The Tale of Oiwa
The Tale of Oiwa
Around the 17th century of the Edo period, there lived a beautiful girl named Oiwa. One day, a samurai who wished to claim this stunning girl all to himself, came to Oiwa’s father, who was a nobleman, to ask for his blessings so that the two could get married. This lowlife samurai’s name is Iemon. Iemon then received a violent refusal from Oiwa’s father because he was only a lowly samurai while Oiwa was a daughter from an aristocratic family. Not knowing when to give up, Iemon ended up killing his future father-in-law. In order to win Oiwa’s heart, Iemon claimed that Oiwa’s father was murdered by a robber and he managed to get rid of that robber. The naive Oiwa believed his story and the two finally managed to get married.
Unbeknownst to them, there was another woman who fell in love with Iemon. Her name is Oume, a granddaughter of a physician. However, Oume knew that Iemon would never love her back because he had such a gorgeous wife. Blinded by jealousy, Oume orchestrated a plan to get rid of Oiwa.
Nonetheless, Oume wasn’t a bright girl so she couldn’t think of any good scheme. As a last resort, she sought out a fortune-teller. Oume then proceeded to tell the fortune teller how she felt towards Iemon and how Iemon already had a wife who was superior to her in every aspect. Later, the fortune-teller told Oume that in order to achieve her ambition, Oume had to convince Iemon that his wife was cheating on him.
After hearing that, Oume immediately hired a woman, whose physical appearance resembled Oiwa’s, and a man. She then told Iemon to meet up with her because she had something very important to say about his wife. The worried Iemon then agreed to meet up. Next, Oume made Iemon see that the fake Oiwa was dating another man and they looked happy. Iemon then got furious and decided to divorce Oiwa.
Upon hearing this slander, Oiwa cried and begged Iemon to not leave her because she had no one else in her family. However, Iemon was determined that he didn’t need any woman who was cheating behind his back in his life. Soon, Iemon got married to Oume whom he thought had saved him from his deceiving ex-wife.
After a few months, there was a rumor that there were sightings of Oiwa’s father’s ghost. On the next day, Oiwa’s father miraculously appeared in the middle of the village where they all lived in. Commotions were everywhere because everyone knew that he died several years ago. This rumor eventually reached Iemon’s ears, causing him to get sleepless nights. The day when he committed a murder was still clear in his head. He was afraid that Oiwa’s father would expose his deeds and punish him. On the other hand, Oume could only calm her husband down because she was clueless about the murder itself.
After a few days, Oiwa’s father finally regained his noble status and brought Oiwa back home with him. Fully knowing who murdered him, Oiwa’s father decided to take his revenge against Iemon. Even so, Oiwa’s father didn’t have any evidence to support him. Also wanting an act of revenge, Oiwa told her father that Oume once defamed her for having an affair, even though she never did. Hence, Oiwa’s father decided to hold a public execution for Oume and her family because they defamed a nobleman’s daughter.
Later, Oume and Iemon were dragged by Oiwa’s family’s soldiers and the public execution was held. Just like her husband, Oume didn’t know when to give up. She then shouted and begged, claiming that she had been framed by that fortune teller she met a few months earlier. Seeing her look miserable, Oiwa smirked. “You really are as foolish as everyone said. Just how dense could you be? I knew everything from the beginning,” said Oiwa. Iemon and Oume were flabbergasted by Oiwa’s statement.
Little do they know, Oiwa knew that her father was still alive. After Oiwa got married to Iemon, Oiwa’s father suddenly visited her and told her what happened. Oiwa was enraged and promised to avenge her father. Then, they both came up with a plan. Oiwa knew that Oume has always had her eyes on Iemon. She took that to her advantage and led Oume to meet a fortune teller. Oiwa disguised herself as the fortune teller and told Oume to defame Oiwa. She told her to do so in order to have an excuse to punish both Oume and Iemon.
“So we’ve been caught in your trap all along,” said Iemon with a sorrowful face, “Thank you for being a great wife even though you hated me.”
Those were Iemon’s last words. On the contrary, Oume was still screaming and resisting her death. They were executed and both Oiwa and her father were free from their tragic past.
With a teardrop down her face, Oiwa mumbled, “You should’ve told me how you felt about me and I would’ve helped you convince father.”
Written by Aurelia R. P. /X MIPA 2
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