An Innocent Witch 1965

During the annual religious rites at Mount Osore, a widowed woman named Kikuno participates in a séance with a medium to reach the spirit of her deceased daughter, Ayako, seeking forgiveness for what has befallen her family. The film then rewinds to 1937, revealing Ayako’s origin as a poor fisherman’s daughter from Ōma who is sold to a brothel when her father can no longer support the family.

Ayako’s life in the brothel begins with a brutal deflowering by a wealthy merchant, Yamasan, who quickly becomes her regular client. A year later, she encounters Kanjiro, a young student who also becomes a regular visitor and develops a close, emotional bond with her. It is soon revealed that Kanjiro is Yamasan’s son, a twist that complicates their relationship: Yamasan is at ease with sharing Ayako with his own son, while Kanjiro struggles with the fact that Ayako is his father’s companion.

After Yamasan dies of a heart attack during a visit to Ayako and Kanjiro, Kanjiro himself enlists in military service and later takes his own life. Ayako is left to endure the social stigma that follows her, branded as a bearer of bad luck. A new customer, Kanichi, arrives and discloses that he is Kanjiro’s older brother, insisting that the rumors surrounding Ayako are nothing more than superstition. Ayako and Kanichi soon become lovers, and for a time they entertain thoughts of running away to Tokyo together.

Tragically, Kanichi is killed by an army truck driver who refuses to slow down. With the brothel owners pressing for Ayako to leave the house on grounds that she might be possessed by an evil spirit, she agrees to undergo an exorcism. The ritual is brutal, leaving Ayako badly beaten, and she ultimately dies, her fate sealed by the combination of exploitation, brutal superstition, and societal judgment that surrounds her.