Guren Inga Yakigane Isshin Hosohimo Sayononakayama Kane Yuen Mukenjigoku

Inspired by Hanji Chikamatsu and others: "The Origin of the Sayo no Nakayama Matsurigane no Yurai" (The Origin of the Sayo no Nakayama Bell)
"The Hitachi Obiyonakiishi: The Origin of the Sayo no Nakayama Bell" (1766)

Guren Inka Yakikin Ishin Thin Cord: The Sayo no Nakayama Bell, a Link to Hell

Hell Bell

Synopsis
A thief steals the money (1,000 ryo) needed to erect a bell at Nakayama-dera Temple in Sayo, Totomi Province. Held responsible for the crime and slandered by the villainous Koyama Hangan, Akiba no Chujo, who was in charge of the job, is exiled. Shinoda no Kotaro, the illegitimate son of the Chujo, embarks on a arduous journey to find the thieves and the stolen imperial edict, accompanied by his lover, Princess Teruda, and his loyal retainers, in order to clear his father's name and restore the family's name.

Meanwhile, in order to save his master, the lieutenant general's former retainer, Shosou Tamashima, disguises himself as a thief named Kaido Saemon and works in the shadows to recover the stolen money. At the mercy of a tragic fate, he accidentally kills his own wife, Kashiwagi, in the darkness. However, he displays heroic loyalty by offering her head as a substitute for Princess Teruda, receiving the reward money and attempting to raise 1,000 ryo.

At the same time, Oshi, the daughter of the metalworker Kyusaku (Sagami), who was contracted to cast the bell, is a filial daughter despite an unsightly scar on her face. Secretly, she is in love with Kotaro. However, when she learns that Kotaro and Princess Teruda are in love, she becomes consumed with intense jealousy. Hating the mirror that reflects her ugly face, Oshi throws it into the molten bell's water, but the mirror does not dissolve and the image of an ugly face remains on the surface of the bell. Oshi died a tragic death, leaving behind a curse: "If you ring this bell, you will become wealthy and virtuous in this world, but after death you will fall into the hell of incessant suffering."

Ultimately, Kotaro and his allies retrieved the imperial edict, exposed the evil deeds of the Koyama judges, and Chujo's exile was pardoned. The bell, filled with Oshi's grudge, was left on Saya no Nakayama as the "Bell of Incessant Suffering," and has been passed down as a warning to the people.

The origin of the Bell of Incessant Suffering and her tragic end: Despite being mortally wounded by the villain Tetsuhachi in front of the bell at the top of the mountain, Oshi uttered a terrifying curse before dying in order to erase the "mirror mark that reflected her ugly face" that had been burned into the bell. This became the legend of the "Bell of Incessant Suffering."

Oshi's final obsession and curse: "Though I value my life, what is on my mind is the bell mirror, and I have left it as it is, serving as an example to the world, which is both frustrating and shameful. Even if I die, as long as that mirror and this bell remain, they will never be saved. If there is someone who strikes this bell repeatedly after I am gone, the mirror will naturally disappear. I have vowed to bestow upon that person virtue and wealth from this world, but since they are neither gods nor Buddhas, there is no one who will take away my words and strike the bell, and it is sad that the mirror will remain infamous as it is." She writhes in agony as she tears at her chest and collapses.