Long ago, there lived a young man named Saburo. He was born into a rich family of business persons. He fell in love with a beautiful woman named Otsuyu. Their love was a happy and blossoming kind of love, like a beautiful peony flower. They met in secret for some time and then decided to get married. But before they could get married, Saburo fell ill and could not meet Otsuyu for a long time. When he recovered, he went out in search of Otsuyu. He looked for her everywhere but what he got was bad news. A man told him that Otsuyu had died some time ago. Saburo was heartbroken. He loved her very much. He grieved her loss every day. That year, on the Obon festival, he prayed for her soul to visit him.
The Peony Lantern
After praying, Saburo went towards his home at night. Soon, he was approached by a beautiful lady and her maid. They carried a peony lantern with them. When the light of the peony lantern fell on the lady’s face Saburo was shocked. She looked like Otsuyu! He could not believe his eyes and ran towards her. Before he could even utter a word, the lady started crying. She said, “Dear Saburo, my aunt told me that you died of illness. I was heartbroken and was about to leave the town with my maid. But here you are standing in front of me. I am so happy to see you.” Saburo was filled with joy. He hugged and kissed Otsuyu and he invited the two women to his house. That night, he held Otsuyu in his arms and they slept together. Reunited, they again started meeting in secret.
The Revelation
One of Saburo’s servants became curious of his master’s visitors every night. So, one night he peeked into Saburo’s room to see what was happening. What he saw shocked him! He saw a corpse lying beside Saburo and it moved and turned as if it was really sleeping. In the next room, he saw another corpse with two peony lanterns beside it. The servant ran to the temple and told the priest what he saw in Saburo’s house. The priest revealed that Otsuyu and her maid died on their journey out of the town. Saburo’s aunt had planned it all because Otsuyu’s family was a business rival. She did not want Otsuyu to be married to Saburo, so she tricked her into exile by Saburo’s ‘framed’ death. The next day, the priest came to Saburo’s house and prayed to keep the spirits away. He also kept ofuda (talismans) around the house to keep away the ghosts of Otsuyu and her maid.
The Reunion
Every night, Otsuyu and her maid stood outside Saburo’s house. She cried and called out his name. She desperately wanted to meet him. Inside, Saburo suffered because he realised that he was going to be separated from Otsuyu again. “Please, I want to see her,” he begged his family and servants. He didn’t want to be separated from her again. He stopped eating and sleeping. As a result, his health deteriorated. His family was afraid that Saburo would die of heartbreak. They finally asked the priest to remove the talismans kept around the house. That night, no voice called out Saburo’s name. It was a quiet night. The next day, Saburo was found lying dead. His body was entwined around a skeleton. On his face was a smile, a pure bliss.
