Komayō

The Genesis of the Enchantress

Preamble

In the Japan of the Edo period, where shadows dance with the light of the lanterns and stories are whispered in the darkness of moonless nights, an ancestral ritual takes place: the Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai. This ceremony of the hundred ghost stories, a centuries-old tradition, invites its participants to share their most disturbing tales while putting out, one by one, the hundred andon that light the room.

That evening, in a traditional house with rice-paper walls, a group has gathered to carry on this tradition. The lanterns cast their flickering glow on the attentive faces, creating a ballet of shadows that seem to dance to the rhythm of the participants' heartbeats.

While the eighty-fourth andon goes on burning peacefully, a woman begins to speak. Her name is Mayoko, and she is about to share a tale that goes back to the Kamakura era. A story that begins with a simple game, born in a remote village, and finds its ending in the courtyard of a powerful gokenin.

In the deepening gloom of the room, as the incense slowly burns down and the shadows lengthen, the gathering holds its breath. For in this Japan where yōkai prowl in the darkness and magic pervades every corner of existence, the simplest stories can hide the deepest secrets.

And tonight, as the eighty-fourth flame gently flickers, a voice rises to tell a story that spans the ages, a story of passion, honour and destiny.

Selected Excerpts

The Cradle of Ōgi

My native village was a small, out-of-the-way place, she begins, her voice filled with a gentle melancholy. An only daughter, I was curious about everything, always in search of new discoveries. My parents encouraged this thirst for learning.

Her fingers delicately brush the bag lying at her side. When I was eight years old, my father gave me a gift that was to change my life. With precise, respectful gestures, she takes out an old game board and places it in front of her as if it were a precious treasure.

Elegance and Anticipation Before the Duel

A great duel was arranged in the gokenin's courtyard, she begins. For the occasion, the household staff saw to it that I was prepared with an elegance worthy of a princess.

I was dressed in a kimono of deep midnight blue, evoking the mysterious essence of the night. The fabric, adorned with delicate floral motifs and mythological figures such as dragons and phoenixes, symbolised both strength and rebirth. The motifs, woven in gold and silver thread, shimmered subtly in the light, adding a touch of refinement.

Contents

Details

Original Title
Publication Date
Author
Format
Online edition
Collection
The Dark Chronicles of Komayō, episode 5
Genre
  • Fantasy fiction
  • Japanese folklore
  • Historical tale
Cover of the book 'The Genesis of the Enchantress' - A young prodigy creates a game and confronts an arrogant nobleman