Masuya-Oren
桝屋お蓮
The tragic tale of an unappreciated woman and the revenge that drove her mad... Synopsis Tonight's kagura performance centers around a woman named Oren, who might not have been exceptionally beautiful, but she was certainly exceptional kind and loving. At the behest of her parents, she married the son of a landlord in Sekishu (present day Shimane). Even though they were complete strangers before marrying, Oren was determined to be a good wife for the sake of her husband and her household, taking good care of them all. But her happiness did not last long, as men in any era are often the selfish ones... Without regard for Oren's feelings, her husband found himself a young mistress in the neighboring village, and was hardly ever at home. Oren tried to make herself believe that her husband's behavior was just a fling, a temporary thing, and that he would come back to her someday. But her sadness only turned into a deep hatred, and her sanity slipped away. Night after night, Oren went to a nearby shrine to curse her husband by nailing a doll representing him to a tree in the middle of the night (ushi-no-koku mairi). When at last the curse was complete, Oren became a powerful demon to extract her revenge on the husband who did her wrong.