The Kwaidan of the Lady of Tamiya

Kwaidan are what Lafcadio Hearn called "stories and studies of strange things" -- eerie tales which convey the enduring mystery of traditional Japanese culture and the world of the samurai. In this volume, de Benneville's rendition of the Yotsuya Kwaidan of Shunkintei Ryuo paints a picture of life in the capital city of Edo among samurai of the highest class, jostling for power at the court of the Shogun. At the heart of the story is the Lady of Tamiya, a daughter of the samurai who is sold by her brutal husband into the floating world of the brothels, from which she escapes only in death. Thereafter, the Lady is avenged as misfortune relentlessly overtakes all who betrayed her, and she is still remembered today in a Tokyo shrine popular with women who seek her protection. More than any history, kwaidan reveal the inner morality of the samurai code.