This image is present the beauty of a woman in the Edo period of Japan, with good costumes and luxurious headwear. “Her features, the way she wore her hair, her colorful robe, the perfume she exuded–all this, Toyo-o noted, made her bewitchingly voluptuous.” “He had never heard of such a beautiful, refined-looking woman living in this neighborhood.” I can understand why Toyo-o bewitched by Manago who with beautiful appearance and interested in Toyo-o. Every hero fails to pull through beauty pass, as the Chinese saying goes. If I were Toyo-o, I can’t grantee seduce by such a beauty like Manago.
Actually, this fiction was referred to as Legend of White Snake, a very famous romantic tale spreading out among folks in ancient China. The difference between Bewitched is in “Legend of White Snake,” the hero and the heroine are fell in love with each other, even though he knew his wife is a monster. After the priest, Hokai Osho, catches the heroine and locked her in the tower, the hero tried his best to rescue her and defeated Hokai Osho, and they have a happy ending in the story. These two fictions, all have a similar setting and story but have the total opposite ending. I think the Edo period of Japan was more feudal than ancient China. Women were less valuable than men, and women could be the demon that seduces men. Even though Toyo-o bewitched, but he didn’t get any punishment. Base on this reason, I prefer the Legend of White Snake rather than Bewitched.
It’s interesting to know the comparison between Chinese folktale and Japanese folktale. Also, I like the picture that you chose because it gave me clearer picture of how I imagined Manago to look like.
You are absolutely correct to point out that Akinari is basing his story on an existing legend. I wonder what you think his version adds to the original by making Manago purely demonic. We know that she doesn’t really love Toyo-o. This is a more cynical story; it doesn’t really seem that he actually loves her either.