Summary
During the Edo period, Yahabe, a greengrocer living in Hongō, lived modestly with his wife and daughter, Oshichi. At just 16 years old, Oshichi was a beautiful girl with a mature demeanor. In the winter of 1682, a fire broke out at a nearby temple, spreading rapidly. Yahabe shouted, "Hurry, the fire is coming!" as he helped his family escape to Kichijō-ji temple.
At Kichijō-ji, when her mother instructed Oshichi to help a young man, Oshichi took the young man's hand and gently asked, "Is it gone? Does it no longer hurt?" The young man, Yoshizaburō, was a disciple of the monk, and they quickly connected and fell in love.
They spent blissful days exchanging letters hidden beneath a large stone in the garden. However, on the day Yoshizaburō’s master went out, Oshichi secretly met him under the narrow futon, declaring, "Yoshi-sama, me too!" But as time passed and the reconstruction of their home was completed, Oshichi had to part from Yoshizaburō.
Continuing her lonely days, Oshichi longed to see Yoshizaburō again and finally set fire to the town. "Fire! Fire!" she cried, and when the townspeople rushed to the scene, she was arrested for arson. At the magistrate's office, she was confronted with, "Arson is a serious crime! Why did you start the fire?" Oshichi replied, "I wanted to see Yoshizaburō."
"You have committed a severe crime for someone of only sixteen. You will be sentenced to death," they told her. "I have no regrets; I simply want you to know that I love him," she maintained a resolute stance. Oshichi was to be executed and was given the most beautiful cherry blossom branch to hold as she recited, "Let my name remain in the spring breeze." Afterward, her head was displayed publicly.
Meanwhile, Yoshizaburō, who was ill, learned of Oshichi’s death and rushed to her grave. "Oshichi, I’m so sorry. I will come to you soon," he murmured, taking a dagger in hand, but was stopped by the monk. "Committing suicide at the temple is a nuisance. Oshichi's wish is for you to honor her in your next life," he advised.
Yoshizaburō became a monk, renaming himself "Seiun," and continued his training to comfort Oshichi. Later, their tragic love story became a kabuki play, and their names were passed down through generations. Even today, a Jizō statue bearing their names is enshrined in Meguro, Tokyo, and the site has become a place where many young women come to wish for love.
