【 The Ogre of Akinohashi Bridge 】 Classic Japanese Ghost Story

In a Japanese folktale, a daring servant attempts to cross the haunted Akinohashi Bridge, only to encounter a terrifying ogre in a test of courage and wit.

Japanese Title

Akino hashi no Oni / 安義橋の鬼

Translation

The Ogre of Akinohashi Bridge

Location / Origin

Unknown

The Story of 【 The Ogre of Akinohashi Bridge 】

Long ago in Omi Province (present-day Shiga Prefecture, Japan), there was a group of young servants talking in the mansion of a local lord. 

During their conversation, one of the young men brought up a local legend. He mentioned the mysterious Akinohashi Bridge, rumored to be so dangerous that anyone who tried to cross it would never return alive. It was said to be haunted by an ogre, and because of this, no one dared to cross it anymore.

Hearing this, one of the young men, known for his bravado, scoffed at the story. He boldly declared that he would cross the bridge himself to prove that the story was nothing but a superstition.

However, he stated that there was one condition: he wanted to borrow the lord’s famous horse, which was said to be the best in all of Japan, believing that the lord would never agree to this. To his surprise, the lord overheard the conversation and agreed to lend the horse.

The young man, now committed against his will, regretfully prepared for his journey. He made sure the horse’s gear was secure and applied oil to its hindquarters, presumably as a precaution. Then, taking a whip in hand, he set off on the horse.

As he approached Akinohashi Bridge at dusk, he felt a sense of unease. Halfway across the bridge, he saw a figure standing in the dim light. Initially, he feared it was the ogre, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was a woman. She was dressed in elegant court attire, with a pale purple cloth over her head and a dark purple kimono with a red hakama. She looked sorrowfully at the young man.

The young man was at first enchanted by her beauty, considering helping her. But then, he grew suspicious of her presence in such a lonely place at that hour. As he tried to speed away, the woman suddenly spoke, asking him to take her to a nearby village as she was left stranded. Her voice was beautiful, but it sent a chill down his spine, making him realize she was not human.

The young man whipped the horse and fled as the woman let out a terrifying scream, transforming into a monstrous ogre and chasing him with thunderous footsteps. The ogre was nearly nine feet tall with a bright red face and glittering golden eyes, three-fingered hands with sharp, knife-like claws. The young man prayed to the Bodhisattva Kannon for protection.

He managed to reach the edge of the village, where the ogre finally stopped pursuing him, warning that it would catch him another time, and then disappeared.

Shaken and pale, the young man returned to the lord’s mansion, where he was unable to speak due to his terror. The other young men helped him inside, and he was cared for. The lord, upon hearing his story, was sympathetic but admonished him for his foolishness and gave him the horse as a reward.

However, strange occurrences started happening at the young man’s home. The house shook as if in an earthquake, and weird noises were heard from the walls and ceiling. Fearing a curse, the young man consulted a diviner, who advised him to purify himself and observe a period of seclusion (物忌み, monomimi), where no one was to enter his house.

During this seclusion, his brother, who served a lord in Michinoku (the northern part of the Tohoku region), visited him, claiming their mother had passed away. The young man, forgetting the seclusion, let him in, only to discover that the brother was the ogre in disguise. The ogre attacked and killed the young man before disappearing.

The lord, upon hearing the news, lamented the young man’s death and prayed for his soul. After this incident, the ogre was never seen again, and people could cross Akinohashi Bridge without fear.

The end.

Note

Cultural Background

Glossary