When people talk about stories standing the test of time, at least in America, it’s usually in a hyperbolic sense, talking about the awesome impact and influence that a specific tale has infiltrated since conception. We certainly have stories to look back on, filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, for instance, is highly influential and is celebrating 50 years, but when compared to something like author Nanboku Tsuruya’s Yotsuya kaidan, written in 1825 and adapted across multiple formats for 200 years, “standing the test of time” starts to take on new meaning. Filmmaker Tai Katō (I, Executioner; Eighteen Years in Prison) is one such adaptor, translating this onryō tale into the 1961 title The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost, now coming available on Blu-ray for the first time via boutique physical media retailer Radiance Films. Not only is the film offered in beautiful HD with uncompressed mono audio, it includes two brand-new brief featurettes and an optional introduction by established J-horror (Japanese horror) director Mari Asato (Bilocation; Ju-On: Black Ghost).
Frustrated at his station in life, samurai lemon Tamiya (Tomisaburō Wakayama) believes that if he had money, things would change. Unfortunately, he has less than he’d like, beginning with the absence of his wife, Oiwa (Yoshiko Fujishiro), who left him after he killed someone one night after drinking. In trying to get her back from his father-in-law, lemon kills him, too, and lies about it with the help of friend/commoner Naosuke (Jûshirô Konoe) who is in love with Oiwa’s sister Osode (Hiroko Sakuramachi). However, his ruse only works in temporarily relieving his dismay as he may have his wife, but he lacks the funds to exist the way he desires. That is, until his neighbor approaches him with a proposal for lemon to marry his daughter which might benefit them both, setting into motion an incredible tragedy and equally horrible revenge.
The following review is based on a retail copy of The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost provided by MVD Entertainment Group.
Starting with the packaging, Oiwa’s Ghost features artwork from artist Time Tomorrow, who’s done work with boutiques like Radiance Films and Eureka Entertainment in the past, which is a minimal design showcasing a depiction of Oiwa holding an open-palm hand over her right eye (the very one that gets visibly damaged before death). The back is similarly minimal with lemon shown in profile. There is the usual OBI strip containing the release information and this can, as their style, be removed for a cleaner presentation of the liner. It is reversible, so if you don’t want to look at the new art, you can flip it to see the original artwork for the title on the front and a more standard release listing on the back. Since the disc case is clear plastic, you can experience both however you prefer.
As with all prior Radiance releases, the packaging also includes a booklet containing cast and crew information, film stills, restoration and release information, and written materials. In this case, a single essay from Tom Mes that explores the work of Tai Katō through the larger context of his influence within the genres of jidaigeki (Japanese period dramas) and gendai-geki (Japanese contemporary dramas) stories. This translates to an exploration by Mes in which the writer offers historical context for the earliest period of filmmaking in Japan, where Katō dovetails into it, and his work in both genres. It feels worth mentioning that Mes also produced this release, managing the restoration and on-disc bonus features, too. These are split between one visual essay from Lindsay Nelson and two Asato materials which all run under 10 minutes in length. The visual essay, titled “Facing Oiwa,” defines a few terms specific to J-horror (such as “onryō” as a vengeful spirit) amid showing the same scene across several iterations of Yotsuya kaidan until bringing them all together in an effort to show the similarities and differences from interpretation to interpretation. Then, it does the same with moments in other J-horror notable features. Beyond the dialogue spoken in the clips, there’s none from Nelson, making “Facing Oiwa” more of an experimental-style essay versus a straight-forward exploration. For that, head to the interview with Asato who explores the film via the history of Yotsuya kaidan and its various adaptation, of which she appears to have seen most (if not all). From this place of authority, her thoughts on the film offer a depth that can increase the viewing experience. Now, whether you watch both these featurettes before watching the film for the first time is truly optional, but, if this is a first-time watch, I encourage you to view the film with the optional introduction from Asato. It runs nine minutes and it creates a very specific context that does shift how one might interpret the events of the film. There’s no question that lemon is a complete shitbag, a selfish misogynist (among many things), but Asato explains in the introduction how the character is meant to connect to Chūshingura, the story of the 47 ronin who, historically, fought to restore the honor of their magnate. Making the events of Yotsuya kaidan “spun off,” as Asato explains, adds additional color to the story that might otherwise go without if the audience skips the introduction.
The on-disc presentation is equally impressive with the visual elements possessing refinement in the details. The photo stills in the booklet imply a harsh overlay of darkness in the black and white film, while the restoration itself allows for far more gradient, thereby creating the sensation of color scale, even if monochrome. This enables the audience to more easily identify people and objects in a scene, regardless of day or night, and take in the detail of Katō’s work. The only time there’s any moment in which the audience might feel like they can’t tell what’s happening, it would be in the climax of the move wherein the film turns away from character-driven drama into more of a yakuza-style actioner, at which point it’s almost too chaotic in blocking and cinematography to follow. This is, of course, not something related to the restoration, but worth noting all the same. The audio, though monaural, is clear and clean with no noticeable damage. According to the press notes, Toei Company created the HD transfer and provided the HD digital file to Radiance, but there’s no information included as to the source materials, their condition, or the technique or tools used to create the transfer. Given the clarity of the overall presentation, one can’t tell if this was accomplished with great effort or not, but it’s a transfer that will easily satisfy interested viewers.
A brief word of caution regarding this title that I cannot explain, but must share due to the strangeness of it. I’ve been reviewing Radiance Films titles since January 2023 with Big Time Gambling Boss (1968) and have been fortunate to primarily receive retail copies to do so. When I attempted to screen this title, however, only the Radiance logo would appear and then the disc would stop whether in my Panasonic 4K UHD player or Xbox X. It wasn’t until I left the EoM office and tried the disc on our Panasonic 3D Blu-ray player purchased in Fall 2013 that the disc played and without issue. I don’t know why it wouldn’t work in either two newer systems and this is entirely a first for me, but wanted to mention it in case others run into a similar problem.
Update: As of July 11th, Radiance has implemented a replacement disc process for anyone who is impacted by the disc issue.
A statement from Radiance Films regarding the current OIWA’S GHOST disc issue.
Whether a story is released in 2025, 1961, or 1825, it’s clear that morality stories still carry weight, likely because there remain far too many immoral individuals who would rather cause harm to others than do anything noble at the expense of themselves. Horror stories in any form from any country are not just about the things we don’t understand that scare us, but the excuses that humanity gives itself to be the worst version it can. Here, lemon welcomes any reason to cause violence if it enhances his station in even the smallest ways. He’ll murder his father-in-law if he thinks it’ll get his wife back because, at that time, she’ll have no other male relative to go to, only to grow dismissive and unhappy when his beautiful wife becomes ill due to post-partum bloodloss. He’ll accept a proposal to poison Oiwa in order to marry someone’s daughter, a move that would grant him a younger wife and funds, rather than just divorce her. To make matters worse, he’ll even forcibly convince someone to assault Oiwa post-poisoning to ensure the law will allow lemon to divorce her, should she not die. This film from 1961, based on an 1825 story, could very well be a modern tale through the depiction of selfishness and depravity that lemon inflicts, successfully or not. Connecting Yotsuya kaidan and, by extension, The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost, to Chūshingura makes lemon even more of a despicable individual because by being alive while the rest of his samurai brethren committed seppuku means that he didn’t participate in avenging the honor of his master, illustrating before we even see lemon take an action on anything how he engages with the world — he’ll take dishonor every single time before death. By samurai standards, he’s a coward through and through. Thus, the wake of his destruction touches far too many and his comeuppance is somehow too late, even if all too deserving.
As with all Radiance Films titles, they tend to choose the ones that other boutiques overlook, making the view feel a little like participating in discovery. J-horror has grown quite popular in the U.S., thanks to increased access to international cinema and to American remakes like The Ring (2002) and The Grudge (2004), so, for those who may not have seen such a pivotal tale in the formation of the genre, Radiance Films’s HD offering of Katō’s interpretation is a strong place to start. If not for the odd difficulty viewing the film, this would be a straight recommendation for pick-up upon release between the story’s historical significance, Katō’s engaging interpretation, and the bonus features that truly enhance the viewing experience. But as the issue persists despite checking settings and firmware (and knowing that costs are only rising), maybe wait to see if other reviewers or consumers run into the same issue before you pick this up.
The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost Special Features:
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Tom Mes and an archival review of the film
- High-Definition digital transfer
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- *NEW* Optional introduction to the film from director Mari Asato (9 mins; 2025)
- *NEW* Interview with director Mari Asato (9 mins; 2025)
- *NEW* “Facing Oiwa,” visual essay on tormented female ghosts by Lindsay Nelson (7 mins; 2025)
- *NEW* Improved English subtitle translation
- Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Available on Blu-ray June 24th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Radiance Films The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost webpage.
To purchase, head to the official MVD Entertainment Group The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Recommendation
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