My hobby is fishing.
I enjoy fishing anywhere from the ocean to the mountains and rivers, but I especially like fishing offshore by boat because it gives me a real sense of enjoyment.
This is a story I experienced a long time ago.
I was in a state of mind that I couldn’t stand still before a long holiday weekend.
I had planned to go fishing with my friends during the long holiday weekend and had been waiting for it for a long time.
Almost every waking moment was spent fishing.
And we would enjoy sake with the bounty of the sea that we caught ourselves.
Just thinking about this drool-worthy luxury makes my heart dance.
And then work was over, and it was the first day of the holiday weekend!
Blessed with fine weather, the three of us, myself and two companions, got into the car and first arrived at our accommodation.
After a hot spring bath and dinner, we started preparing for an early morning start tomorrow.
I went to bed with a premonition that we would surely be able to catch fish tomorrow.
When I woke up, it was still nighttime.
But when I looked at the time, it was already time to get up. An angler’s morning comes early.
I quickly prepared my gear and left the inn before the sun came up.
I have known the captain for a long time.
He is a local veteran, and I have great confidence in his knowledge and experience of the sea.
After a quick reunion greeting, we set out for the sea.
The sea at night has a fantastic atmosphere.
Jet-black darkness. Without the light of the boat, you cannot even see your own body clearly.
If the moon is out, I can see to some extent, but when I can see, I feel fear because of the vast nature in which I am placed.
The sky began to turn white when we started fishing, and we fished around.
The captain’s recommendation of the hole spot is not out of place.
I guess it was about the time when everyone had caught a certain amount of fish. I noticed a certain sound.
Gee…gee…
The sound of something creaking can definitely be heard between the sound of the waves.
Is it the sound of a boat? I thought that I had heard it before, but then I would have heard it before.
Suddenly, I began to hear a sound, and my companions said, “I wonder what it is?” The head tilts back.
Then the captain suddenly
“I’m sorry, customers, but it looks like the tide has changed and we’re done for the day. Sorry about that.”
and started to move the boat to land.
It felt strange, but the captain’s word is absolute.
Well, there is always tomorrow, so we decided to enjoy sightseeing.
I kept thinking about that sound after we got back to land.
The fish were biting great, so why did the captain choose to leave?
Normally, the captain would have taken the initiative and let us fish.
I came to the conclusion that there was a secret to that sound.
The next day, we boarded the boat at midnight, before the sun rose again, and headed out to sea.
During the trip, I casually asked the captain about it.
“What was that squeaking sound last night?”
I asked him.
The captain looked a little annoyed.
“Well, it’s a signal to go home.”
I was going to ask for more details, but we arrived at the point and we started fishing.
The waves were very calm and the conditions were what we call “calm.”
Not only the sea, but also our rods were quiet, and we spent a lot of time without any hits.
Gee…gee…
In the silence, I began to hear that sound again.
As I listen carefully, wondering where it is coming from, I notice something in the distance.
It was a small wooden boat, and someone was standing on board, moving the oars.
Little by little, it seems to be moving toward us.
“Captain, we have a boat with oars…”
I told him.
“Really?”
and shouted loudly, “How many rowers do you see? He asks, “What do you want me to do?
I say one, my companion says two, and the other says he can’t see anything.
As soon as he heard our answer, the captain started the boat and we stumbled, almost falling over.
‘Sorry to be rough, but we have to hurry back!
The captain’s unusual mood made us nervous.
As we wondered what was going on, we heard another whirring sound mixed with the noise of the ship’s engine.
We looked behind the boat and saw that a wooden boat was gradually approaching.
It was impossible for a rowing boat to catch up with a power boat.
As I stared at the wooden boat, wondering what in the world it was… I saw it.
It was a mummy rowing the boat.
It was a person who was reduced to only bones and skin and did not seem to be alive, but he was still moving and rowing the boat toward me.
“Captain, it’s getting closer!”
I screamed out of fear, but the captain did not even react and was engrossed in piloting the ship.
“What the hell is that thing?”
As the crew and their visible companions were stunned, they began to see land, and the pursuing boat gradually moved away from them and out of sight.
Once ashore, the captain said
“Today we must stay at the shrine, not at the inn.”
He then leads us to the shrine.
When we arrived at the shrine, the captain told a man who appeared to be the Shinto priest
“We’ve seen a Kajiko.”
He told them that he would take care of us, and we were obliged to stay there for the night.
The shrine was very kind to us and the captain offered us fish as a service.
The people from the inn where we were staying also came to support us, and we even thought it was an unexpected experience.
“What is Kajiko?”
When we had finished our meal, we asked the truth of the matter.
It was a long time ago, long before the war.
Fishing was the main occupation in this area, where the ocean stretched out before one’s eyes, and the whole family would go out to the sea to support their daily life.
In those days, schools were not widely available, so even the youngest children were valuable members of the labor force.
However, the increase in fish catches combined with the shortage of labor made it necessary to procure labor from somewhere to make ends meet.
The most sought after were children who had been sold due to hardships in their lives, or who had no relatives and no place to go.
It is hard to believe nowadays, but there was a time in Japan when children were valuable labor force and victims of human trafficking, slavery, and forced labor.
This applies not only to fishing, but also to other jobs such as agriculture, and although there is no official history of this practice, it was practiced throughout the country.
Originally, the children of the family, called “kajiko,” were responsible for paddling the ockrocks, and the children who came as part of the labor force also gnawed on the ockrocks to do the work.
However, the treatment gradually took an inhumane turn, and children who were considered mere labor were kept working from morning till night.
If they tried to escape and were rebellious, they were often subjected to horrendous punishment and even death.
There is no official record of how many children were sacrificed as “kajiko,” and the truth is shrouded in darkness.
After such a long period of time, people like us began to hear stories of seeing the ghosts of “kajiko” at sea.
The number of “kajiko” on board a boat is different than any other I have seen, and the more you see, the greater the probability that you will die in the near future.
Roughly speaking, if there are more than four, they will die for one reason or another in less than a week.
We know that this number of people is closely related to a person’s social status.
For example, a person like a president with many subordinates, a famous person, a village chief, and also a person who has a lot of wealth or a person who has a lot of money are said to die.
A president who said he had seen more kajiko than he could count before died a few days later after falling off a cliff.
He said that in recent years, inhumane labor has almost disappeared, and ghosts have probably been attaining Buddhahood over time, so it is rare for people to see kajiko themselves.
Fortunately or unfortunately, we were ungrateful, ordinary employees, and seeing the kaji did not affect us.
We decided to stay at the shrine as a precautionary measure.
That night, I woke up with a need to go to the bathroom.
I felt a chill run down my spine as I walked down the hallway, which creaked when I walked, and I couldn’t help but notice the creaking sound.
I want to get this over with and get under the covers.
I finished feeling impatient and heard the sound.
Giggle… Giggle…
It is a distance that seems both near and far away, and I can certainly hear that sound in my ears.
No way, “Kajiko” is here?
I don’t move, but instead, I keep my nerves focused under my breath and listen to what’s going on.
The sound continues to grow louder and louder, and it continues to beat in an eerily steady rhythm, and I continue to desperately try to figure out what to do.
Do I just sit like this in the bathroom all night?
Should I make a daring escape from the bathroom and call the priests for help?
Kajiko wouldn’t take me, who is not much of a person, to the other side by mistake, would she?
Oozing cold sweat, I came to the conclusion that I had to get out of the bathroom and ask for help.
Under my breath, I carefully move to make as little noise as possible, then fearfully open the door to check on the situation.
I looked to the right down the hallway and when I turned to my left, there it was.
A blue mummy, about the height of a child, was standing there in the hallway.
The eyes and mouth were unbalanced, with huge black holes in them, and although I was sure it was there, the unbelievable reality gave me the impression that it was a figment.
I tried to scream out in terror, but I could not move, let alone speak.
I was standing still and was in a state of bondage.
Neither Kajiko nor I moved an inch, but as I looked into Kajiko’s black eyes, they grew larger and larger, and I felt as if I were being sucked into them.
When I came to, I was lying down on the futon.
The priest was praying beside me, and when he noticed that I had woken up, he said, “I am relieved to be awake,” and patted his chest.
After that, there was nothing unusual about us and we returned safely from our trip.
We had to give up fishing during the trip, but it was inevitable after an incident like that.
Although the concept of “black companies” has been recognized recently, the problem between those who use and those who are used has been around for a long time, and I guess it will never change.
It is sobering to know that the same kind of suffering exists in the world today, albeit not as tragic as in the case of Kajiko.
I have continued to fish the sea after this incident, but the captain of that time has passed away, and even the existence of “Kajiko” has almost disappeared.
However, I can only hope that the suffering of the “Kajiko” will be passed on as a lesson to the rest of the world, and that it can be put to use in the future.
