(Voice actor) Ms.Carolyn Miller

This is a story from around the year 630 when Sensoji temple was built. Hanakawado park is located east of the Nitenmon gate of Sensoji temple in Asakusa Nichome of Taito ward. There used to be a pond called Ubagaike. And there lived a bloodcurdling old hag. The vicinity of Asakusa back in 630’s was incomparably rustic relative to the present day Asakusa. The capital of Japan had been in Nara and other prefectures in the Kansai region in those days, so the current Tokyo area was much less populated. However, transportation and communications were still needed. So there were connecting roads all over Japan, used by a few travelers. The big problem for the travelers was that there was almost no place to stay. They either had to sleep outside, stay at temples and shrines or ask civilians living by the side of the road for a night’s stay. There used to be a road going toward Oshu (current Tohoku region; *Northeast Japan) in Hanakawado back then. Nevertheless, the vicinity of Hanakawado was a deserted wasteland with very little population. An old mother and daughter lived there in a shabby house. Travelers knocked on their door and asked to stay if night fell while they were around Hanakawado. The old lady of the house always let them stay. And she would kindly prepare supper and a bed for them. The travelers were grateful that they could relax and sleep well under a roof instead of sleeping by the side of a road. And as suggested by the old lady, they soon fell asleep from the fatigue of travel. But her kindness was deceptive. She was actually a demon hag. She had been killing the travelers during their sleep with her reluctant daughter’s help, in order to steal their money and valuables. The daughter had repeatedly begged her mother to stop this atrocity, but in vain. Countless people were murdered in Hanakawado. One day a boy came to the house of the old hag. The daughter said to the mother she shouldn’t kill the boy but her mother wouldn’t listen. She gave him food, bed and hospitality with a smile, and suggested him to go to bed early to ease fatigue of the trip. The boy followed her advice and fell asleep. Making sure he was fast asleep, the old hag killed him as usual. But something was wrong. What do you think had happened to her? Read ahead for the legend of the Hanakawado’s old hag.