In the Lunar New Year article where we discussed about this year’s sign, I mentioned that there is the possibility of falling into ruins to those born in the year of the Fire Horse. To reiterate, the superstition is that anyone who’s Zodiac sign is the horse (i.e. being hard working and energetic) coupled with the fire sign from the 10 Heavenly Stems will receive double the effects in that year While there are good points to this, there is also the belief that one will became enraptured in their goals emotionally to the point where they become irrational, and going to lengths that can bring their downfall.
For several centuries is a tale told in Japan that depicts the dark side of the Fire Horse sign, with the catalyst being love. A strong emotion paired with a burning will to fulfill one’s desire will lead them to getting burned. In today’s article, I will cover this tale that is based on a real life incident of Yaoya Oshichi (八百屋お七), which is framed to be an example of a girl who allowed her emotions to go unchecked, and played with fire.
ROOTS OF THE TALE
The tale of Oshichi is a tragic one, with love at the center of it. It’s recorded to have taken place in Edo recorded from the year 1682 to 1683, gaining popularity as it slowly spread across Japan over time. There are different versions that speak of the passionate love this girl held in her entire being, which was comparable to a raging inferno. Such a statement can be interpreted as both literally and metaphorically, no matter which version of the story you read. What makes this even more interesting is that this story is supposed to have happened in real life.
The 1st recording of this story appeared in a collection of real-life events called “Tenna Shōishū” (天和笑委集)¹, which was compiled between 1684 ~ 1688. While it’s claimed to be a documentation of real-life experiences, one needs to take this with a grain of salt as the author(s) who compiled this is unknown. Later, other publishings covering this story, albeit with some changes, would also surface. This includes historian Toda Mosui’s “Gotō Daiki” (御当代記), the novel writer Ihara Saikaku’s “Kōshoku Gonin Onna” (好色五人女, 1686), and storyteller Baba Bunkō’s “Kinsei Edo Chomonshū” (近世江都著聞集, 1757). There are also theatrical performances and plays, each with their own spin on the story.
Pics taken from the 5th volume of the collection called “Shin Enseki Jisshu” (新燕石十種), which features a digitized version of the complete Tenna Shōishū. To the right is the page where the story of Oshichi begins (starting from page 107).
Below will be a summary of the version from Tenna Shōishū, as it was technically the first source to appear. Keep in mind that, while the incident is said to be based off of a real event, it’s possible that there is a bit of exaggeration with some of the details. Also, some of the names used are made, which includes those people involved, as well as locations. This move to keep certain things anonymous may have been done for specific reasons, including maintaining some level of privacy, and avoiding backlash for using specific info without consent.
OSHICHI’S STORY
This story takes place during the 1st century of Edo period. In 1666, a merchant named Yaoya² Hachibei Ichizaemon (八百屋八兵衛市左衛門), and his wife, who were residing in Hongō-Morikawachō³, an area in the capital city Edo. They had a daughter named Oshichi, who was the only daughter in the 3-children household. Being born in a family of a good social status, Oshichi was beautiful like a delicate flower. Raised in a well-to-do environment in the capital city of Edo, her parents raised her with the best from her early childhood to her teens, and groomed her in preparation for a future arranged marraige with a man from an established family.
In the 28th day of the 12th month of 1682⁴, a fire erupted in the Yaoya residence. Ichizaemon fled with his family, taking refuge at a temple called Shōsen-in (正仙院)⁵, and resided there for a few months. During this time, a 17-year-old guy named Shōnosuke (庄之介), who was staying at the temple for some time, caught sight of Oshichi and became attracted to her. He made contact with Yuki (ゆき), the Yaoya family’s young maidservant who had also evacuated with them, and got help from her to formally introduce himself to Oshichi through a letter. Soon, both sides developed interest in one another, and got closer as they corresponded through letters regularly. Eventually, they set up private meetings, and spent numerous nights with one another secretly from her family, which went off with no hitches thanks to the cooperation of Yuki acting as a confidant who assisted with these meetings.
The many happy days enjoyed between these two love birds would eventually come to an end. While all this was taking place, Ichizaemon was busy having the family home rebuilt. One day, he announced to his family that their damaged home was restored, meaning they will be moving back there shortly. Oshichi was heart broken at the thought of leaving the temple, for this meant that she would be separated from Shōnosuke; since he did not possess an acceptable social status, there was no way he could be introduced to her parents as a potential suitor, preventing her from seeing him as often as she initially was. Later that same month, the Yaoya household returned back to Hongō-Morikawachō. Oshichi kept in contact with Shōnosuke through Yuki, who traveled between their home ant the temple delivering letters between the two lovers. At one point they came to an agreement for Shōnosuke to drop by her home and stay the night in secret. Unfortunately, reight before the appointed day, he became sick and bedridden from stress & constant yearning to meet Oshichi. Thus, they were further delayed from being together once again.
In the 3rd month, Oshichi made up her mind and wanted to force her family to return back to Shōsen-in Temple by burning down their home. So on one clear, windy night, she gathered the necessary materials, and proceeded to set their home on fire. Before any real damage was caused, neighbors had seen the small fire flickering and rushed on over, putting it out. They also spotted Oshichi not too far away, clutching the mateirals used for creating the fire, whom they quickly caught, and dragged to the magistrate’s office. Seeing the accused dressed in proper attire, the commissioner initially couldn’t fathom this girl to be an arsonist, and proceeded to ask what her motives were. She lied, saying that she was surrounded by thugs, and set the surroundings on fire in order to drive them away. The commissioner didn’t believe the story and, with no doubt regarding her starting the fire despite the reasoning, had her formally arrested as an arsonist.
For several days, Oshichi was paraded around in Edo alongside with other criminals, tied & bounded, in public to be shamed for their criminal actions. She stood out the most, as she was wearing a beautiful kimono with her hair well done and adorned with a lavish ornament. In the onlookers’ eyes, apart from her stunning appearance, Oshichi did not show embarrasment in her eyes, but instead showed an assured face, bearing no ounce of regret. On 28th day of the 3rd month, she and the other criminals were lead through the streets toward the Suzugamori Prison (鈴ヶ森刑所)⁶, where they would face their death penalty of being burned at the stake. Some of her family members, such as her mother, looked on in sorrow as this would be their last time to see Oshichi alive. After their daughter’s execution, Oshichi’s parents were grief stricken for several months, before finally moving out of Edo to Kōshū⁷ with their eldest son, where they settled down to a quiet life as farmers.
Lastly, what happened to Shōnosuke? Apparently the romantic relationship between him and Oshichi was exposed throughout Edo, and became the talk of the town. Eventually, after enduring being in the public eye, he left Edo and traveled in his lonesome for some time. His journey led him to the renown Buddhist sect site called Kōyasan (高野山), where he would become a monk at one of the many temples there, and prayed for Oshichi’s spirit.
CONCLUSION
We’ve come to the end of the story about Yaoya Oshichi. A tragic one indeed, as her love made her become an arsonist. This article is just the 1st part, as we will disect her history a little further in part 2. Look out for that in a couple of days after this posting.
1) A 13-volume records of various cases, with Oshichi’s incident appearing in volumes 11, 12, and 13. Written and compiled sometime between 1684 to 1688. The author(s) of these records is unknown.
2) There is a possibility that this surname is made up, for it actually was used as a label for merchants who set up shop selling produce, or were a jack-of-all-trades. While in some name databases like myoji-yurai.net mention recordings of individuals using this as a surname, the numbers are very low. Along with that, this may also take into count names of fictional characters and/or performers.
3) Present-day, this covers a stretch of area around Bunkyo-District, Tokyo City.
4) In the actual text, the month is written as goku getsu (極月), which means the the 12th (last) month of the year. This is a time when many preparations are made in order to ring in the new year.
5) This temple did not exist in real life. Most likely a fabricated name to hide the actual temple involved in the arson case.
6) A prison used for about 220 years, where countless criminals were executed during Edo period. It was finally closed in 1871. Present-day, the area where it once stood is South-Ooi Shinagawa District in Tokyo City.
7) Present day Yamanashi Prefecture.
