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mementomoryo — XII: OIWA
Published: 2005-06-11 05:35:32 +0000 UTC; Views: 9016; Favourites: 209; Downloads: 738
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Description
12th in the "Women of Japanese Horror" painting series.This is the grandmother of all Japanese ghost women - Oiwa, the housewife who was viciously poisoned by her no-good bastard of a hubby (the dork in the painting) so he could go off and marry a aricher girl. Well, his plan certainly backfired - Oiwa cursed everyone involved with him, haunting each of them to death or to the point of suicide, and finally getting back at her husband himself. She was really more like the ancient Greek Furies - she drove others to either repent or commit suicide. Pretty good method, if I do say so myself.
This painting depicts the climax of the story, where Oiwa follows her cowardly jerk of a husband up to a mountain hermitage and comes out of an old lantern in order to finally get back at him. Scary stuff, it is.
The scan sucked for this. I repeat, I need to get a new scanner. Egads.
Watercolor, pencil, gel pen
Oiwa © herself and the dudes who based the Kabuki dramas on her tale
Art © Me
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Comments: 103
I remember seeing this story in the show Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Stories. It was my favorite story in the series! Through the whole story, you can feel every emotion that the characters went through. Oiwa alone goes through so much pain and tragedy that you want to give the poor girl a hug just to make her feel better! Plus, it ends on one of the most chilling epilogues that I have ever seen in an anime.
This piece really reminds me of the fear that Oiwa's jerk of a husband felt during his final hours. Serves that bastard right.
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This whole series has been wonderful!
Well done luv!
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Yay Yeah i was rooting for her the entire time serves him right
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Oiwa is so...sad. I can't really describe what I feel about her. On one hand, she is one of the scariest Japanese ghosts, but on the other hand, she's one of the most pitiful. When you have a husband like Iyemon, you're entitled to a little vengeance here and there. Maybe what keeps her grudge burning is that after her death, everyone kept remembering her as a monster. Surely she has some right to be angry over that...maybe we should just let the poor ghost girl rest in peace?
Really love the spooky atmosphere you have going here. I love your Girls of J-horror series. They're allt\ so beautiful and spooky.
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This is awesome! I first saw the story of Oiwa watching Ayakashi Samurai Horror Tales and it scared the life out of me - I love how well this pic captures the atmosphere of the story.
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i thought what oiwa did was she haunted her ex and tricked him into killing those he loved by decapitation
i love your collection
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feck! I thought I was the only one into this! love her face, I wussed out and just did the eye, my pic of her looks like Sadako from Ringu.
I disagree about the scan, I think it turned out nicely.
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Suits that jerk Iemon just fine. Stupid idiot, thinking, he can get away with it...anyway, Oiwa looks really scary. And Iemon just like the idiot he is. WAS.
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Beautiful piece. Your work is so expressive and lovely!
When my parents and I go to Japan in a few years, I really want to visit Oiwa's grave.
But... ＿|￣|○ What if my eye swells up?! Dammit.
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This is goddamn scary. It's got SO MUCH mood, it's fabulous.
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i remember taking out an old book of ghoststories and reading that one. scared me for a long time....well. at least the illustrations anyways. 👍: 0 ⏩: 0
great artwork! i'm loving this series of yours!
So scary and beautiful at the same time! *hides in a well-lit room*
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ah man..this kicks booty XD the story and this piece. I think that the use of space is once again interesting. You never do a picture the same way twice in this respect I think^^ I like the light and dark contrast...and boy is there light and dark contrast XD
I can safely say that I'm rooting for the ghost here XD If something like that ever happens to me, I'm totally taking a page from her book! YEAH!
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Haha, thanks a lot!
You and me both can be modern-day Oiwas. My boyfriend's Japanese and familiar with the story, so threatening to become like her due to his mistakes would have an extra punch. XD
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Sounds awesome. Are these women all from actual mythology, or just comics/films etc? If the former, I'm gonna have to do some research. How do you know so much about so many?
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A bit of both, actually.
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Cool. Will Kuchisake-Onna make an appearance (the only Japanese horror woman I know who isn't Sadako)?
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Oh, I think we both safely guess that it will happen.
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i honestly dont see how this looks bad! but i'd love to look at original! again the art work is simply amazing! and i love the story you put behind each painting! just marvelous job!! *numerous clapping from the background* ehehehe^^ LONG LIVE EVIL BITTER FEMALE SPIRITS! or something like that^^ she should'v ripped his peas and carrots off and make him eat it..or something like that ^__^
mothers should tell this legend to little boys as a bedtime story so when they growup they will worship and respect their wives 
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Aye, long live vengeful ladies from beyond the grave! :woot: I think what she put Iemon through was appropriate enough, but that would have added to the sweetness of the deal. XD Thanks!
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hehe no problem^^ once again! love love loove your art work!
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well that jerk had it well deserved it 
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Yeah, it definetly gives you the shivers. :S Thanks!
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i love it, I love all the emotion it brings forth in the painting. you make the old legends of japan more and more interesting to me. ^_^ Keep up the good work! <3
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Hey, anything I can do to make old stories seem captivating. 
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Also, I like your picture. I can't figure out if it's blood on the lantern or just the natural coloring. Very good job on her face, she looks PISSED. Ha ha, really nice.
平和
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It's supposed to be blood, to clear that bit up.
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OMG, I read that story and it totally freaked me out. I've always wanted to visit japan, but now I'm not so sure.
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Actually, Oiwa-Chan didn't kill her faithless bastard, umbrella-making husband...
When Iemon lifted the wedding veil of his neighbor's daughter, he thought he saw Oiwa, and immediately chopped off her head, and he chopped his neighbor's head, too, because he thought he saw the ghost of his servant, whom he murdered to keep him quiet...
...
Anyhow, when Oiwa-Chan chased Iemon out of the cottage on Snake Mountain (you gotta love that name), he ran into his *cough* former *cough* brother-in-law, who then chopped the murderer of his father and sister into bloody bloody chunks...
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Heh, actually, I already knew those details of the story. Your comment actually made me realize that I made it seem that she killed him directly. I'd better change it. Oiwa was more like the Greek Furies, wasn't she? She avenged by driving other to either repent or kill themselves. It's interesting how those parallels show up in different cultures' folklore, huh?
Thanks very much for the correction. I appreciate it.
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No problem...
It's like, the House of Pelops, but with less incest and more poison...
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i remember another one where this guy thought his wife was cheating on him with some other guy, so he nailed her body to a door and the other poor bastards to the other side and tossed both bodies into a river, they haunted him ever since *or so the story goes*
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I believe that's part of the same tale. Dang, that Iemon was a sadistic jerk. XP
Thanks!
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did they make a play out of it? because i remember reading about a play that would spell disaster for anyone that acted in it or was part of it without giving the proper respects to the departed, or something like that
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Yep, they've made the story into some of the most popular and well-known kabuki and noh plays in existence! Of course, the actors all have to go pay their respects to Oiwa at her gravesite before they can even think of starting practice on the play. It's sort of like how MacBeth is treated among thespians.
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I also remember reading about a hotel that is known for people jumping off of it's rooftop, most of the jumpies are not even guests at that hotel... or is it an apartment building...
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It is incrediblelly scary, but I like it. The lady is so spooky I cannot believe it.
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Now I feel really incompetent. I'd never heard of this woman before - but now I can see where the idea for The Black Hair in Kwaidan came from! Really interesting legend! Your style puts such an interesting spin on folklore! ^-^
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MUAHAHHAAA. i wish i could pull off revenge like that
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