(‘Story of a Fly‘ first appeared in Kotto, 1902)

Synopsis: The story takes place around 1700 in a merchant’s house in Teramachi. His name was Kyuben, and he and his wife had a maidservant called Tama of whom they were fond. Now Tama showed no interest in clothes and always looked badly dressed. One day Kyuben asked about this and why she never made an effort with her clothes.

By way of reply, Tama talked of her childhood and how when she was still young her mother and father had both died. As an only child the responsibility fell upon her for the Buddhist funeral rites and mortuary tablets but she had no means to pay for them. So she resolved to save all her money for that and not to spend any on finery for herself. Kyubei was touched by her story and commended her for wanting to fulfil her filial duty. Not long after this Tama had saved enough to pay for the religious ceremonies, and what little remained she entrusted to the merchant’s wife.

The following winter Tama was taken ill and tragically passed away, greatly saddening Kyubei and his wife. Some ten days afterwards a large fly appeared and buzzed around the merchant’s head. He was puzzled since flies don’t usually appear in winter, but being a devout Buddhist he took pains to catch the fly without harming it and released it outdoors.

Next day a similar fly appeared. ‘I wonder if it’s Tama,’ said Kyubei’s wife. He was dubious but as a test he nicked the tip of its wings and released it, but this time at a good distance from the house. When it appeared again the next day, Kyubei still could not believe it was the spirit of Tama so this time he painted it with beni. Two days later it returned, all covered in red. Supposing now that it must be Tama, the couple wondered what her purpose might be. ‘Perhaps she wants us to pay her money to the temple for a Buddhist service on behalf of her spirit,’ suggested the wife. As she spoke, the fly dropped dead.

The couple put the dead fly in a little box and took it to the temple priest, who performed religious rites for Tama, and over the fly were recited the eights rolls of the sutra Myoten. Its body was buried in the temple grounds and a sotoba set up, ‘appropriately inscribed’.

Commentary: Hearn’s retelling of a Japanese story provides a striking example of his lifelong interest in death, ghosts and the afterlife. Typically for a Romantic, he had a strong inclination to the macabre, and the notion of transmigration would have appealed to him as indeed the compassionate treatment of the fly. Though he himself did not believe in orthodox reincarnation, he did believe in cellular memory and thought that the dispersal of cells after death and their reconstitution in various forms could result in recollection of a previous existence. This explained for him phenomena that otherwise might seem inexplicable, such as deja vu or love at first sight. The convergence of fly and human in this story inevitably brings to mind the classic horror film, The Fly, and the critically acclaimed Jeff Goldblum remake. Given Lafcadio Hearn’s interest in the macabre, perhaps this is only apt.

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For an introduction to Hearn’s Kyoto stories, please click here. For coverage of three others of Hearn’s Kyoto stories, see here for ‘Common Sense’, here for ‘The Sympathy of Benten’, and here for ‘Screen Maiden’.