Strange Houses

Yuzuki shares information about her mother while she and Uketsu travel to meet her. Yoshie Katabuchi moved to Saitama Prefecture when she married Yuzuki’s father. Yoshie later divorced her second husband, Kiyotsugu, and now lives alone in Kumagaya City. 

Upon arriving, Yuzuki nervously leads Uketsu to her mother’s apartment. Inside, Uketsu observes a family photo taken at an amusement park when Yuzuki and Ayano were still children. Yoshie admits that she promised Yuzuki’s father that she would keep the truth a secret. She always hoped that Yuzuki would escape the “family curse.” However, she cannot avoid telling her the truth now that she has received a letter from Keita Katabuchi, Ayano’s husband. 

In the letter, Keita explains that he and Ayano desperately need help. He recalls how he and Ayano met in high school. Because of his studious nature, Keita was the frequent target of school bullies. Ayano was the only person who ever expressed sympathy for him. This became the basis of their relationship, which turned romantic after two years. Uketsu observes that Ayano went to high school in the same prefecture where the grandparents’ house was located, which aligns with Kurihara’s theory that they were indoctrinating her.

Keita goes on to explain peculiarities in Ayano’s behavior. Ayano would always be picked up immediately after school ended, and Keita would not hear from her until the next day. Because Ayano never talked about her family, Keita was suspicious that she was harboring a secret. It wasn’t until their final year of school that Ayano revealed what that secret was: The Katabuchis practiced a secret ritual called the Offering of the Left Hand. 

Yoshie is aware of this ritual as well: When she married into the family, Shigeharu explained the practice to her with reference to a box of antiquated texts, which Yoshie now shares with Yuzuki and Uketsu. The Offering of the Left Hand dates back to the turn of the 20th century, when the family was headed by Kaei Katabuchi, a shrewd businessman. When he turned 50, Kaei experienced a chronic illness that made it necessary for him to step back from work and appoint a successor among his three children. Kaei’s eldest son, Soichiro, was unfit because he was introverted and unintelligent, while Kaei’s youngest son, Seikichi, was extroverted and a natural leader. Nevertheless, Kaei installed Soichiro as his successor because Seikichi was born of an affair Kaei had with his maid.

Kaei’s intention was to institute Soichiro as a figurehead while Seikichi directed operations in the background. However, Seikichi was insulted and refused to stay in Kaei’s company, going on to found his own company. This company became a massive success during the economic upturn that followed World War I. By marrying and having a child, Seikichi created a new branch of the Katabuchi family that rivaled that of Kaei and Soichiro.

In lieu of Seikichi, Kaei himself advised Soichiro on business decisions. Anticipating Kaei’s eventual absence, Soichiro also committed himself to studying the family business. The only thing that concerned Kaei was that Soichiro remained a bachelor, leaving him with no heir. Kaei thus selected a bride—Soichiro’s personal attendant, Ushio Takama. Ushio was an orphan from a poor family and was frequently bullied by her superiors on the Katabuchi estate. Her marriage to Soichiro changed her fortunes overnight. Soon after, Kaei died, satisfied with the match.

Ushio took pleasure in her newfound wealth but was bothered by Soichiro’s failure to behave like a spouse toward her. One night, she followed Soichiro and discovered that he was engaged in an incestuous affair with his younger sister: Kaei’s second child, Chizuru. It was also around this time that Soichiro’s entrepreneurial weaknesses started to manifest in the company. Following a gradual exodus of longtime employees, the Katabuchi family was hit with the threat of scandal as Chizuru, herself unmarried, became pregnant. Despite attempts to hide Chizuru’s pregnancy, news reached Seikichi, who personally visited Soichiro to rebuke him in the presence of his staff.

Seikichi made moves to usurp leadership of the family business from Soichiro. Eventually, Soichiro was left with nothing but the family estate and a remnant of the original business. Fearing a return to poverty, Ushio experienced a decline in mental health. Though Soichiro tried to console her, it did little to reassure her, and she began self-harming. One day, Ushio died by suicide, using a knife to hack off her left hand. Soichiro blamed himself.

Several months later, Chizuru gave birth to twin boys. To Soichiro’s surprise, the second child was born without a left hand. Unaware of the history of this congenital disorder in his family, Soichiro convinced himself that Ushio had cursed the second child. Seeking advice from Buddhist shrines and temples, Soichiro and Chizuru named the first and second children Asata and Momota, respectively. Three years after the twins’ birth, a shaman named Rankyo visited Soichiro and convinced him of her mystical powers. After Soichiro shared his family history with her, Rankyo concluded that Ushio’s resentment was actually directed toward Seikichi, who usurped the family fortune. This convinced Soichiro to seek revenge against his half-brother.

Rankyo instituted a ritual method for lifting Ushio’s curse. First, Soichiro had to build a second house with a shrine to Ushio. The ritual proper involved sequestering Momota in a sunless room, where Asata could serve as his warden. When Momota turned 10, he had to kill one of Seikichi’s children, sever their left hand, and place it at Ushio’s altar. Momota needed to repeat this ritual once every year until he was 13. Soichiro complied, and over three years, Seikichi lost his child with his first wife and two of his children with his third wife. Thus, the Offering of the Left Hand was instituted.

Uketsu interrupts Yoshie’s account to ask about Rankyo’s identity. Yoshie agrees with Uketsu’s instinct and reveals that Rankyo was not who she claimed to be. In truth, Rankyo was the sister of Seikichi’s second wife, Shizuko. Seikichi was a serial womanizer who took five wives during his lifetime. Rankyo’s motive for instituting the Offering of the Left Hand involved succession and inheritance rights. Because each of Seikichi’s wives had children with him, this affected the chances that Shizuko’s children would inherit Seikichi’s wealth and business. Shizuko thus conspired with her sister to trick Soichiro into altering Seikichi’s line of succession. Shizuko even used her share of wealth to finance the construction of the outhouse in which the ritual murders were committed. Yoshie suspects that the ritual specified for Momota to commit the murders as leverage to prevent Soichiro from exposing the plot to the police.

When World War II broke out, Seikichi’s business collapsed, and his descendants scattered across the country. Soichiro’s descendants remained on their family estate and carried on the tradition since Soichiro never learned the truth about Shizuko’s plan. This included Soichiro and Chizuru’s third child: Shigeharu, Yuzuki’s grandfather. Asata and Momota died young, leaving Shigeharu the sole heir to Soichiro’s estate. 

Because the family was only expected to observe the ritual when a child was born without a left hand, the Katabuchis did not practice the Offering of the Left Hand for many years. This changed in 2006. Misaki learned that her second child would be born without a left hand during a routine check-up. She shared her worry that Shigeharu would observe the ritual with Yoshie, who did not believe that their father-in-law would be so observant of an old tradition. Shortly after, however, Shigeharu ordered Misaki’s confinement to prevent her from terminating the pregnancy. This confirmed that Shigeharu was still afraid of Ushio’s curse. During Japan’s postwar economic bubble, Soichiro’s family line had managed to restore its fortune, which prevented Shigeharu from having to work. Because he feared losing his fortune, he saw no other choice but to observe the ritual.

Traditionally, Yoichi would have served as the second child’s warden. Shortly before Yoichi’s death, Yuzuki’s father realized that Yoshie’s maternal grandmother was one of Seikichi’s children, making Yuzuki and Ayano potential targets for the ritual. Once Yuzuki’s father understood the implications, he assured Yoshie that he would handle the situation. He later admitted to killing Yoichi to protect their family, but he experienced immense guilt over his actions, realizing that he never managed to break away from the values Shigeharu taught him. Yoshie implies that her husband died by suicide in the car accident.

Yuzuki confronts her mother about allowing Ayano to serve as the warden of Misaki’s second child. Yoshie explains that Shigeharu threatened her and Yuzuki’s father. Fearing that Shigeharu would do something bad to both children, Yoshie and her husband gave up Ayano to save Yuzuki from her grandparents. Yuzuki’s parents considered the possibility of liberating Ayano from her grandparents’ custody, but after Yuzuki’s father died, Shigeharu sent an enforcer to keep Yoshie in line. This was Yoshie’s second husband, Kiyotsugu, who was actually Fumino’s nephew.

Yuzuki wonders why she wasn’t sent in Ayano’s place instead, considering that she was closer to the age of Misaki’s second child. Yoshie says that she counted on Ayano’s maturity to resist Shigeharu’s indoctrination. Her reasoning paid off, as Ayano remained in touch with Yoshie through letters. Even though her writing was heavily monitored by her grandparents, Ayano always expressed her concern for Yuzuki, as well as her wish that Yuzuki learn nothing about what happened to her so that she could be free from the burden of knowledge. This aligned with their parents’ wishes for Yuzuki’s happiness. Yoshie knew, however, that Yuzuki would eventually become curious, so she apologizes for everything she did to prevent her from learning the truth, including alienating her.

Yoshie urges Yuzuki to read the rest of Keita’s letter to understand what became of Ayano and Misaki’s second child. Before Ayano and Keita finished high school, she explained that the Offering of the Left Hand meant that she would live as a fugitive for the rest of her life, giving Keita the option to leave her before he became entangled in her life. Keita, however, started to devise a plan that would enable Ayano to live freely. He proposed to her, convincing her that they would need to marry for her plan to work. After they got married, Keita adopted the Katabuchi name so that he could also serve as co-warden alongside Ayano. He soon met Misaki’s son, Momoya, whom Misaki abandoned shortly after his birth. Momoya was despondent, which was characteristic of children who had been indoctrinated by cult leaders.

Ayano’s grandparents threw a small wedding celebration for them. The only other guest invited to the celebration was Kiyotsugu, whom Keita describes as Shigeharu’s right-hand man and the most intimidating member of the family. Keita committed himself to the role of warden for several years. The year before Momoya turned 10, Keita executed the first phase of his plan by asking Shigeharu to build them a house. The house would be built in the city on the proviso that Shigeharu would dictate the house’s design and that Keita would turn over the victim’s hand to Shigeharu after every murder. Shigeharu reluctantly agreed to this, demanding that the couple settle in Saitama so that Kiyotsugu could closely monitor them. Shigeharu also provided Keita with a list of potential victims.

Keita’s plan was to deceive Ayano’s grandparents into thinking that they were fulfilling the ritual. He located one of the potential victims on the list and befriended him, getting him to admit that he was in massive debt. Keita offered to repay his debt on the condition that he come to his house at an appointed time. Next, Keita searched for a corpse whose hand he could give to Shigeharu, learning that a man named Kyoichi Miyae had died of a chronic illness. Keita brought Kyoichi’s corpse home and removed his left hand, which he placed in storage. On the night Keita’s victim was scheduled to visit, Kiyotsugu waited outside the house for the hand. Keita got his guest drunk and then let him sit in the bathroom while he delivered Kyoichi’s hand to Kiyotsugu. Afterward, Keita instructed his guest to go into hiding for several months. Several days later, Kiyotsugu shared Shigeharu’s satisfaction with the ritual.

Ayano and Keita also focused on helping Momoya regain a sense of normalcy in his life. Six months after the first ritual, Momoya became more expressive and articulate. The experience of raising Momoya motivated the couple to have a child. Soon, Ayano gave birth to their son, whom they named Hiroto. Ayano and Keita felt that it was important to separate the two children so that Momoya wouldn’t feel envious of the way they doted on Hiroto. When Hiroto turned one, Kiyotsugu announced that he was being transferred to Tokyo for work. The Katabuchi family facilitated the construction of a new house to ensure their continued compliance with the ritual.

Keita was becoming confident that their plan would succeed, but then Kiyotsugu confronted the couple with his awareness of what they were doing. Kiyotsugu revealed that he didn’t believe in the Offering the way Shigeharu did but said that it was necessary to do his bidding in order to benefit from the Katabuchi family fortune. He warned the couple that Shigeharu had discovered their plan as well, having read a news report about the discovery of Kyoichi Miyae’s corpse. In response, Shigeharu ordered Kiyotsugu to bring Momoya to his house at once so that he could take charge of administering the ritual as warden.

When Kiyotsugu ordered the couple to bring Momoya downstairs, they were shocked to find that Momoya was sitting on the bed with Hiroto. Although Momoya’s room was locked from the outside, he discovered the hidden passage that connected his room to the bathroom, which he then used to locate the master bedroom. Soon, Keita realized that Momoya had heard Hiroto crying and had found his way out to console the baby. The gesture moved Keita so much that he was compelled to apologize to Momoya for forcing him to live in darkness, fearing what he would do to Hiroto.

The family was interrupted by Kiyotsugu, who became tired of waiting for Momoya. With no other choice, Keita acted against Kiyotsugu to protect Ayano and the children. He ends the letter by sharing Ayano’s current address with Yoshie. Ayano currently works part-time at a supermarket to support both children. Keita implores Yoshie for financial help.

Yoshie shows Yuzuki and Uketsu a newspaper article reporting that Keita is responsible for the murders of Shigeharu and Kiyotsugu. Keita is currently a fugitive from the law, having gone into hiding after committing the murders. Yoshie asks Yuzuki if she can extend emotional support to Ayano and the children. Yuzuki and Yoshie set out to visit the apartment where she is staying.

A few days later, Yuzuki writes to Uketsu to thank him for his help. She informs him that Ayano and the children are staying with Yoshie. Ayano is studying to become a child caregiver. Uketsu visits Kurihara to tell him everything he learned from Yoshie. Kurihara accepts the flaws of his interpretation, which Uketsu downplays because of how much it helped them to understand what was happening. Kurihara points out that there is a gap in the story about Momota’s performance of the ritual: Momota was said to have killed three children, but the ritual specified that he was supposed to kill one child every year for four years, spanning his life from ages 10 to 13. This leaves one victim unaccounted for, and it is unlikely that Soichiro would have abandoned the ritual before it was done.

Kurihara suggests that Seikichi may have allowed the murders to happen, following an old Japanese principle called mabiki, or “[t]hinning the garden” (186). This practice saw parents deliberately killing their children or getting abortions to meet their economic capabilities. Kurihara thinks that Seikichi was observing mabiki to control his wives. He then turns Uketsu’s attention to the list Shigeharu gave Keita of potential victims from Seikichi’s lineage. It would have been impossible for Shigeharu to access such a comprehensive list on his own, which means that someone in the Seikichi line may have given it to him. Kurihara suspects that the mole is the only person who is affiliated with both lines of the Katabuchi family: Yoshie.

Kurihara pushes forward a new theory. The fourth victim Momoya killed was Yoshie’s granduncle. Yoshie’s grandmother swore revenge against Soichiro’s line and instituted her own version of the curse to compel her children to kill Soichiro’s descendants. This would implicate Yoshie in the deaths of Yoichi, her husband, Shigeharu, and Kiyotsugu. Uketsu is about to protest against Kurihara’s theory until he realizes that Yoshie never explained how she learned the truth about Rankyo. She also possessed her own copy of the precepts of the Offering and did not note the coincidence that Misaki was confined shortly after she told Yoshie the truth about her pregnancy. Finally, Uketsu wonders how Shigeharu learned about Kyoichi’s death in the first place, not having access to any Saitama newspapers. The implications leave Uketsu dizzy and irritated. Pleased with himself, Kurihara urges Uketsu to dismiss his theory as speculation.