牡丹灯籠 (Botan Doro)　The Peony Lantern (Patreon)

The Peony Lantern is a famous ghost story in Japan.

Botan Doro (The Peony Lantern) is a famous Japanese ghost story, originally popularized by the storyteller Encho Sanyutei during the Edo period. The story is about a young samurai named Shinshaburo who falls in love with a beautiful woman named Otsuyu. She visits him every night, carrying a lantern decorated with peony flowers. However, it is later revealed that Otsuyu is a ghost, having died of a broken heart. The relationship between the living and the dead brings tragedy, as the samurai grows weaker and closer to death. Eventually, a Buddhist priest intervenes, but the story emphasizes the dangers of clinging to lost love.

牡丹灯籠（ぼたんどうろう）は、日本の有名な怪談で、江戸時代に三遊亭円朝が広めた物語です。若い侍・新三郎は、美しい女性お露と恋に落ちます。彼女は毎晩、牡丹の花が描かれた灯籠を持って新三郎を訪れますが、実はお露は既に亡くなっていた幽霊だったのです。生者と死者の恋は悲劇を招き、新三郎は次第に衰弱して死に近づいていきます。最終的に僧侶の介入により幽霊との関係は断たれますが、この物語は、過去の愛に執着することの危険性を強調しています。