Teahouses were a pillar industry for Mitarai as a port town.
The Wakaebisu-ya, a teahouse that would come to represent Mitarai, was born at that time. Its appearance remains unchanged from the Edo Period, and in its heyday one could perhaps catch glimpses of courtesans through gaps in the lattice doors.
This landmark tells a sad tale known as the “Legend of Ohaguro.” In that era, it was customary for women to blacken their teeth upon marriage using a material called “ohaguro.” A courtesan who used ohaguro was seen as a sign of high status for men. On a certain day, a courtesan and an apprentice named Kamuro came to a mirror and withdrew a jar of ohaguro. Although the courtesan applied the material, on this day in particular, the dye would not take. Puzzled, the young apprentice was asked to procure a different jar, but this one also did not work. Meanwhile, a voice from the tatami room called: “Hurry up, will you?” Frustrated and in a hurry, the courtesan then did something unthinkable – she poured the boiling ohaguro into Kamuro’s mouth. The apprentice screamed and writhed in agony until she died. Later, that same courtesan was applying her makeup alone when she saw the ghost of Kamuro in the mirror. Each and every day the ghost came to her, saying “Time for your ohaguro.” One day, the courtesan finally fainted. When she awoke, she embarked on a pilgrimage to the 88 temples of Shikoku to atone for her sins.
While it is unclear if the legend is connected to this, there is a grave behind Wakaebisu-ya for a courtesan named Yaemurasaki. She was the top “oiran,” or head courtesan, in her day, and it is known that she died one and a half months after Kamuro’s death. Could it be that Yaemurasaki was the same courtesan of this legend?
