Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things

...proving that they had not found perfect peace.

Ghost Stories original: "Kaidan" (怪談)

Several centuries ago, a blind man named Hoichi lived in Akamagaseki. He was famous for his skill at reciting stories and playing the biwa.¹ From childhood, he had been trained to recite and play, and even as a young boy, he had surpassed his teachers. As a professional biwa-hoshi a traveling blind minstrel, he became famous primarily for his recitations of the history of the Heike and Genji clans. It is said that when he sang the song of the Battle of Dan-no-ura, "even the spirits original: "kijin" (goblins or supernatural beings) could not help but weep."

At the start of his career, Hoichi was very poor, but he found a kind friend to help him. The priest of the Amida-ji temple was fond of poetry and music, and he often invited Hoichi to the temple to play and recite. Later, being very impressed by the young man's wonderful skill, the priest proposed that Hoichi...

¹ The biwa is a type of four-stringed lute used primarily for musical storytelling. In the past, the professional minstrels who recited The Tale of the Heike original: "Heiké-Monogatari" and other tragic histories were called biwa-hoshi, or "lute-priests." The origin of this name is not entirely clear, but it may have been suggested by the fact that these lute-players—as well as blind masseurs original: "shampooers"—had their heads shaved like Buddhist priests. The biwa is played with a type of large plectrum, or pick, called a bachi, which is usually made of horn.