Sarayashiki (The Dish Mansion)
皿屋敷・さらやしき
The story
O-Kiku, a maid at a samurai residence, is put to the sword for breaking one of a treasured set of ten dishes, and her body is thrown down the well. Ever after, her ghost rises from the well at night and counts the dishes in a mournful voice — "one… two…" — and the local wisdom is that anyone who hears her reach nine will not live to see morning. The young men of the town decide that watching this would make a thrilling dare. Word spreads, O-Kiku becomes the talk of the neighbourhood, and soon the haunted well is packed with sightseers every single night.
What to listen for
It begins as a spine-chilling ghost story and slides, deliciously, into farce as the vengeful spirit turns into a local celebrity. The slow, icy counting — "ichi-mai… ni-mai…" — is the performer's great showcase.
Background
Sarayashiki is one of Japan's most famous ghost legends (the Banchō and Himeji versions are best known); rakugo takes the horror and makes it absurd. A yashiki is a samurai's walled residence, where a matched set of dishes could be a treasured heirloom — and breaking one a capital offence.