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Legend of the Daimyo and the Yokai

Heard this story from someone who read it somewhere many years ago. Despite being unable to find the source, I still remember the story.

There was once a prosperous province in Feudal Japan where the welfare of both the warrior class Samurais and the lowly peasants were taken care of adequately by the benevolent Daimyo. People of all classes and ages simply adored, worshipped and respected him. Everyone live in peace and harmony.

Until one day...

When a local magistrate was found murdered in his home in cold blood. An investigation was launched to identify the killer. It is believed he was killed by a hired assassin or ninja from a rival clan. However, further investigation revealed this to be false. The case was closed eventually as there were no leads and he was hated by many due to his rude behaviour towards others.

However, for the next several months more people were found killed by the mysterious nocturnal killer. The victims were completely chosen at random from peasants to warriors to children. Thus, it was hard to determine the true motive of this serial killer. But they do know he or she only strikes at night.

And so the Daimyo ordered regular patrols of Samurais every night to spot the killer or at least discourage the killer from continuing his killings by this show of force. But their efforts proved to be wasted as the killings still continued without them realizing it.

Over time, the villagers grew anxious and terrified by the incident that rumors of a Yokai lingering in the village for human blood started to spread across the entire province. Disturbed by this, the Daimyo consulted the Monk at the temple of such a possibility.

He knows his Samurai warriors very well, having fought alongside them in battles and doubt that they could miss a serial killer or even a ninja for that matter. And so, the Monk suggested that the Samurais carry a fire lantern on night patrols as they can reveal the true face of the Yokai that might be disguised as a human being.

The monk believes that fire and light are its weakness which is why it only strikes at night when its dark. The Daimyo thought for a moment and got an idea. He decided to throw a night feast at his palace for everyone to attend, making it a compulsory event for all and those who do not attend is considered to have paid him a great insult.

And so, a feast was held where every single villager has to pass through a gate guarded by Samurais holding the fire lantern to spot the Yokai. The Commander make sure every one attended the feast by checking the name lists of people. The feast ended and the villagers once again passed through the same gate to go home.

The Daimyo was disappointed that his plan has failed. Looking around at his palace, he sees his Samurais still eating and his servants cleaning up. And he realized what if the Yokai were not hiding in the village but his own palace!

So he ordered his Commander to assemble all his Samurais and servants to stand in front of him as he personally holds the fire lantern to each of their faces to spot the Yokai. Once again, his efforts proved to be a failure. He was disappointed and felt that maybe there is no such thing as a Yokai after all. Maybe a skillful ninja finally got the best of them. Although, what is the motive behind the random killings?

As he thought about this, his 5 year old son came running to him to play his fire lantern he was holding. To his horror, he saw his child as a half-Yokai. One side of his face is human while his other side which is exposed to the lantern is a terrifying looking monster. Shocked, he took a deep breath and hold his son's hands to bring him home to sleep.

He tried to maintain his composure and enotions as he sends his son to bed to put him to sleep and goes to find his wife in the kitchen who is preparing supper for him. She greeted him and smiled as she always does. But this time, with the fire lantern by his side he could now see her true form. She's the Yokai! The Daimyo trembles in fear trying to grasp this new reality. He eat the supper pretending nothing is wrong. When they sleep, he finds himself wide awake beside his wife, disbelieved that she's the one who's been killing those people.

Next morning at dawn, he summoned his Commander and his Samurai Archers to surround his home and burn it to the ground with fire archers to kill her and his son inside. Realizing what is happening, his wife pleaded and confessed. She is indeed a Yokai who feeds on human blood but after seeing the Daimyo for the first time, she fell in love with him and swore to herself to change, to be human, to have a normal life with him. But after years of not having human blood, she finds herself craving more of it and feels that she's returning back to her trueself.

Hearing this, the teared eye Daimyo hesitated to give the order to kill. Sensing the reluctance in his Lord, the Commander issued the order and killed her, and his son as the house burned down to the ground. Ashamed by what he has done and unable to live without his loved ones, he attempted Sepukku.

His attempt was foiled by the Monk who arrived in time to see what is happening. The Monk assured the remorseful Daimyo that he did the right thing by preventing more innocent people from dying. The Commander offered the Daimyo to cut off his head as he was the one who gave the order. The Daimyo stood up and said yes but it was he who summoned them in the first place.

Many years later, he married a second wife and restart a new life. The place where the house burned down was left untouched and it is believed that their spirits still haunts the place up to this day.