The Chrysanthemum, 55 



among other things ten costly dishes of gold. One of these 

 was suddenly missed and could not be found ; and the girl, 

 being responsible therefor, and knowing not how other- 

 wise to prove her innocence, drowned herself in a well. But 

 ever thereafter her ghost, returning nightly, could be heard 

 counting the dishes slowly, with sobs: 'Ichi-mai, Ni-mai, 

 San-mai Yo-mai, Go-mai, Roku-mai, Shichi-mai, Hachi- 

 mai, Ku-mai, . . . .' 



"Then there would be heard a despairing cry and a loud 

 burst of weeping; and again the girl's voice counting the 

 dishes plaintively : 'One two three four five six 

 seven eight nine 



"Her spirit passed into the body of a strange little in- 

 sect, whose head faintly resembled that of a ghost with long 

 disheveled hair; and it is called O-Kiku-mushi, or 'the fly 

 of O-Kiku'; and it is found, they say, nowhere save in 

 Himeji. A famous play was written about O-Kiku, which 

 is still acted in all the popular theaters, entitled Banshu- 

 O-Kiku-no-Sara-Ya-shiki, or 'the Manor of the Dish of 

 O-Kiku of Banshu.' 



"Some declare that Banshu is only a corruption of the 

 name of an ancient quarter (Bancho) of Tokyo (Yedo), 

 where the story should have been laid. But the people of 

 Himeji say, that part of their city now called Go-Ken-Ya- 

 shiki is identical with the site of the ancient manor. What 

 is certainly true is that to cultivate chrysanthemum flowers 

 in the part of Himeji called Go-Ken- Yashiki is deemed un- 

 lucky, because the name of O-Kiku signifies 'chrysanthe- 

 mum/ Therefore, nobody, I am told, ever cultivates chry- 

 santhemums there." 



