“One…two…three…”
On a quiet night, a woman’s voice echoes from the bottom of an old well.
“Four…five…six…”
Her name is お菊（おきく・Okiku）, and she is one of Japan’s most famous ghosts.
In my previous article, I introduced the traditional connection between summer and ghost stories in Japan. This time, let’s take a look at one of the country’s best-known 怪談（かいだん・ghost stories）: 番町皿屋敷（ばんちょうさらやしき・Banchō Sarayashiki）, often translated as The Dish Mansion at Banchō.
The story became popular during the 江戸時代（えどじだい・Edo period, 1603-1868） and has been retold in many different forms over the centuries, including 歌舞伎（かぶき・kabuki）, 浄瑠璃（じょうるり・jōruri）, and 落語（らくご・rakugo）.
There are several versions of the story, but one of the most famous goes something like this.
Long ago, Okiku worked as a servant in the residence of a samurai.
The master of the house fell in love with her, but Okiku did not return his feelings. Angry at being rejected, he hid one plate from a treasured set of ten and accused Okiku of losing it.
Again and again, Okiku counted the plates.
“One…two…three…”
But no matter how many times she counted them, there were only nine.
She insisted that she was innocent, but no one believed her. In the end, Okiku lost her life, and her body was thrown into a well.
But that wasn’t the end of the story.
From then on, people said that Okiku’s voice could be heard coming from the bottom of the well at night.
“One…two…three…”
Slowly, she counts the plates.
“Seven…eight…”
And then…
“Nine…”
She reaches the end, realizes once again that one plate is missing, and begins to cry.
Then the counting starts all over again.
“One…two…three…”
No matter how many times she counts, the tenth plate is never there.
Perhaps Okiku is still searching for it even now.
Like many old Japanese ghost stories, Banchō Sarayashiki has changed considerably depending on when and where it is told. Details about Okiku, her master, the missing plate, and even the circumstances of her death differ from version to version.
But one image has remained at the heart of the story: Okiku standing at the bottom of a well, counting her plates one by one.
There is also an old legend connected to the tale.
According to some versions, hearing Okiku count all the way to nine could bring terrible misfortune.
But if you found yourself walking by a well late at night and heard a faint voice counting:
“One…two…three…”
Or worse:
“Seven…eight…”
Would you leave?
…Or would you wait to hear if she finally found the missing plate?
Vocabulary
・番町皿屋敷（ばんちょうさらやしき） Banchō Sarayashiki, one of Japan’s most famous ghost stories
・皿（さら） plate / dish
・～枚（まい） counter for flat, thin objects such as plates, CDs, sheets of paper, and pizza
In the story, Okiku counts the plates as 一枚（いちまい）, 二枚（にまい）, 三枚（さんまい）…
・怪談（かいだん） ghost story / supernatural tale
・江戸時代（えどじだい） Edo period (1603-1868)
・歌舞伎（かぶき） kabuki
・浄瑠璃（じょうるり） jōruri, a traditional form of Japanese dramatic storytelling often accompanied by shamisen
・落語（らくご） rakugo, traditional Japanese comic storytelling
