【 The Ghost Who Came to Breastfeed 】 Classic Japanese Ghost Story

In a tragic tale from rural Japan, a mother’s ghost defies death’s boundary to nurse her newborn, revealing the depths of maternal love and devotion.

Japanese Title

Ochichi wo nomasenikita Yurei / お乳を飲ませに来た幽霊

Translation

The Ghost Who Came to Breastfeed

Location / Origin

Unknown

The Story of 【 The Ghost Who Came to Breastfeed 】

In a rural village, there was a wealthy household where, due to illness, only two brothers and the younger brother’s wife remained. Sadly, the wife died shortly after giving birth to her first child.

One night, the baby cried for his mother’s milk. As the father wondered what to do, a woman appeared and breastfed the baby. To his astonishment, the father realized she was the ghost of his deceased wife. She promised to return nightly to feed their child but cautioned him to tell no one.

The mother’s ghost kept her promise, visiting every night. The father kept this secret until one night, the elder brother overheard him talking to someone in his room.

The next morning, the elder brother confronted the younger, accusing him of disrespectfully inviting another woman into his room so soon after his wife’s death. 

The younger brother explained the truth about their wife’s ghost, but the elder brother refused to believe it. He suspected the ghost was a malevolent spirit responsible for their family’s misfortunes.

That night, the elder brother ambushed and attacked the ghost with a sword. She vanished into the darkness, screaming.

The next morning, following a trail of blood, the brothers found it led to the wife’s grave. Digging up the grave, they discovered her corpse bore a fresh sword wound. Realizing the truth, the elder brother apologized, but the ghost never returned.

Without his mother’s milk, the baby grew weak and died. Overcome with grief, the brothers fell ill, and the once prosperous household crumbled.

The end.

Note

Cultural Background

Glossary