One Hundred Ghost Stories Part V:Plate IV:

The Ghost of Kohada Koheiji (Kohada Koheiji)

This print illustrates a tale about a man who was drowned in a Swamp by his wife and her lover: Kohada Koheiji, a Yōkai, was once a real man. It is believed that he lived in the Edo period. He was a Kabuki actor for the Morita-za theatre but he was unable to get any roles as he was hideous to look at. The only role he could get was the one of a yurei, a ghost, in a theatre in the countryside where the audiences were less demanding than in the city. Believing that this was his last chance as an actor he studied excessively to fulfil his role as a ghost: He studied the faces of the dead,their limp muscles, their blank eyes. He copied their rigid, lifeless poses. He practised speaking in a haunting voice, and walking with an eerie gracefulness. His hard work paid off and the other actors admitted that Koheiji was really good at one thing: at being a ghost. 

From then on he only played ghosts. His wife Otsukda however was ashamed of him. She started an affair with Adachi Sakurō, who was another performer in the Morita-za theatre. They conspired to get rid of Koheiji and to throw his body into a swamp. As soon as the lover returned home, the vindictive ghost of Kohada Koheiji was already waiting for him. He escaped the ghost, ran towards Otsuka, who was waiting for her affair to come back. She was confused: She believed that her husband was still alive and well and only a little tired:“Koheiji just got home a little while ago. He was tired, so he’s resting in the back room.” They both went back to Kohada’s room where they saw someone sleeping behind a folding screen. Sakurō could not believe it. He tried to remove the screen to have a look behind it. A pale, blue-tinged hand grabbed it and held it fast. Sakurō pulled harder. The screen fell. Nobody was behind it. Hokusai illustrated the scene 

The story continues that Sakurō was haunted by the ghost of Koheiji until both of them lost their minds. In life, Kohada Koheiji was the perfect ghost actor. In death he was terrifying. The mad Otsuka lost her life not long after but Sakurō lost everything he had and was forced to live a life as beggar. Some time later, the great Ichikawa Danjūrō II heard of the story of Kohada Koheiji’s tragic murder. He pitied him, and offered prayers in his honor. As he prayed, the drowned ghost of Koheiji appeared behind him: “Koheiji. You were only ever good at being a ghost,” said Danjūrō. 

With that final recognition, Koheiji’s ghost seemed content, and vanished.

The story of Kohada was developed by writer Santō Kyōden in his novel Bizarre Tale of Revenge at Asaka Marsh (Fukushû kidan Asaka-numa) in 1803 and was based on the real murder of Koheiji. 

Hyaku monogatari Kohada Koheiji

Hokusai’s print is grotesque to the point of the comical. Hokusai creates a ghost between stages of decay: Bare bones, rotting hair on the scalp and muscles, visible between the bones, and veins in the huge eyes. Hokusai depicts the scene where the ghosts hides behind the folding screen. He watches the lovers, who are outside the frame, with a creepy grin while practically crawling through the fabric of the screen. 

Diaz writes: “He wears juzu beads which were used in Buddhist prayer by rubbing between both hands. Regardless of whether they were Kohada’s or part of his yurei kabuki costume, the beads symbolize religious piety, which Otsuki and Adachi clearly disregarded.” – making him the good guy.