Zashiki-Warashi[]
Zashiki-Warashi is the first arc of Mononoke (2007) following the story of the Medicine Seller of Ri after his cameo in the Bakeneko arc of Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales. It spans two episodes, reaching its conclusion in Episode 2.
To find out more about the Mononoke of the same name, visit Zashiki-Warashi (Being).
Characters[]
- Shino (志乃) (voiced by Rie Tanaka): The pregnant woman who seeks shelter at a rainy night. She became pregnant with a young lord's baby when working in a landlord's house, and wishes to give birth safely.
- Hisayo (久代) (voiced by Toshiko Fujita): The keeper of the inn which used to be a brothel she owned. The room she offered to Shino was where she forced her prostitutes to abort children.
- Tokuji (徳次) (voiced by Kōzō Shiotani): A helper in the inn. He is also the one who assisted Hisayo in forcing prostitutes to abort.
- Naosuke (直助) (voiced by Eiji Takemoto): An assassin who wants to kill Shino and her baby.
- Young Lord (voiced by Yūsuke Numata): The man who got Shino pregnant and then abandoned her.
- Zashiki Warashi (座敷童子) (voiced by Aiko Hibi): The spirit of the children killed by Hisayo many years ago.
Plot[]
While spending the night in a traditional inn, the Medicine Seller stumbles upon a strange phenomenon. A pregnant woman named Shino who is desperately seeking shelter at the inn is led to the last vacant room. The room, though, is haunted by a group of Zashiki Warashi. When the Zashiki Warashi kill an assassin aiming for Shino's life, protecting Shino and her unborn child, the Medicine Seller inquires into the origin of the mononoke.
The innkeeper reveals that the inn used to be a brothel, which she owned and ran. The innkeeper forced her prostitutes to abort their children to continue working, and Shino's room is the room in which the abortions took place. The Medicine Seller realizes that the mononoke are attracted to Shino because of their strong desire to be birthed. The Zashiki Warashi want Shino to give birth to them, and she agrees, much to the Medicine Seller's dismay. She pulls the talisman warding off the mononoke from her stomach. As it turns out one of the Zashiki Warashi that she had met upon her arrival was in fact her own child. However, the overload of all the spirits causes Shino's in-the-womb child to start bleeding. At this point, realizing their wish would cause only harm to the only person that showed them kindness, the Zashiki Warashi smiles and allows the Medicine Seller to destroy them with the sword.