is a 2007 Japanese horror film directed by

Hideo Nakata is a Japanese filmmaker. Life and career Nakata was born in Okayama, Japan. He is most familiar to Western audiences for his work on Japanese horror films such as ''Ring'' (1998), ''Ring 2'' (1999) and ''Dark Water'' (2002). Several of these we ...

. It centers on two young lovers who are haunted by the ghost of a murdered moneylender who seeks revenge, which leaves a lasting effect on the couple.

Plot

In feudal Japan, Oshiga (Kuroki) and Osono are sisters whose father has been killed by Shinzaemon, a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

, due to a debt dispute. Upon his death, Oshiga and Osono's father vowed revenge for his wrongful murder. His body is dumped in a mysterious lake that's believed to be cursed and haunted by a woman who was wrongfully killed by her husband many years ago. Shortly after, Shinzaemon kills his wife and himself, leaving their baby, Shinkichi, orphaned and in care of his uncle. Years later, Oshiga, now a respected teacher who runs a school for young girls in

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

, falls in love with a young tobacco vendor named Shinkichi (Kunoemon Oroe), who lives with his uncle. Shinkichi and Oshiga decide to live together as husband and wife, but Shinkichi begins flirting with the school's students, especially Oisa. Miserable and invidious, Oshiga becomes mean to the students, who leave one by one. Oshiga also quarrels with Osono, who doesn't approve of her relationship with Shinkichi, prompting Osono to run away. Shinkichi admonishes Oshiga for driving away her sister and declares he wants to end their relationship. Oshiga pleads with him not to leave. During this quarrel, Shinkichi accidentally wounds his wife with her

shamisen The , also known as the or (all meaning "three strings"), is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument . It is played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usual ...

's ''

bachi ''Bachi'' (, ; also ''batchi'') are straight, wooden sticks used on Japanese taiko drums, and also the plectrum (written ) for stringed instruments of Japanese origin such as the shamisen and ''biwa''. For percussion Drum bachi (, ) are mad ...

'' against her left brow. They reconcile, but Oshiga slowly falls ill from her wound. Later, at a festival, Oisa meets Shinkichi, who is there to buy medicine for Oshiga, and they rent a hotel room. There he promises to run away with her. Shinkichi then goes to his uncle's house to find that Oshiga is waiting for him. Oshiga states that he can leave but asks him to promise to stay by her side when she dies. Oshiga succumbs to her illness and is given a proper burial. Shinkichi discovers a letter, left by Oshiga, that warns if he remarries, she will haunt his new wife until the latter dies. He and Oisa elope and flee Edo, but they lose their way in a rainstorm. Oshiga's

vengeful spirit In mythology and folklore, a vengeful ghost or vengeful spirit is said to be the spirit of a dead person who returns from the afterlife to seek revenge for a cruel, unnatural or unjust death. In certain cultures where funeral and burial or crem ...

terrorises the pair until she makes a frightful apparition to her husband. Out of fearful defense, Shinkichi strikes at Oshiga with a

scythe A scythe ( ) is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or harvesting crops. It is historically used to cut down or reap edible grains, before the process of threshing. The scythe has been largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor m ...

and to his horror, he realises he's stuck it into Oisa's neck. He passes out on the road. Shinkichi wakes up in the house of a wealthy man. They discover Oisa's corpse, prompting Shinkichi to run away to Hanyo. There, he encounters Osono. Together they mourn the death of Oshiga, and Osono soon finds her former brother-in-law a job. He gives her a small bell as a present. Soon, he's referred as the master of the house. The wealthy man and his wife want Shinkichi to marry their daughter Orui, Oisa's cousin. Shinkichi initially declines. After a blue snake attacks Orui, causing her to get burn herself in a fireplace. Shinkichi notices Orui's burn is in the same place as a scar belonging to Oshiga. He hastily agrees to marry Orui. Shinkichi and Orui soon have a daughter, who's born unusually pale with a scar on her left brow. The child eventually displays strange characteristics, which troubles Shinkichi.

Cast

* Kuroemon Onoe *

Hitomi Kuroki Hitomi Kuroki (Japanese: ; Katakana: ''Kuroki Hitomi''; born October 5, 1960, in Kurogi-Machi, Yame District, Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese actress and film director. Her birth name is Shoko Ichiji ( ''Ichiji Shōko'') née Egami ( ''Egami Shōk ...

* Kikunosuke Onoe *

Kumiko Asō , better known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress. She is also a model and has participated in several commercials. Career In 1995, Asō made her film debut in ''Bad Guy Beach''. With her role in the 1998 film ''Dr. Akagi'', she received ...

Mao Inoue Mao Inoue (born January 9, 1987) is a Japanese actress. She debuted as an actress when she was five years old. She is best known to Japanese television drama audiences as in , as Makino Tsukushi in the popular ''Hana Yori Dango'' series, and ...

Asaka Seto also known as Megumi Ieda, is a Japanese actress who works at Foster Management. She won the award for Best Actress at the 24th Yokohama Film Festival for ''Travail''. She is married to Yoshihiko Inohara of the band V6. Filmography ;Televisio ...

Production

The title means 'ghost story'. The screenplay for the film was written by Satoko Okudera, based on the ghost story "Shinkei Kasanegafuchi" by Enchou Sanyutei. The theme song of the film, called "Fated", was sung by

Ayumi Hamasaki is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her success and relevanc ...

References

External links

* * {{Hideo Nakata 2007 films 2007 horror films 2007 fantasy films Entertainment One films Fiction about murder Fiction about curses Films based on short fiction Films directed by Hideo Nakata Films set in feudal Japan Films with screenplays by Satoko Okudera Japanese ghost films Japanese horror films J-Horror Theater Lionsgate films Shochiku films Films scored by Kenji Kawai 2000s Japanese films