Who Is The Old Teahouse Woman of Goyu?
Her fox tale plants the seed of chaos
The Old Woman of the Goyu Teahouse
The Old Teahouse Woman of Goyu is the person in Tokaidochu Hizakurige (Shank's Mare) who calls out to Yaji from her teahouse in Goyu (now Toyokawa City, Aichi Prefecture) that foxes haunt the pine-lined road ahead and trick travelers. Her appearance is brief, but she plants the seed of a huge commotion.
Yaji believes her completely. When he catches up with Kitahachi, who has gone on ahead, he decides his partner is a fox in disguise, ties him up, and demands that he show his tail. His suspicions persist even after they reach the inn at Akasaka, and only after an uproar does he learn it was all a mistake.
Stories of foxes tricking people were widely told in those days. Goyu and Akasaka are known as two of the closest neighboring post towns on the Tokaido, and the pine avenue between them still stands today as a National Natural Monument of Japan.
