Ghost story Edo
Shinigami (The God of Death)
死神・しにがみ
The story
A broke, desperate man meets a shinigami, a spirit of death, who teaches him how to tell whether a sick person will live or die, plus a secret spell to drive the death-spirit away. Using this, he sets up as a miracle doctor and grows rich. But greed leads him to break the one rule he was given, and he is brought face to face with the candle that measures his own remaining life.
What to listen for
A rare dark, eerie piece. Performers give it many different endings, and the image of a guttering candle flame makes for a spine-tingling finale.
Background
A shinigami is a death-spirit in Japanese folklore, loosely like the Western Grim Reaper. This tale actually descends from a European folk story, reworked into an Edo setting.
Notable performers
🤫 We keep the sage (punchline) a secret so your first listen stays fresh. Reader reviews are currently in Japanese — see the Japanese page (use the 🌐 switch to come back).