Yotsuya Kwaidan/Ghost of Yotsuya - Part 1 (Film 1949 - ENG SUB)

A 1949 adaptation of a kabuki play written by Tsuruya Nanboku. Directed by Keisuke Kinoshita, written by Eijirô Hisaita, Masaki Kobayashi and Nanboku Tsuruya. Starring; Kinuyo Tanaka, Ken Uehara, Hisako Yamane, Haruko Sugimura, Choko Iida, Osamu Takizawa, Jukichi Uno, Keiji Sada, Aizo Tamashima, Ken Mitsuda. Audio in Japanese with English subtitles (Hardsub).

Yotsuya Kaidan, the story of Oiwa and Tamiya Iemon, is a tale of betrayal, murder and ghostly revenge. Arguably the most famous Japanese ghost story of all time, it has been adapted for film over 30 times and continues to be an influence on Japanese horror today.

Written in 1825 by Tsuruya Nanboku IV, as a kabuki play, the original title was Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan (Ghost Story of Yotsuya in Tokaido). It is now generally shortened, and loosely translates as Ghost Story of Yotsuya.

Historical basis: Nanboku incorporated two sensational and real-life murders into Yotsuya Kaidan, combining fact and fiction in a manner that resonated with audiences. The first involved two servants who had murdered their respective masters. They were caught and executed on the same day. The second murder was from a samurai who discovered his concubine was having an affair with a servant. The samurai had the faithless concubine and servant nailed to a wooden board and thrown into the Kanda River.

As the most-adapted Japanese ghost story, the details of Yotsuya Kaidan have been altered over time, often bearing little resemblance to the original kabuki play, and sometimes removing the ghostly element altogether. However, the base story usually remains the same and recognizable. Kinoshita Keisuke version of the story removed the ghostly elements and presented Oiwa as an apparition of her husband's guilty psyche. It was also known as The Phantom of Yotsuya.

Part 1: Iemon Tamiya is an impoverished master-less samurai who craves a better life, which he cannot have because of his marriage to Oiwa, who is completely devoted to her husband.

Part 2: https://rumble.com/v6s292x-yotsuya-kwaidanghost-of-yotsuya-part-2-film-1949-eng-sub.html