move on in, and along with Tamiya hatch a plan to secretly murder Oiwa and Osode’s father and take ownership over the sibs while bullshitting them that they will avenge their father’s death promising to avenge their father’s death.
Flash forward a year, and unsurprisingly none of the forced relationships are working out very well, which leads to affairs, disfigurement and that hoary ol’ chestnut; death!
This leads to ghostly visitations and murder… which doesn’t exactly look to promising for the continued survival of Tamiya…
Based on the well-known (and often adapted to film) Kabuki play, Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan, by Tsuruya Nanboku; Tai Katô’s (The Blossom and the Sword) The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost (this time presented by Henshin pioneers Toei) is a moody, slow-burn tale of paranormal vengeance.
Filmed in stark black and white and shot on soundstages for both interiors and exteriors, the film takes on a suitably surreal air as the stagey sets create a world like, but not always true to, our own, which not only allows Katô to present a tale that embraces it’s otherworldly elements in fever-dream fashion, but to exert control over how the feature’s more natural elements to play out.
Katô is equally adept at balancing the many narrative themes present in the tale. Playing out for the most part as an obsession-fueled dark drama, with the proceedings showcasing emotion and sympathy, lust and rage (all performed by an excellent and emotive cast), things get decidedly more ghoulish in the film’s third act… and this material is presented with plenty of atmospheric style and panache that make the gruesome goings-on satisfying indeed!
All of the above looks devilishly dynamite here with the High-Definition digital transfer utilized by Radiance for this Blu-ray displaying a rich chiaroscuro and high levels of detail that really make cinematographer Osamu Furuya’s work look gorgeous and crisp.
Special features present here include an introduction to the film provided by director Mari Asato (Juon: Black Ghost), as well as a brief video essay courtesy of J-horror scholar Lindsay Nelson that examines the legacy the Oiwa character has had on the ghost girl subgenre present in Japanese pop culture.
Also included with the release is a limited edition booklet featuring new writing by film critic Tom Mes (as well as an archival review of the film), and a reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow.
A moody dive into the murky, murder-fueled world of Japanese supernatural yarns, The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost is suspenseful, well-presented, and dripping with arcane aesthetics!
