In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories (1st ed. - 08.04.

04) - inagrove8j
Copyright 2004 Eric Coble
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IN A GROVE:

FOUR JAPANESE GHOST STORIES

by Eric Coble
Cast of Characters
OBOSAN: The Village Priest and Our Narrator
YUKIONNA (The Snow Woman)
KEIZUKE: A Hero with a Horrible Secret
JIRO: Keizukes Tormented Best Friend
YUKIONNA: The Snow Woman
MEIKO: A Beautiful Woman from a Neighboring Village
KAI: Keizukes Young Son.
SATOKO, ICHI, and TETSUO: A Pack of Villagers
ONI MONDAI (The Oni Dilemma)
OTA: A None-too-swift Demon
ONO: A Brainy Demon
OKU: A Vegetarian Demon
A WIFE AND HUSBAND: A Couple of Unsuspecting Humans
SHINDAMANO NO UTA (The Song of the Dead)
KOZO: A Punk Gangster Crimelord
TOK: Kozos Chief Thug
UTA: A Happy Singing Monk
THREE GHOSTS: Some of the Victims of Kozos Cruelty
THE EMPEROR: The Main Man of Japan
A VILLAGER: An Unlucky Fisherman
AZUKITOGI (The Bean-Grinder)
DOMBE: A Goofy Kid in the Village
SHIN: A Frightened Kid in the Village
GEN: A Smart-Mouth Kid in the Village
HYOROKU: A Hungry Stranger
VARIOUS DEMONS AND MONSTERS: An Army of Weird
Spirits
4

Place
A grove that was once the village of Kogisu.
Time
From hundreds of years ago to this very moment.
Production Notes
In a Grove can be performed by 5-25 actors (of any sex or ethnic
group) playing all the roles. The props and sets should be
minimal, using everyday items to create spectacular theatrical
effects.
There is a Pronunciation Guide at the end of the play.
Acknowledgements
In a Grove premiered at the Cleveland Play House in March,
1996 under the direction of David Colacci. The set was designed by Qandle Qadir, costumes by Gina Gornik, and lights
by William Hoffman. The cast was as follows:
Jiro, Toke .................................................Randy Bame
Oku, Gen ...........................................Tonya Beckman
Ota, Ensemble.............................................. Ali Burke
Ono, Hyoruku....................................... Ashley Butler
Uta, Shin .......................................... Cathy S. Clifford
Dombe, Ensemble ............................Triste Crawford
Yukionna, Kozo ....................................... Edan Evans
Keizuke, Ensemble........................... Daniel J. Katula
Obosan ..................................................... John Nelson
Special thanks to Kasumi and Kitao for the translations.
All production groups performing this play are required to
include the following credits on the title page of every
program:
In a Grove premiered at the Cleveland Play House in
March, 1996.
5

YUKIONNA
(The Snow Woman)
(SETTING: A bare stage representing a grove. Various simple set
pieces and white sheets will be arranged to form mountains, the village, etc.)
(AT RISE: The stage is darkbut there is great movement in the
shadows. Out of the darkness steps OBOSAN, a traditional Japanese
priest, but with his face painted in highly-stylized make-up.)
(He bows, then stares at the audience.)
OBOSAN. This was not always a grove. Where you now sit, there
were once buildings. Houses and families and farmers and fishing
boats. The village of Kogisu. But that was many, many years ago.
And only I remain to tell its story. Or its many stories. For as any
town knows, there are hundreds of stories for every stair and chimney. But the greatest storythe story of how Kogisu became deserted and overgrown with vines and leaves and the roots of
treeslies in a secret kept by the spirit world. Secrets. We all have
them. We all hide them. Secrets you keep from your friends. Your
family. The person sitting next to you. Me. And I have secrets I am
hiding from you. But one that I will tell youjust between usis
that Yukionna exists. The Snow Woman. And her secret was one of
the greatest secrets of all
(Snow begins to fall over the stage.)
Her story begins long, long ago, when the snow was much heavier,
and fell much faster than it does today. Two young mensearching
for wood for the fires in our village ventured out into this snow
risking deathtogether.
(KEIZUKE and JIRO are climbing a mountain, carrying axes.
Fierce winds and snow howl around them.)
(They have to yell to be heard.)
JIRO. Keizuke! Where are we?
KEIZUKE. We are facing this wayso the village must be back
(They point simultaneously in different directions.)
7

Eric Coble

KEIZUKE / JIRO. that way!

KEIZUKE. Uh-oh.
JIRO. This does not bode well.
KEIZUKE. Alright. Stay calm. Right. We just start back down the
mountain
JIRO. But what about that ice bridge we crossed?
KEIZUKE. What about it?
JIRO. It was a hundred foot drop to the bottom of that chasm, and
it was slick then, and now I cant see five feet in front of my face! If
we try to cross it blind, they will not find us until next springand
then lying crumpled at the bottom with broken necks and smashed
bodies
KEIZUKE. You always look on the bright side, Jiro.
JIRO. What?
KEIZUKE. Never mind! Just start walking! We will freeze if we
stay here!
(They inch forward as the howling grows louder.)
OBOSAN. And so they started down. But Jiro was right. They were
hopelessly lost. They wandered for what seemed like daysthe
snow only getting deeper and deepercolder and colder
(JIRO falls down.)
KEIZUKE. Jiro!
(KEIZUKE goes back for him.)
JIRO. I can not feel my feet or hands. My face is numb I am finished, Keizuke. I can not go on.
KEIZUKE. No! We have got to get back home! Together! I am not
moving without you!
JIRO. Saveyourself
(He passes out.)

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

KEIZUKE. Jiro? Jiro! No! Jiro!!

(And then the snow stops. Everything freezes in silence, except
KEIZUKE. He hears a soft wind chime in the distance. It grows
louder. He looks around)
(Then rising up out of the snowappearing to be one with the
snowis YUKIONNAthe snow woman. Her face is pure white
and unreadable. Long, straight black hair blows gently around her
face. She raises her long arms menacingly. Her spindly white fingers
reach out for KEIZUKE.)
YUKIONNA. (In an echoing whisper:) I have come for you.
KEIZUKE. Whowho are you?
YUKIONNA. I am Yukionna. The Snow woman. Have you not
heard of me?
KEIZUKE. I have. I thought you were only a legend.
YUKIONNA. I am no legend, Keizuke.
KEIZUKE. How do you know my name? You must be a hallucinationa dream brought on by the freezing cold
YUKIONNA. Could a dream do this?
(She touches his forehead with one finger. He screams and tumbles
over backward, clutching his forehead.)
KEIZUKE. Aaahh!! The cold!! Its burning cold! AhhAahh
Aaahh!!
YUKIONNA. I have come for you.
KEIZUKE. What did I ever do to you?
YUKIONNA. You have wandered into my domain. The snow covered mountains are not for your kind.
KEIZUKE. My kind? My kind are just hungry little villagers who
have to come up this mountain to collect firewood to survive the
winter!
YUKIONNA. Exactly. These are my trees. You cut them and you
cut them, but you never plant new seeds. Prepare to pay the price

Eric Coble

10

(She raises her arms above her head.)

KEIZUKE. Wait! Go ahead and kill me, but save my friend. Send
him back alive as a warning to the others. Then you can have me.
YUKIONNA. You would sacrifice yourself for him?
KEIZUKE. Gladly. We are like brothers.
YUKIONNA. You are very brave.
KEIZUKE. No. Just loyal. Do we have a deal, Yukionna?
YUKIONNA. No. I shall make you another offer. I will let you both
live to return to your village.
KEIZUKE. Why do I have the feeling there is a catch coming up?
YUKIONNA. You must convince the village to stop defacing my
mountains.
KEIZUKE. That will be easy, once they hear about what happened
up here
YUKIONNA. No. You must never speak of our meeting. You may
tell no one what has occurred here today.
KEIZUKE. Or else
YUKIONNA. Or else you shall meet your fate. Immediately and
horribly.
KEIZUKE. Alright.
YUKIONNA. You swear you will speak no word of this?
KEIZUKE. I swear I will never tell a single person.
YUKIONNA. Then you and your friend may return to the living.
(A white silk cloth descends from her hand.)
Take this silk. Hold it aloft and walk the direction it blows in the
wind. It will lead you safely home.
KEIZUKE. Thank you. Thank you, Yukionna! I will never forget
this!
YUKIONNA. It would be easier for you if you did.

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

11

(And she vanishes back into the snow.)

(The wind starts howling againsnow blowing everywhere.)
KEIZUKE. Yukionna? What Was that a dream? Jiro. Jiro, are you
alive?
(JIRO lets out a dull grunt.)
Right. Follow the silk.
(He holds the cloth upit blows to the left. KEIZUKE grabs JIRO
and drags him along as they start left. The wind howls on.)
OBOSAN. And so it was that after what seemed like many more
days, Keizuke and Jiro returnedbarely aliveto their village.
(A CROWD rushes in around JIRO and KEIZUKE.)
SATOKO. Keizuke! Jiro! You are alive! They are alive, everyone!
They survived.
KEIZUKE. Howhow long have we been gone?
SATOKO. A month! You were missing for a whole month, Keizuke!
ICHI. We thought for sure you were dead.
TETSUO. Amazing! How did you survive?
(Pause.)
(All eyes are on KEIZUKE.)
KEIZUKE. Um. Soup. We need soup. And blankets. For Jiro. And
me. Warm dry clothes.
SATOKO. Of course. Of course! What were we thinking?
(The CROWD hurries off, calling out.)
SATOKO. Soup! Blankets!
TETSUO. Hot seaweed!
ICHI. Hot seaweed?
OBOSAN. But that was only the beginning of the questions.

Eric Coble

12

(The CROWD returns, pressing in around KEIZUKE and JIRO

who is still half-consciouswrapping them in blankets, offering
bowls of soup, etc.)
SATOKO. Where were you all month?
ICHI. How did you find your way back?
TETSUO. Why did Jiro pass out, but you stayed conscious?
SATOKO. What is this ice burn on your forehead?
ICHI. Did you have any help up there?
(ICHI holds up the piece of white silk.)
TETSUO. What is this white silk you brought back?
(KEIZUKE grabs the cloth back.)
(Pause.)
KEIZUKE. Ifound it on the mountainside. In the snow.
TETSUO. But with all that constant blizzardhow could it have
gotten on top of the snow for you to find it?
KEIZUKE. I do not know.
SATOKO. You are sure you just found it?
KEIZUKE. I think so.
ICHI. How come you will not answer our questions?
SATOKO. Yes, why will you not tell us about your adventures?
TETSUO. Yes, why, Keizuke, why?
KEIZUKE. Because I can not!Remember. I can not remember. It
was all one long white blur.
ICHI. You didnt meet Yukionna up there, did you?
(The CROWD laughs.)
KEIZUKE. (Forcing a laugh) Yes. Meet Yukionna. That isthat is
funny, Ichi. That is a good one. Meet Yukionna.

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

13

SATOKO. Maybe when you feel better you will remember more.
Come on, everyone. Let us leave them to recuperate.
(The CROWD starts to file out.)
TETSUO. Let us leave them to their hot sushi.
ICHI. Hot sushi?
SATOKO. They will tell us later!
(And the CROWD is gone.)
KEIZUKE. But I want to tell them now!
OBOSAN. What is it about secrets that make them so hard to keep?
Why is it when you know something that you know you are not
supposed to tell anyone, that it suddenly fills up so much of your
thinking? It suddenly blossoms into thisthing that sits at the front
of your mind, just behind your lipswaitingneeding to burst out
into the world. Imagine the secret that was the hardest, the absolute
hardest for you to keep. Now imagine you just had the adventure
of your lifetimeand you can not tell a single. Living. Soul. Keizuke did not have to imagine.
(SATOKO sits beside KEIZUKE as JIRO walks away.)
SATOKO. Come on, you can tell me.
KEIZUKE. No.
SATOKO. Please?
KEIZUKE. No.
SATOKO. Please, please, please, please, please
KEIZUKE. No! Ask Jiro.
SATOKO. He does not remember! Tell me!!
KEIZUKE. I do not remember either! Now leave me alone!
OBOSAN. But then he did remember the warning.
KEIZUKE. Wait! The warning!
SATOKO. What warning?

Eric Coble

14

(YUKIONNAs whispering voice floats across the stage.)

YUKIONNA. You must convince them to stop defacing my mountains.
SATOKO. What warning, Keizuke?
KEIZUKE. I need to call a town meeting!
SATOKO. Yow! A town meeting!
(SATOKO races off.)
KEIZUKE. Yes. I have something to tell everyone. I hope.
(The CROWD files in during the following.)
OBOSAN. And so a town meeting was called as quickly as possible. Everyone gathered in and around the crowded wooden hut,
hopingdesperately hopingto hear Keizuke reveal his adventures on the mountain.
KEIZUKE. Thank you, everyone. Thank you for coming. I have a
message. Um. An idea. A new idea of how we should collect firewood. From the mountains. Um. Yes. So. Here it is. We should, I
think, only cut down the older trees, the ones that do not look so
healthy anyway, and plant two new tree seeds for every one old
tree we cut down. How does that sound?
TETSUO. What? Where did you get an idea like that?
KEIZUKE. Well, it was not really mysheit just came to me.
ICHI. Sounds inconvenient.
TETSUO. Let the trees replant themselves. I have got better things
to do.
SATOKO. You got this idea on the mountain?
KEIZUKE. Yes.
ICHI. Ha! He comes down from the mountain and suddenly he is a
prophet!
(ICHI walks out.)
KEIZUKE. No! Wait! Think about itit does make sense

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

15

TETSUO. Nice town meeting, Keizuke. Maybe we ought to set up

stricter standards for calling one of these things.
(ICHI leaves.)
KEIZUKE. Butcan you notwhy will you not
SATOKO. Too late. They are all gone. But, Keizuke? I believe you. I
like your idea.
KEIZUKE. You do?
SATOKO. I will try your plan next time I am chopping wood.
(starts to leave.)
You and I may be the only ones, but, well, it is a start.
(SATOKO leaves.)
KEIZUKE. It is a start.
OBOSAN. And it was a start. Although that was the last town
meeting anyone called for a long, long time, one by one the villagers followed Keizuke and Satokos example. A new way to collect
firewood had begun.
(KEIZUKE enters carrying a bag of grain.)
KEIZUKE. And best of all for methat town meeting pretty much
put an end to people asking me about the mountain from then on.
OBOSAN. Months passed. The snow melted. People went back to
their everyday lives and gossip. Keizukes adventure faded into
memory. And his life took a turn for the better
(KEIZUKE, carrying his bag of grain, turns right into MEIKO, a
pretty young woman carrying rolls of cloth.)
KEIZUKE / MEIKO. (Simultaneously:) Whoops! Sorry. SorryI did
not
(They are face to face.)
KEIZUKE. Um. I did not see you. Sorry.
MEIKO. No. I am sorry. I should have looked where you
werewhere I was going

Eric Coble

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KEIZUKE. You are not from around here, are you?

MEIKO. Ah. No. I am from Saito. My father and a group of merchants are here to sell cloth
KEIZUKE. Really? What luck. I just happen to need somecloth
MEIKO. Really? What kind? We have many varieties
(KEIZUKE points to one of her rolls.)
KEIZUKE. That kind. That one. I need oneacreof it. To go.
MEIKO. This? This is wool.
KEIZUKE. Wool. Exactly. The quality of wool around here is just
horrendous. Really awful. I have been looking for some good outof-town wool to make my summerparka.
MEIKO. Summer parka?
KEIZUKE. Well. The winds. Chilly. It gets chilly around here at
night. Never know when you might need a parkain July
(MEIKO points to his forehead.)
MEIKO. Did the wind do that?
KEIZUKE. What?
MEIKO. This burn. It looks like an ice burn.
KEIZUKE. Oh. That. I got that when I was up on thetheHow
much is the wool?
MEIKO. We had better ask my father.
(She starts to go, then turns back.)
I will see if I can get you a discount.
KEIZUKE. That would bewonderful. Discount. Wonderful.
(They head off.)
OBOSAN. And that is how they met. It was one year to the day after Keizuke purchased his summer parka that they were married. In
the years that followed they had three childrenall happy, healthy,
cheerful, well-fed childrenwho occasionally went out with their

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

17

father and mother to chop wood and plant seeds. Life was one long
joy for Keizuke, with only the occasional littlebump.
(MEIKO and KEIZUKE walk on.)
MEIKO. No, seriously. How did you get the idea to replant the
seeds?
KEIZUKE. Aw, you do not want to hear that old story again.
MEIKO. Again? You have never even told me once.
KEIZUKE. Because it is boring. It just came to me when Jiro and I
were lost on that mountain. Ho-hum.
MEIKO. Why do you never talk of that?
KEIZUKE. Because if I do, I am deadedumber than I look.
Better not to raise old memories, right?
MEIKO. Right. I guess. It is your business.
KEIZUKE. Right. So. What do you say we go barehanded fishing?
(MEIKO smiles and walks off.)
OBOSAN. Several more years passed happily, then
(JIRO stumbles on stage.)
JIRO. Psst. Keizuke!
KEIZUKE. Jiro! How are you doing?
JIRO. I have been better.
(He collapses on the ground.)
KEIZUKE. Jiro! What is wrong?
JIRO. Sorry. I keep passing out. I can not sleep anymore. Not for
weeks.
KEIZUKE. I told you green tea, NOT black tea
JIRO. No! It is nightmares! Every time I close my eyes to sleep, I
find myself shivering, freezing. I am back in the snowmy whole
skin aching with the cold. It feels like I am ice, I can not stop shaking, I can feel the wind whipping over me like razors on my flesh!

Eric Coble

18

Then, just as everything is going black, I see thiswomanthe

snow woman. Yukionna. Snow white skin and black hair, rising out
of the snowher arms outstretched for me, coming for meand I
wake up. Freezing. Shaking. It has happened every night now, Keizuke!
KEIZUKE. II am sorry. But what can I do?
JIRO. Tell me what happened up there! You must remember
something!
KEIZUKE. But I have told youI will notI can not
JIRO. Tell me! Tell me!! I need to know so I can sleep again!
KEIZUKE. Jiro
JIRO. Yes?
KEIZUKE. We were up on that mountain. In the snowand you
did pass out. You were almost dead
JIRO. Yes?
KEIZUKE. And then I
JIRO. Yes?
KEIZUKE. I
JIRO. Yes??
KEIZUKE. I passed out too. Next thing I knowhere we are back
in the village.
(Pause.)
JIRO. Thank you, Keizuke. Thank you for trying to remember. If
anything else comes to you, I will be at home. Trying to sleep.
(JIRO leaves.)
KEIZUKE. Jiro! I am sorry! I justcan nottell anyone.
(He sinks to the ground with his head in his hands.)
(KAI, one of Keizukes children runs up to him. In his hand is the
white silk cloth Yukionna gave Keizuke.)

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

19

KAI. Father! Father!

KEIZUKE. What is it, Kai? Come here, my son. Come here.
(KAI sits beside him.)
KAI. What is this, father?
(KEIZUKE grabs the cloth out of KAIs hands.)
KEIZUKE. Where did you get that?
KAI. It was in your closetwith all your winter clothes. I was
playing with Ryu and we just
KEIZUKE. Do not. Do not ever touch this again. You understand
me?
(MEIKOunseenwalks in behind them.)
KAI. Why? What is it?
KEIZUKE. Itit is just a cloth. A cloth your father found a long,
long time ago.
KAI. Why can I not touch it?
KEIZUKE. Because it is not yours! Because it is mine! I found it!
Not you!
(KAI is taken aback. He gets up and walks sadly away.)
Kai! I am sorry! Come back. I am sorry, Kai!
(MEIKO steps forward.)
MEIKO. How could you treat him that way?
KEIZUKE. I am sorry. I just do not want him to touch this silk.
MEIKO. Why? Because you found it lying on the mountainside in a
blizzard? Because it reminds you of something that happened up
there? Someone you met maybe? Something you did that you want
no onenot even your own wife and childrento know of? Why,
Keizuke? Why do you never speak of that time??

Eric Coble

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KEIZUKE. I want to! You do not know how much I want to! All
these years! Day after day of silence! Never able to tell a single living soul! You think I want to continue this way??
MEIKO. Then tell me! Just say the words, Keizuke. I am listening.
KEIZUKE. I can not.
MEIKO. Keizuke. I am your wife. If you can not tell me, who can
you tell?
KEIZUKE. No one. I can tell no one.
MEIKO. This is the last time I will ask you. After this, if you remain
silent, I will never mention it again. Please. What really happened
up on that mountain?
(Pause.)
(KEIZUKE is about to burst.)
(MEIKO looks at him expectantly.)
(He opens his mouth
She moves closer
He closes his mouth.
She pulls back.)
(He opens his mouth
She turns to him
He shuts his mouth again.
She nods and turns her back to him.)
(She starts walking slowly, sadly away.
He watches her go.
She is almost offstageThen)
KEIZUKE. Meiko!
(She stops.)
I will tell you. I have to tell someone. Years ago, when I was up on
that mountain in that blizzard with Jiro. I saw Yukionna.
MEIKO. What?
KEIZUKE. I saw the snow woman. She spoke to me. Told me how
to get home. She saved my life.

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

21

MEIKO. But, this is so simple. Why could you not speak of it?
KEIZUKE. She made me promise never to tell another soul about it.
Ever.
MEIKO. Or?
KEIZUKE. Or I would meet my fate.
MEIKO. So you broke your promise to her?
KEIZUKE. I had to. For you. For Jiro.
MEIKO. (Sadly:) You could not keep your word to the woman who
saved your life?
KEIZUKE. It almost drove me mad all these years.
MEIKO. You promised her
KEIZUKE. Why do you sound so sad? I survived! And now I have
told you everything! You should be happy for me!
MEIKO. (Turning away:) Thissnow woman
KEIZUKE. Yes?
MEIKO. Did she looklikethis??
(She spins aroundnow transformed into the horrifying image of
YUKIONNA. KEIZUKE screams.)
KEIZUKE. Yukionna!!!
YUKIONNA. You promised me, Keizuke.
KEIZUKE. Butbuthow
YUKIONNA. All these years you were faithful to me. Whenever I
tempted you, when another would tempt youyou kept your vow.
KEIZUKE. Right! Butbut you wanted me to tell the secret! You
kept asking!
YUKIONNA. I wanted to live out a life of happiness with the most
loyal human being to walk the earth. I thought I found him.
KEIZUKE. But I have been loyal! All these years! Never told a
soul

Eric Coble

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YUKIONNA. But you finally gave in to temptation. And now you

must meet your fate.
KEIZUKE. No! Please! No!!
YUKIONNA. (Sadly:) Good-bye, Keizuke.
KEIZUKE. NOOOOO!!!!!
(KEIZUKE pulls a blanket over himself to hide from her outstretched
hands. There is the sound of ice cracking. YUKIONNA vanishes.)
(Pause.)
OBOSAN. And so it was that on a beautiful summer day
(SATOKO runs on.)
SATOKO. Keizuke? Keizuke, are you here? Your children are
looking for you.
OBOSAN. on the hottest day of the year
SATOKO. Keizuke?
OBOSAN. that Keizuke, who survived the terrifying snow storm
all those years ago
(SATOKO pulls off the blanket to reveal)
OBOSAN. was found frozen to death.
(KEIZUKE is frozen in a tortured positionhis eyes staring out,
mouth gapinga look of sheer horror on his face.)
(SATOKO screams.)
(As the lights go to black.)

ONI MONDAI
(Oni Dilemma)
(OBOSAN steps out of the darkness to face the audience.)
OBOSAN. But Yukionna was not the only thing to fear in the
mountains. A roaming pack of monsters were moving through Japan. The Oni. They would settle into the mountains or forests outside a village and slide in as the night fell to catch anyone unlucky
enough to venture outside. And what would the Oni do with their
victims? Let us just say the Oni stomachs never went empty
(Lights come up on three Oni OTA, ONO, and OKUsitting in
the mountains. They are white scaly creatures with two long horns
growing out of each of their skulls. Their dialogue is punctuated with
growls, snarls and howls.)
OTA. And then I saw the whites of his eyes bulging out in sheer
terror
ONO. Oh, yes. Like they would ever turn to face you.
OTA. This is my story!
ONO. You always tell it that you leap on them head on, so brave
and strong
OTA. I do!
ONO. Not me! I catch them from behindnot lookingbusy with
a well or somethingRARRRRclaws and fangs and it is over.
OTA. Oh, yes. Like it is ever that easy for you.
ONO. You either have it or you do not.
OTA. My stomach is bigger and fuller than yours, brother.
ONO. Because you eat goats and sheep as well as humans! I, however, am a purist!
OTA. Pure hot air! You eat anything you can get your claws on
frogs, snails, dead birds
ONO. At least I do not eat vegetables!
(Silence.)
23

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(ONO and OTA turn to face OKU.)

OKU. What. What?
OTA. You know what.
ONO. Always chewing on vegetables.
OTA. And fruit. Do not forget the fruit.
ONO. And the bread. Always stealing bread.
OTA. You give Oni a bad name.
OKU. (Snarling:) I am just as much an Oni as either of you!
ONO. Really?
OKU. More so! I just happen to like green leafy vegetables and
complex carbohydrates!
OTA. Ooo! Hear the fancy human talk!
ONO. Complex carbohydrates!
OTA. You could at least eat fish like everybody else.
ONO. And the occasional dead rat.
OKU. Do I not go on the hunt with you? Do I not stalk the villages
right beside you? My prey is differentthat is all.
ONO. Your prey cannot kick and scream.
OKU. And that is a bad thing?
OTA. I have had enough of youtagging along, letting us do all
the dirty work while you hide in a garden stuffing your face.
ONO. Me too! Next time you go huntingyou do it alone!
OKU. With pleasure!
OTA. He will not last five heartbeats without us.
ONO. He will be caught, skinned and hung in the marketplace!
OTA. By humans!
(OTA and ONO burst out in ferocious laughter.)

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

25

OKU. Oh, will I. We will just see. I am going into the village tonight. Tonight, you hear me? And we will just see what I bring
back.
(OKU storms off.)
OBOSAN. And so it was that the Oni arrived in our village just at
sundown.
(OKU skulks around.)
OKU. Scared of humans. Fah. I can terrorize with the best of them. I
can
(He flattens himself to the ground as a VILLAGE WOMAN walks
by with a basket covered with cloth. She kneels and starts going
through the basket. OKU moves in on her)
Right. Just some quick claw actionno screamsI am an OniI
can do thisone simple swipe
(His claw is raised)
(The WOMAN pulls a daikon root out of her basket and sets it on
the ground. It is a long white root that looks exactly like the Onis
horns. OKU freezes.)
(The WOMAN keeps working.)
OKU. What. Is. That? The horn of an Oni! The human has an Oni
hornaseveredOni
hornWhich
meansshe
must
havekilled an Oni?? Who are these people? What have I gotten
myself into? Escape. Escape would be good. Stealth. Better part of
valor I will justcome backlater!
(And he is out of there.)
(The WOMAN collects her goods, totally unaware of whats just
happened, and moves off as the three ONI re-enter in the mountains.)
OTA. Impossible.
ONO. What are you saying?
OKU. An Oni horn. Right in front of me. This skinny little human,
barely the size of my mouth!

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26
OTA. Impossible.

ONO. It was dim. Your eyes were playing tricks.

OKU. You think so? You come to the village! You see what your
eyes do!
ONO. Well, I do not know if that is exactly necessary
OTA. Ha! I will go! I have no fear!
ONO. You have no brain.
OTA. Like I said, no fear.
ONO. Well, if you are going, you will have to get in line behind me.
OTA. No! I lead the raid of terror!
ONO. No, if there is terror to be raided, I will lead!
OTA. You led on the last village!
OKU. I will lead. I know where I saw the human.
ONO. Right. Good thinking. See what a brain can do?
OTA. It gives fear a handhold. I need no brain.
(OTA stomps ahead.)
(Pause.)
ONO. Say what you want, he is decisive.
(ONO runs after OTA. OKU reluctantly follows.)
OBOSAN. But by now the sun was only moments away as the Oni
slithered through the streets
(The ONI creep in like commandos.)
OTA. Where are they? Cowards.
ONO. They are sleeping, you moron. Nobody walks the streets at
this hour.
OKU. This is the house. She was here.

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

27

(The three crouch around as the VILLAGE WOMAN enters in a

robe and begins preparing food.)
ONO. Look at that human.
OTA. I have not eaten in days
ONO. Look at her plump feet
OTA. Her ripe hands
OKU. Those Oni horns.
(ONO and OTA scream and leap back. The WOMAN pulls out the
daikon root and readies a grater.)
OTA. Do you see what I see?
ONO. I must be dreaming. This is a nightmare.
OKU. I told you.
OTA. What is she doing?
OKU. Is thata grater?
ONO. Has she no decency?
OTA. No. Oh nono
OKU. She can not be about toshe can not
(The WOMAN starts to grate the root.)
OTA / ONO / OKU. Aaaaghhh!!
OTA. I am going to be sick.
ONO. These humanssobrutal
OKU. I can watch no more
ONO. I thought we were vicious.
OKU. And yet I am strangely fascinated
OTA. I think I am sweating. Is that possible?
(The womans HUSBAND walks in wearing a robe.)
ONO. Look. Her mate.

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(The WOMAN holds up the bowl of ground daikon root to the

MAN.)
OTA. Oh no, no, no
ONO. He is notoh, no
OKU. I can not look!
(The MAN dips his finger in the mixture and tastes it.)
HUSBAND. Mm. Very, very good.
(He walks out as the WOMAN smiles and keeps working.)
ONO. Very, very good?
OTA. Oni horn?
ONO. Is there no end??
OKU. Wait. Maybe he was right.
ONO / OTA. What?
OKU. What if Oni horn is delicious?
ONO. Are you insane?
OKU. How do we know?
ONO. Think what you are saying, brother!
OTA. Wait. Maybe he is right.
ONO. You too? I might have known.
OTA. How do we know?
ONO. One thing I do knowthe sun is rising.
OTA. Right. Follow me.
ONO. No, follow me.
(OKU runs out ahead of them. They watch him golook at each
other And race after him.)
OBOSAN. And once they had fled back to their mountain lair, the
real fight began.

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

29

OKU. How do you know you do not like it if you have not even
tried it?
ONO. You are talking about eating an Oni!
OTA. Just the horns.
ONO. Oh, why stop there? Maybe the feet are delicious too!
OTA. Hmm.
ONO. I was joking. Joking.
OKU. The humans looked like they were having such a good time.
I just want to try.
ONO. Alright. You volunteer your horns?
OKU. Oh. Well. When you say it that way
ONO. See? So much for your new menu. Now let us find a juicy
pig
OTA. (To ONO:) We could use your horns.
OKU. Yes.
ONO. What? Me? Oh, no. No way.
OKU. Come on, brother, just a taste.
ONO. Use your own horns.
OTA. Alright, alright. We will try mine.
OKU / ONO. Really?
OTA. But I get the biggest piece.
OKU. Of course.
(Pause.)
(They all look at each other.)
ONO. So how do we start?
OKU. We have to break off his horns.
OTA. Horn. One horn. Only one.

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30
OKU. Right. One to start.

(ONO grabs OTAs horn.)

ONO. How do we do that?
OTA. Ow. Ow ow ow
ONO. Do we just yank?
OTA. Ow ow ow
OKU. No. Snap it over a rock.
OTA. Let go let go let go
ONO. No, I can do it myself. Hold still, brother.
(ONO tries to break the horn unsuccessfully.)
OKU. Let me try. Maybe all those vegetables I eat will come in
handy.
(OKU tries to break off the hornagain, no luck.)
OTA. You fools. Let me do it. I was always the strongest.
ONO. That is just because you do not bathe.
OTA. Stand back. Watch this.
(He grips his hornPullsTwistsPullsAnd flips himself over.
ONO falls down laughing.)
Alright, brains, you have a better idea?
OKU. No. I am thinking these humans must be amazingly strong to
break off the horn of an Oni.
OTA. You are right.
ONO. At least in this village.
OTA. Maybe we should not attack them.
ONO. They may be far fiercer warriors than we thought.
OKU. But thenwhat can we eat?
OTA. Their livestock?

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

31

ONO. They will be guarding it. That peasant woman may be the
guardian of the whole town.
OTA. I think I am sweating again. Is that possible?
OKU. Wellwe do have each other.
OTA. What are you saying?
ONO. (Pointing to OTA:) Brother here does look plump and juicy.
OTA. Wait, now
OKU. If it is a choice of starving or not
OTA. (Pointing to ONO:) What about brother? He has less fat.
ONO. Me?
OTA. A great taste, I think
ONO. But less filling.
OTA. Great taste!
ONO. Less filling!
(They are nose to noseThen they turn to see OKU. ONO and
OTA look at each otherthen back to him)
OKU. Surely you do not want a vegetable-and-bread-filled Oni.
OTA. Mm. Pre-stuffed.
ONO. Sounds tempting.
OKU. Look, I am sure we can think of something else
OTA. For a side dish, maybe.
ONO. He is small. Not as ripe as you are.
OTA. Like you, you mean.
(The three pull back to separate corners and eye each other warily
When one moves toward another, the other two move correspondingly)
OTA. My stomach is rumbling, brother
OKU. Mine as well, brother

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ONO. Not as loud as mine, brother

(OTA lunges at OKU, who lunges at ONO, who lunges at OTA.)
(They all missclawing the air PauseAs they ready to leap
again Then in a horrible howl)
OTA / ONO / OKU. Food Fight!!!!
(They tumble offstage chasing each otherhowlingsnarling.)
OBOSAN. And this was how the village rid itself of the Oni. But
the Oni horn the village woman ground up that started the
panic?
(He holds up the daikon root.)
A simple daikon root. They grow all over Japan. People eat them all
the time. And it was on this day hundreds of years ago that it became tradition to hang the daikon root in the window sills. To ward
off the Oni from your home. Because you never know when someone might still get a little cravingfor a midnight snack
(We hear the howling and snarling of the Oni as the lights fade to
black on a smiling OBOSAN.)

SHINDAMANO NO UTA
(The Song of the Dead)
(OBOSAN steps forward into a spotlight.)
OBOSAN. But ghosts and the Oni were not the only things plaguing our village. Many, many years after the Oni fledanother,
more common evil moved into Kogisu.
(KOZO appears in a luxurious chair. He is a suave punk-gangster
in Japanese garb. Behind him is TOKa huge thug.)
His name was Kozo. He came from an ancient clan that some said
was royal. But his behavior was anything but. He took over the
townbought up all the fishing boats and farm landand then
rented it back to villagers. So while he did not threaten to freeze or
eat the villagers, Kozo had a dark side all his own
(An exhausted PEASANT stumbles on with a basket of fish, and
collapses at KOZOs feet.)
KOZO. Nice. Very nice. Is this the entire haul?
(The PEASANT nods weakly.)
Good catch today. Let us see. Here is your share
(He picks out the sickliest fish.)
One. Two. Three. There you go. Enjoy.
PEASANT. Please. Kozosan. For my little boy, could I have maybe
one extra
KOZO. An extra fish? Just one extra fish? Please. Have them all!
Take the whole basket! I would not want to starve your little boy.
(He shoves the basket toward the PEASANT, toppling it and spilling the fish. The PEASANT hesitatesafraidthen begins scooping up handfuls of fish and stuffing them in his pockets.)
But you will have to find some other village to dock your boat.
(The PEASANT pauses.)
Actually, that will not be a problem for you, because I want my
fishing boat back. And I believe the rent on your hut just went up.
33

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34

Not to mention that Tok here gets very angry when peasants get
greedy.
(TOK steps forward menacingly.)
But please. Enjoy your fish.
(The PEASANT hesitates againthen shoves all the fish back into
the basket and scrambles off with his three fish.)
I love my job.
(TOK collects the fish and they head out.)
OBOSAN. Kozo had the entire village under his will. He decided
when people could eat, work, breathe, playeven live and die. Except for one man. A monk named Uta.
(UTA walks on, writing on a piece of parchment and humming to
himself. When he speaks it is always in a songwords to a simple
tune.)
The monk never crossed paths with Kozoindeed, he barely knew
Kozos name. All Uta knew was to wander and sing, sing and wander. In his own little world.
UTA. (Singing:)
Another glorious dawn
What a day to be on
Such a beautiful isle
And to sing all the while
OBOSAN. But Utas little world was about to receive a new set of
visitors
(The lights dim and UTA yawns, settling down to sleep.)
UTA. Another peaceful midnight
And all nature seems right.
The days pass with such ease
While we all have our ZZZZs
(Bang bang bang!! Knocking on a heavy wooden door.)
(UTA sits bolt upright.)
UTA. Hello, hello, who is there?

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

35

I do not care for this scare

(A sad whisper echoes across the stage.)
GHOST. (O.S.:) Do you not see us, Utasan?
UTA. No, but please show
GHOST. (O.S.:) Do you not feel us?
(A chill runs down UTAs spine.)
UTA. Where are you?
And who are you, too?
(Three GHOSTS drag themselves on stage wearing ragged clothes,
torn bandages wrapped loosely around their faces and hands. Seaweed trails behind one of them.)
GHOST #1. Now do you see us?
UTA. Yes.
At least I guess.
GHOST #2. I was a villager like yourself. But unlike you I could
not sing cheerfully day after day.
GHOST #3. Hear us, o Monk.
GHOST #1. Singing monk.
GHOST #2. Hear our song.
GHOST #3. The song of the dead.
GHOST #1. Of the dead killed by Kozo.
UTA. Killed by Kozo?
GHOST #2. By Kozo and his greed.
GHOST #3. And his boats that splinter and crack
GHOST #1. When we are out fishing
GHOST #2. Sending us down beneath the waves
GHOST #3. Down to the coral beneath the sea
GHOST #1. Drowning in the coral beneath the sea

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36

GHOST #2. In the dark all alone

GHOST #3. His boats splitting open
GHOST #1. Our children on the shore
GHOST #2. Our starving children
GHOST #3. Open mouths so hungry
UTA. Please, stop
GHOST #1. No fish for our children
GHOST #2. No rice for our children
GHOST #3. What rice there is, poisoned
GHOST #1. How many have died for Kozos greed
GHOST #2. How many will die for Kozos greed
UTA. Stop!
GHOST #3. Yes, stop it
GHOST #1. You can stop it
GHOST #2. You must stop it
UTA. Me? I can do nothing
GHOST #3. Please help us, Utasan
GHOST #1. You must help us, Utasan
GHOST #2. Before no one is left
GHOST #3. But the ghost of a village
GHOST #1. The ghosts in the village
GHOST #2. Your ghost in the village
UTA. Stop!!
(The GHOSTS vanish.)
(UTA stands gasping, trembling.)

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

37

UTA. But what can I do?

I have no money, no power, no force.
To confront Kozo alone is a dangerous course.
But if the ghosts spoke the truthif my ears did not lie,
Then I have to do something, before more people die.
I had no idea that his rule was so gruesome,
I have to do something to stop this evil twosome
(He turns to face KOZO and TOK as they walk onstage.)
KOZO. You wanted to see me?
UTA. Honorable Kozo. It is apleasure to meet you
I have heard many voices that weredying to greet you
KOZO. What are youa singing telegram?
UTA. Sorry. When I get nervous I sing. And when I am happy I
sing.
Everyone has a fort and singings my thing
KOZO. Well, it is not mine. What do you want?
UTA. Want? Well, what I want is attention.
Your business has aspects I feel I must mention.
KOZO. Such as
UTA. Well. Far be it for me to say your dealings are dirty,
But from what I have been hearing, your boats arent too sturdy.
KOZO. So?
UTA. You rent them to peasants for far too much cash
And they crack out at seathey splinter and crash.
KOZO. Your point being?
UTA. And the fee you demand takes their food off the table!
They are all getting weakerthey are no longer able
To farm, fish, and be happy
Your treatment of our town is really quite cr
KOZO. Sappy. You, Utasan, are a sap. There is a complaint box by
the harbor. You have a problem. You go there. Sayonara.

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38

(TOK moves in on UTA.)

UTA. Please! I am asking you, begging, imploring,
This town needs your help and there is no ignoring
Your power, your wealth and your fabulous brains,
But our poor population is under such strains
KOZO. Alright, you big singer, I will give you a chance,
You want to change memy whole song and dance
Now you have me doing it. Listen. You sing. A lot.
(UTA opens his mouth to reply.)
No. Really. I accept that. But it just so happens that Tok here is a
pretty good singer himself.
(TOK blushes and turns away.)
I will make a deal with you, Utasan. Tomorrow. In the town square.
You and Tok will sing toe-to-toe until one of you drops. If you can
outlast my boys big lungs hereI will think about changing my
ways. Deal?
(UTA grins widely.)
UTA. Deal!
(They all bow and go their separate ways. UTA lies down as the
lights dim.)
OBOSAN. So Uta had his chance. But that night his sleep was
anything but peaceful.
(The GHOSTS voices filter across the stage.)
GHOST#1. (O.S.:) Utasan. Do not fail us
GHOST#2. (O.S.:) Do not fail the dead
GHOST#3. (O.S.:) Help us, Utasan
(UTA is tossing and turning)
UTA. I will, I will, I am helping you, I am
GHOST#1. (O.S.:) Do not fail us.
GHOST#2. (O.S.:) Not fail us

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

39

GHOST#3. (O.S.:) Not fail us

(They chant the linesoverlappingsound flowing around UTA
fading to a whisper Then vanishing. UTA bolts upright.)
UTA. How can I sing when I can not even sleep?
I should never have triedI am in way too deep
(Boom. The sun comes up. A rooster crows.)
Oh no.
(KOZO and TOK enter.)
(TOK stretcheswarming up la a boxing match.)
KOZO. Good morning, honorable Uta. How are your vocal cords
this fine day?
UTA. I have to admit that my cords do feel tight,
My rest was not the most restive last night
KOZO. Whatever. Tok. Uta. On the count of threethe singing
begins. The last one singing is the winner. One. TwoThree!
(UTA and TOK stand toe-to-toe singing into each others faces like
their lives depended on it. They sing simple ba-ba-ba-dum lyrics
through the following. TOK, it turns out, is tone deaf.)
OBOSAN. And so the singing beganand went onand on For
two days and two nights the men sang and sang, every song they
knew, every song they could make up But Uta was feeling the
strain
(UTA begins to saghis voice trailing off TOK looks groggy,
but keeps going UTAs almost on his kneesbarely hummingHis eyes closingThen a chill runs down his spine and the
GHOSTS voices filter over the stage.)
GHOST#1. (O.S.:) Utasan!
GHOST#2. (O.S.:) Do not forget us!
GHOST#3. (O.S.:) Do not abandon us!
GHOST#1. (O.S.:) Utasan!
GHOST#2. (O.S.:) You must not forget us!

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40

GHOST#3. (O.S.:) You must not abandon us!

UTA. (Singing:) No!!
(He snaps back awake and stands hitting a long O all out and
holding it. TOK hits the same pitch on O. This is the end)
(KOZO and OBOSAN move in breathlessly UTA and TOK are
going blueStaring each other downHolding the noteGetting
quieter and quieter as they run out of breath Then TOK blinks
and goes out. He collapses to the floor. UTAbarely audibleface
squinched up tightis still holding the pitchfor a few more secondsThen he gasps and topples over backward.)
(OBOSAN lifts UTAs hand.)
OBOSAN. We have a winner!
(KOZO stomps off, dragging TOK with him.)
(The lights change.)
Utasan? Utasan.
UTA. Mmmwhatwhat?
(He sits up and looks around.)
OBOSAN. You have been unconscious for three days.
UTA. Three days since the singing?
My head is still hummingmy ears are still ringing.
OBOSAN. The villagers want to thank you for trying to help them.
UTA. Trying? But I outlasted his voice!
He has got to give in nowhe now has no choice!
(KOZO approaches with TOK, who has a scarf wrapped around
his throat and is sipping tea.)
KOZO. I said I would think about it. I have thought about it. And I
think my business practices are fair. (To OBOSAN:) What are you
doing standing around? Get back to work!
(OBOSAN backs away.)
UTA. How can you say that your business is fair?

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

41

You do not see the sufferingyou do not even care!

(KOZO looks at UTA a long moment.)
KOZO. I like you, Utasan.
UTA. I wish I felt the same
But I cannot help but think you are to blame.
KOZO. You entertain me. So I will make you another deal. Let us
you, me, and Toktake a trip to Edo.
UTA. The capital city? But that is ten days away.
The problem is here nowI say we stay.
KOZO. No. If you can go that whole ten day walk to Edo without
ever singing one songone single lyricthen I will hand over
control of my fishing and farming rights to the peasants.
UTA. Ten days without singingten days without song?
Your idea is stingingI cant go that long.
KOZO. That is my deal. Take it or leave it.
UTA. Ten whole days? Ten whole days?? That is a week and a half!
No one is silent so long, not even giraffes.
KOZO. Giraffes?
(The GHOSTS voices begin to echo around UTA once more
repeating Utasan, Utasan.)
UTA. Oh no, not again
KOZO. What not again?
(The voices continueoverlappinggetting louder)
UTA. Alright, alright!
(Silence.)
Though it fills me with sorrow,
I take your deal. We all leave tomorrow.
(KOZO and TOK walk off laughing.)
(UTA sinks to the ground as the lights dim.)

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How can I do this? I have not the strength.

I can stop singing for minutes, but never that length!
(The GHOSTS move in around him.)
GHOST #1. We will help you
GHOST #2. You have our strength
GHOST #3. Our strength travels with you
UTA. You are the ones that got me into this mess!
Go haunt someone else now. I need my rest.
GHOST #1. We need you, Utasan.
GHOST #2. We have tried to haunt Kozo
GHOST #3. But he has no conscience
GHOST #2. He feels no guilt
GHOST #3. So he cannot hear us
GHOST #1. Feel us
GHOST #2. Feel our grief
UTA. Well lucky him then. I wish I had such relief.
GHOST #3. You are our only hope.
GHOST #1. Our only hope
GHOST #2. Our only hope is you
(They vanish. Boom. The sun comes up. A rooster crows.)
UTA. Oh no.
(KOZO and TOK enter with traveling packs.)
KOZO. Good morning! Ready for a trip to Edo?
UTA. Ready I am not, but let us get under way.
I am bracing myself for a musicless day.
KOZO. Right. And just to make this more interestinglet us say
that if you sing one little verse on the trip, I get to come backbut
you are banished for life. Never to return to Kogisu again.

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

43

UTA. But that was no part of our pact.

Our basic promise attacked
KOZO. It is my new deal. Do we have an agreement.
(UTA hesitates a momentThen holds out a sheet of parchment and
a quill.)
UTA. Alright. A deal is a deal is a bargain.
But I want some proof that this is all not just jargon.
Write it downblack and whitethat we have this new deal.
Then when I winmy victory you cant steal.
(KOZO quickly scribbles his signature on the paper and hands it
back to UTA.)
KOZO. There. It is official. But if I were you, I would pack my belongings now so you do not have to send for them after you are exiled.
UTA. My willpower is steady, it will not erode.
So let us get moving, let us all hit the road.
(UTA stalks off.)
(KOZO and TOK follow, laughing.)
OBOSAN. And so the journey began. The first few days were easy.
Well. Relatively easy.
(The trio walks on.)
KOZO. Lovely weather today, is it not, Utasan?
UTA. (Starting to sing:) Yes
(He catches himself, bites his lip, and just nods.)
KOZO. Ah, the fresh air, the mountains, the streams! Amazing, is it
not?
(UTA nods.)
How are you feeling, Utasan?
(UTA is breaking into a sweat just standing there. KOZO and
TOK stare at him expectantly Then he forces a pained smile and

Eric Coble

44

thumbs up gesture. KOZO and TOK laugh and start off again.
UTA nearly collapses, but stumbles after them.)
OBOSAN. And you would think that night and sleep would bring
Uta a little peace. But
(UTA sits on the ground, hands over his mouth, unable to sleep. The
GHOSTS voices filter in around him.)
GHOST#1. (O.S.:) You do well, Utasan.
GHOST #2. You are strong.
GHOST #3. Only seven more days
GHOST #1. Only seven more days
GHOST #2. Just seven more days
(UTA leaps up and downholding his mouth shutdesperate not
to break into song.)
GHOST #3. Do not give in yet.
GHOST #1. Do not forget us.
GHOST #2. Do not abandon us.
GHOST #3. Never forget us.
GHOST #1. Never give in
GHOST #2. Never abandon us
(Their voices echo, overlappingThen Boom. The sun comes up.
A rooster crows.)
(UTA looks aroundwild terror in his eyesthen he takes a deep
breathand removes his hands from his mouth. KOZO walks on.)
KOZO. Ready to go?
(UTA forces another tight-lipped smile and gives the thumbs up.
They walk off.)
OBOSAN. But by the eighth day, Kozo himself was becoming increasingly concerned.
(KOZO and TOK walk on.)

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

45

KOZO. Why is he not singing? He has no willpower, he should be

singing like a Toki bird by now! This is too close. We are too close
to Edo. Do something. We must do
(UTA walks on.)
Greetings, Utasan. I think we may take a rest here in this clearing.
(KOZO and TOK sit. UTA standsgroggily looking around.)
(KOZO begins singingvery quietly at firstlooking to TOK for
backup. His song is to the tune of Row, row your boat.)
Slide, slide, slide the lilies,
On the waterfall,
One by one they disappear,
Petals, stems, and all
(TOK joins in the round. UTA stares at them with growing terror They sing the round over and overGetting louderbolder
UTA is pacing and twitching like a mouse at a cat convention
trying to look casual and failing miserably. The duo surround him
singing fiercely into his ears Hes about to burst Then he scoops
up his traveling bag and storms off in silence. KOZO and TOK
stop singing. They watch him go. Then turn to each other.)
KOZO. I hate that song.
(He storms out.)
(TOK, perplexed, follows him.)
OBOSAN. The ninth day dragged on like hot tar for Utasan. Every
minute seemed to last forever. They would never see Edo, he was
doomed. But finally night came. And they were mere miles from
the capital city. They made their final campand Uta was finallyaboutto getsome sleep
(UTA has entered and laid down, eyes closed.)
(KOZO and TOK sneak in beside him.)
KOZO. Last chance, Tok, last chance.
(They hover over UTA and quietlyvery quietlybegin to hum a
Japanese lullabyOr possibly The Lion Sleeps Tonight. UTA

Eric Coble

46

fidgets. They move closer to his ear UTAs mouth begins to move
in his sleep. KOZO smiles and nods to TOKthey keep humming UTA smileseyes closedand opens his mouth to sing
along)
GHOST#1. (O.S.:) Utasan, wake up!
GHOST#2. (O.S.:) Open your eyes, Utasan!
GHOST#3. (O.S.:) Wake up!
(UTA fidgets and frownsopening his mouth to sing The
GHOSTS keep echoing wake up, wake up)
(KOZO and TOK keep humming the catchy melody UTA is
ready to singrestlesstrying to wake up The song continuesThen UTA bolts upright and shouts in KOZO and TOKs
faces.)
UTA. (Not singing:) No! I do not think I shall sing tonight.
(Silence.)
(Still not singing:) In fact, I think I shall take advantage of the full
moon and finish walking to Edo tonight. Thus completing our
agreement and fulfilling my promise to your victims.
(He grabs up his traveling bag and heads off. KOZO and TOK look
at each otherThen charge after him.)
OBOSAN. And so it was that on that very night, Utasan arrived in
Edo.
UTA. Hear ye, hear ye, good morning, Edo! It is I, Uta, from the
village of Kogisu, here to present to our emperor a document
wherein our landlord Kozo hereis giving up his control of the
fishing and farming in our villagenever again to cause misery for
our people!
KOZO. Butbut your singing! You have stopped singing!
UTA. And for that I thank you. I never realized until this trip that
even when you really love somethingif you do it all the time, it
loses its value. When something is truly special, it should be treated
so, and only enjoyed when it means something. So thank you.

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

47

(UTA bows to KOZO.)

And thank you, spirits.
(A Japanese tune begins to build in the background. The EMPEROR
steps forward. All bow. He scans the document and nods approval.
KOZO growls, and he and TOK slither off.)
OBOSAN. And Utasan did sing again. But now there were many,
many songs to be sung in Kogisusongs to honor Utasan and the
willpower that saved his village.
(UTA steps forward.)
UTA. (Singing:)
And from now on my songs
Do not reel on so long,
But greater is their part
Because they come straight frommyheart.
(Blackout.)
(Then in the darkness we hear the GHOSTS eerie whispers fading
away)
GHOST #1. Thank you, Utasan
GHOST #2. Utasan, thank you
GHOST #3. Thank you
(and then silence.)

AZUKITOGI
(The Bean-Grinder)
(OBOSAN once more steps out of the shadows.)
OBOSAN. But where are the songs now? Why did the village Uta
saved eventually crumble and vanish into the forest? The answer
lies in one word: Fear. Have you ever been frightened? Have you
ever been in a crowd of people when they were scaredso scared
that you could feel it like electricity in the air? On your skin? I have.
Every day of my life. By the time I was born in Kogisu, my whole
village lived in fear. Of what you ask? What could terrify an entire
town? What indeed.
(The lights come up on a traditional Japanese temple.)
This was the village templeIntokuji. I am supposed to be its chief
priest. Yet I have stepped inside only once. Once was enough. You
see, temples are supposed to be places of comfort, places to find
peace from the hardships of life. But Intokuji was not. It was the
source of all our hardships.
(GEN, SHIN, and DOMBE tumble onto stage, falling over each
other in a mad dash. SHIN seems to be chasing the other two. They
all almost run straight into OBOSAN.)
DOMBE. Oop.
GEN. Obosan!
SHIN. (Overlapping:) Obosan!
(They all bow. OBOSAN bows back.)
OBOSAN. The sun is going down. What are you doing out?
GEN. We are going home!
DOMBE. Home. Yes. Home.
SHIN. Cowards.
OBOSAN. Excuse me?
GEN. Shin does not want to go home.
DOMBE. He wants to stay out and look at stars tonight.
48

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

49

SHIN. So what if I do? Is that so wrong?

OBOSAN. There is nothing wrong with that. I long for the night
when we all may venture out to see the night sky.
GEN. But that night is not tonight. Come on, Shin.
DOMBE. Even I know enough not to tangle with ghosts.
SHIN. Aw, there are no ghosts. There are just stories. Right,
Obosan?
(OBOSAN looks hard at him.)
(More unsure:) Right, Obosan?
OBOSAN. I can only tell you what I have seen with my own eyes.
It is almost dark. Every dusk I sit on these steps. Every night I vow
to enter the temple and face the demons that haunt it. But then I
hear this sound. The light crackling sound of a fire starting somewhere on the temple grounds behind us. I smell the smoke. I hear
the hissing of air itself bursting into flamesand then I see them.
(The stage grows darker.)
SHIN. See who?
OBOSAN. Hovering above the ground. This high. One, two, three,
four I lose count. Dozens maybe. All hissing quietly in the air
around me. The Hitodama. Human souls that have become spinning, crackling balls of flame. No faces, no mouthsyet each one
hissing my name in the darkness.
GEN. How big are they?
OBOSAN. Large. Very large.
SHIN. Huge?
DOMBE. Goodness.
GEN. Gracious.
OBOSAN. Great balls of fire. In the air.
GEN. Thenwhat happens then?

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50

OBOSAN. Then you hear the creaking of a wooden wheel coming

from behind the temple. Growing louder. And louder. Even louder
than the flames crackling around you. Then it rounds the corner
SHIN. What. What rounds the corner?
OBOSAN. The Zusha. An ancient splintering wagon wheel with a
human head in its center.
DOMBE. Aa human head?
GEN. A living human head?
OBOSAN. A living human head twisting round and round, its
yellow eyes staring and its mouth gaping open, trying to form
words, gasping for air, trying to say
SHIN. What?
OBOSAN. Trying to say
GEN. What??
OBOSAN. Trying to say
(HYOROKU steps out onto stage.)
HYOROKU. Hellooo!
(SHIN, GEN, and DOMBE jump and scream. HYOROKU yells in
response. They glare at him.)
HYOROKU. Pardon me. Gentlemen.
(He bows. They bow back.)
SHIN. Who are you?
GEN. What are you doing here?
DOMBE. Where did you learn to yell Hellooo like that?
HYOROKU. Honorable sirs. My name is Hyoroku. I am a wanderer. I am just passing through
SHIN. Well, keep on passing.
GEN. We do not need your kind around here.

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

51

HYOROKU. My kind?
SHIN. You wanderers are always causing trouble.
DOMBE. And our village has enough trouble.
HYOROKU. I will gladly be on my way. But may I ask. Would any
of you have any food to spare? It has been days since I ate. My belly
is empty and my throat is dry.
SHIN. See? Already asking for handouts.
GEN. Get out of here.
DOMBE. I have enough trouble feeding my turtle.
OBOSAN. I could help you. There is food and drink in the temple
HYOROKU. May I have some please?
OBOSAN. but I do not think you want to go in there.
HYOROKU. Why not?
GEN. Let us just say you better get out of here while there is still
some daylight.
SHIN. You do not want to be anywhere near this place when night
falls.
HYOROKU. Why?
DOMBE. Not unless you like flying fireballs and human-headed
wheels and ghosts and demons and monsters and
SHIN. And who does?
GEN. Not me.
HYOROKU. I do not mind them.
GEN / SHIN / DOMBE. You do not?
HYOROKU. Would any of them have food? As I said, I am really,
really hungry. My belly is empty and my throat is dry
GEN. He is not scared!

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52
SHIN. Not frightened!

DOMBE. What a numbskull!

HYOROKU. No, just hungry. My belly is empty and my throat
GEN. Tell him the stories, Obosan. Tell him why the whole town is
scared!
SHIN. We will see how brave you are when you have heard it from
the horses mouth!
(OBOSAN looks at SHIN.)
So to speak.
OBOSAN. Young Hyoroku, know you this temple is haunted, and
that at sundown the entire village closes in on itself in terror. All
doors are locked, all windows bolted because of the demons that lie
here.
HYOROKU. So?
GEN. So?
OBOSAN. Just inside these doors the ohaka wait. They are tombstones animated by the spirits of the dead. Even from out here you
can hear their terrible howls: Revenge! Revenge on the living!
They prowl the temple looking for any living soul unfortunate
enough to be caught there.
GEN. (To HYOROKU:) How about that?
SHIN. Scared yet?
DOMBE. I am.
HYOROKU. So? They are tombstones. Listen, my belly is empty
and my
OBOSAN. Then beyond the ohaka lie two flying demons. The Kasakozo and the Bakechochin.
SHIN. The Kasakozo?
GEN. The Bakechochin?

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

53

OBOSAN. The Kasakozo is a foul-blooded demon who resembles a

folded wooden umbrella, but with a single blood-red eye that can
see into your very soul and pluck out your deepest fears and bring
them to life.
DOMBE. And the Bakechochin?
OBOSAN. The Bakechochin is another demoncased in a paper
lantern. His jaws can open as wide as your skull and tear through
flesh as if it was paper itself!
GEN. (To HYOROKU:) Paper itself!
SHIN. Kasakozo and Bakechochin!
DOMBE. You have got to be scared!!
HYOROKU. So? We are talking about a paper lantern and an umbrella here, right? I do not know if any of you gentlemen heard me,
but my belly is empty and
OBOSAN. But the worst! The most evil demon of allis the
Azukitogi!
HYOROKU. Azukitogi?
OBOSAN. The Bean-grinder.
DOMBE. Bean-grinder.
GEN. Bean-grinder.
HYOROKU. Beans? Now we are getting somewhere. Where can I
find this bean-grinder?
GEN. You do not want to find him!
SHIN. Or him to find you.
HYOROKU. But if he has beans
OBOSAN. They call him the Bean-grinder because before you even
see him, you hear the shoke-shoke-shoke of him scraping a dry
bone around the sides of his bowl. A bowl made from a human
skull. Then you hear him cry out What shall I grind today?
Beansor human flesh?

Eric Coble

54
DOMBE. Human flesh!
GEN. Your flesh!
SHIN. Your bones!

HYOROKU. I would choose the beans, I guess.

OBOSAN. No one has ever even seen his face. But to hear his demonic voice is to know true terror.
HYOROKU. And to see my face is to know true hunger. Look. I am
hungry. Really hungry. My belly
ALL. is empty and my throat is dry.
HYOROKU. Well, it is! And if he has got beans or anything edible,
then I would like to meet thisAzukitogi.
OBOSAN. He is right in there.
(OBOSAN, GEN, SHIN, and DOMBE back away from the temple
entrance.)
HYOROKU. Would any of you care to join me?
GEN. It is getting dark.
SHIN. You were right, Gen, we really should be getting home.
GEN. My mother is expecting me
DOMBE. I amhouse-training my turtle
SHIN. Right. Me too. Home. We should all be
(SHIN, GEN and DOMBE tear off.)
HYOROKU. Obosan? Will you come with me?
OBOSAN. II will stay out here
backfromacross the roadover there

and

watch

your

(OBOSAN exits hastily.)

HYOROKU. Alrighty. Ready or not, Mr. Bean-Grinder, here I
come.
(Pause.)

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

55

How bad can it be?

(He opens up the front doors of the temple and enters. The stage goes
very dark. HYOROKU inches forward, almost completely blind. Silence. Then We hear whispering voices growing louderAnd
louder)
OHAKA. Revenge. Revenge! Revenge!!
(The OHAKAcoarse gray tombstonescome into view, circling
HYOROKU, beginning to entrap him, all the while whispering
Revenge! Revenge!)
HYOROKU. What? Why? Why do you want revenge?
(The OHAKA grow nastier, sharper in their whispersmore
threatening around him. Revenge! Revenge! HYOROKU is still
calm.)
That is no answer. Excuse me. My name is Hyoroku and I am here
to see the Bean-grinder
(The OHAKA start thrusting themselves at himbarely missing
his head)
You see, my stomach is empty and my (Dodging a tombstone:) Excuse memy throat (Dodging again:) could you not do
thatmy throatis
(One OHAKA moves in behind and below himwithout looking he
sits squarely down on it.)
dry!
(The OHAKA freezewhiz around to see their fallen comrade.
Pause. Then they fly out screaming.)
Well, they were no help. Now where am I? They really ought light
this place a little better. A guy could get hurt in here.
(Floating up silently behind him are the KASAKOZO and the
BAKECHOCHIN. KASAKOZO resembles a closed traditional
Japanese umbrella with one glowing red eye. BAKECHOCHIN
looks like a paper lantern lit from withinwith horrifying eyes
painted onto it. HYOROKU is oblivious to themexcept for the
light they give off.)

Eric Coble

56

Oh! That is better. A little light. Now if I could just meet this Beangrinder I would be set.
(BAKECHOCHIN is now right behind HYOROKUhis paper
jaws opening up around HYOROKUs head)
You know, those villagers could have saved me all this trouble by
just offering me some bread. Mmm. Bread. That sounds so good
just now.
(The jaws are encompassing his head)
Bread. Hot, fresh bread
(The jaws opening widerwider)
The smell! Oh, fresh bread on a cold winter morning!
(Snap!)
(The jaws crack shut just as he jumps up out of the way.)
Goodness! What I would not give for that smell right now!
(He turns around to see BAKECHOCHIN.)
Oh! A lantern! Thank goodness. This should come in handy.
(He grabs BAKECHOCHINs head and whisks him aroundusing
his light to examine the room.)
BAKECHOCHIN. (In pain:) Ahaheeeeah
HYOROKU. Did someone say something?
BAKECHOCHIN. Errrgggg
HYOROKU. Hello? Hello?
(He spins in all directions with his new lamp, which lets out one final low gurgle and then is silent.)
Huh. I could have sworn I heardan umbrella!
(KASAKOZO rises up slowlyhis glowing eye piercing into HYOROKUs.)
Great! I could use an umbrella!
(He grabs KASAKOZO by the handle.)

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

KASAKOZO. Puny
terrrrrulppp!!

mortal!

Now

you

shall

57
know

true

(HYOROKU opens up the umbrella and peers inside. KASAKOZO

is twitching wildlyemitting little gagging sounds)
HYOROKU. Who said that? Hello? Anybody home?
(KASAKOZO and BAKECHOCHIN let loose one last wild
twitching frenzy, then are still.)
If anybody can hear me, thank you for the lantern and the umbrella.
My name is Hyoroku. I am a wanderer. My belly is empty, and
(HISSSSSS From the darkness.)
Hello?
(HISSSSS. The sound is growing louder. HYOROKU turns but can
see nothing.)
I said hello?
(He hears the SHOKE-SHOKE-SHOKE of a wooden stick scraping a wooden bowl.)
HYOROKU. I could be wrongbut that soundslikeabeangrinding bowl
(He turns and is face-to-face with a floating human skullcut open
and being used as a bowlwith a human arm-bone sticking out of it,
being used as a grinding stick.)
(We hear AZUKITOGIs low demonic voice, but cannot see him.)
AZUKITOGI. (V.O.:) What shall I grind today? Beans?or human
flesh?
HYOROKU. Beans, please.
(The SHOKE-SHOKE-SHOKE sound starts again.)
AZUKITOGI. (V.O., louder:) Whatshall I grind today, little human? Beans? Orhumanflesh?
HYOROKU. Um. Yes. The beans. Definitely the beans, please.

58

Eric Coble

AZUKITOGI. (V.O.:) HSSSS!! Foolish mortal! I will grind your

flesh!
HYOROKU. But why? You have got beans.
AZUKITOGI. (V.O.:) I will peel the flesh off your bones and grind
it down in this shellgrind it downgrind it downgrind it into
paste to eat
HYOROKU. But that would take time. The beans would be an easier meal. Seems to me. Less resistance and all.
AZUKITOGI. (V.O.:) I have all the time in the worldto
grindyoudown
HYOROKU. Then. Could I have the beans? I am very hungry. My
belly
AZUKITOGI / HYOROKU. is empty
AZUKITOGI. (V.O.:) Is that all you can say?
HYOROKU. When you are hungry, Mr. Bean-grinder, when you
are starving and your stomach is a hollow, growling pitwhen you
can not even feel your own heartbeat or hear your own thoughts
because the rumbling in your belly has become so loudyou will
do whatever it takes to get food. If that means telling everyone in
the world you are starving, then you do it. If that means facing the
Bean-grinder, then you do it. Nothing else matters.
AZUKITOGI. (V.O.:) You will find no pity in me. Are you not
frightened?
HYOROKU. I am too hungry to be frightened, sir.
AZUKITOGI. (V.O.:) Not even a little bit?
HYOROKU. All I can think of are beans, sir.
AZUKITOGI. (V.O.:) Then here is your rewardfrom a demon. A
nice feast ofrainingdaggers!!
(There is a loud clap of thunder and down fall dozens of botamochi
traditional Japanese desserts shaped like sweet rice cake-balls.)
HYOROKU. Botamochi! I love botamochi!

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

59

(He begins gobbling them down.)

AZUKITOGI. (V.O.:) Botamochi?? That was supposed to be razorsharp steel knives raining down on your body!
HYOROKU. No, just a tasty family-favorite dessert instead! Yum!
AZUKITOGI. (V.O.:) Get out! Get out of my temple!!
HYOROKU. Gladly! Mmm! These are so much better than beans.
Thank you!
AZUKITOGI. (V.O.:) Get out!!
HYOROKU. Thank you!
(And he stumbles out, stuffing botamochi in his mouth.)
(GEN, SHIN, DOMBE, and OBOSAN gather around HYOROKU.)
GEN. He did what?
HYOROKU. Botamochi! It was delicious.
OBOSAN. He did not kill you and eat you?
HYOROKU. The proof is right here. Tasty family-favorite desserts.
SHIN. Hey. I could use some of that.
HYOROKU. Why? You have food at home.
GEN. You mean, all this time we have been afraid to go in there
and the worst he can do is deliver sweet treats?
HYOROKU. Looks like it. But you all can get dessert anytime at
home
SHIN. I am going in there tonight.
DOMBE. Me too!
GEN. Absolutely. I want dessert!
(SHIN, DOMBE and GEN start chanting WE WANT DESSERT!)
OBOSAN. People. People. I do not think this is a wise idea.

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Eric Coble

SHIN. Aw, you heard himwe have been scared of nothing!

GEN. No dainty pastry is going to give me nightmares!
(They march into the temple, HYOROKU trailing behind them.
OBOSAN turns to face the audience.)
OBOSAN. And so not only did Hyoroku venture into the haunted
temple a second time, but this time the whole village went with
him. Everyone but me. I have seen these demons in action. I know
they can not be trusted.
(The CROWD is now inside the temple.)
DOMBE. Awful dark in here.
GEN. Told you we should have brought torches.
DOMBE. Maybemaybe this was not such a good idea.
SHIN. Hey, Hyoroku. The crowd back there is getting hungry.
Where is the food?
HYOROKU. I am not sure. I have not seen any of the things I saw
last night. No tombstones. No lanterns. No umbrellas.
SHIN. And no Bean-grinder. If you ask me, this whole thing is a
hoax.
GEN. Yes, Hyoroku, where did you really get those desserts?
HYOROKU. Right here, I tell you. Just wait.
DOMBE. Itit is getting pretty late. I think I would like to go
home.
SHIN. You are not getting scared on us, are you?
DOMBE. No. I justI miss my turtle.
GEN. Hey. You feel that chill?
DOMBE. I feel cold. Do you feel cold?
SHIN. The crowd is getting restless, Hyoroku. You better come up
with something fast.
HYOROKU. Just wait. Bean-grinder will show up.

In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories

61

GEN. Shh. Do you hear something?

(There is a faint whisper.)
SHIN. Hyoroku?
DOMBE. Yes, I definitely miss my turtle. I am going home
GEN. Wait
(They hear the SHOKE-SHOKE-SHOKE sound.)
Alright. Now we can leave.
HYOROKU. Wait. Do not get frightened.
DOMBE. Too late.
(DOMBE is heading for the door.)
SHIN. No, stay. It is just Hyoroku trying to scare us. Right, Hyoroku?
(The SHOKE-SHOKE-SHOKE is getting louder)
I said, Right, Hyoroku?
HYOROKU. It is not me trying to scare you.
GEN. Let us check on that turtle of yours, shall we, Dombe?
(They hear AZUKITOGIs low voice filling the room.)
AZUKITOGI. (V.O.:) What shall I grind today? Beans?or human
flesh?
HYOROKU. See? Bean-grinder does exist!
GEN. Why do I not find that comforting?
(SHIN is inching toward the door.)
SHIN. Youyou are not getting scared, are you?
GEN. Me? Who is creeping toward the door, Shin?
DOMBE. I want to go home!
HYOROKU. Bean-grinder, the whole village has come for some of
your botamochi.

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