Spooky Tales Traverse Seattle with ‘KAIDAN: Japanese Ghost Stories’
Naho Shioya and Misaki Teranishi in KAIDAN
Courtesy ZTP Productions
Japanese ghost stories are coming to Seattle in August. Za Trans-Pacific Productions and director Mimi Katano will present KAIDAN: Japanese Ghost Stories in August at locations around the city.
ZTP Productions is a new Seattle-based company who seek to mentor, uplift, and produce Japanese and Japanese-American theater artists and their works. Since their founding in 2025, ZTP have hosted staged readings of new works from local playwrights, and most recently hosted a voice workshop for actors with Minako Ikeuchi, a Tokyo-based voice and speech coach.
It’s no secret that Japanese filmmakers have created some of the greatest supernatural horror movies of all time, from House (1977) to Ringu (1998) to Pulse (2001). These films blend melancholy with feelings of the uncanny and existential dread. But ghost stories go way back in Japan’s history. Kaidan, or traditional ghost stories of yūrei (ghosts) and yokai (supernatural beings) are steeped in literary and theatrical tradition.
The Edo period saw the proliferation of kaidan storytelling as an art form. During this time, the parlor game Hyaku Monogatari Kaidan, which translates to “One Hundred Ghost Stories,” grew in popularity, in which people would sit in a circle in a room lit by 100 candles, and with the telling of each tale, another candle would be snuffed out. The performance continued until the audience was eventually left in total darkness, at which time spirits might present themselves. Three of the most popular stories from this period, “Yotsuya Kaidan,” “Sarayashiki,” and “Botan Dōrō,” will be included in ZTP’s KAIDAN. Later on, in the Meiji period, 19th century translator Lafcadio Hearn compiled kaidan into his retelling, Kwaidan. Some of the KAIDAN stories also draw from this compilation.
Promo image for KAIDAN: Japanese Ghost Stories
Courtesy ZTP Productions
It is fitting that KAIDAN will be coming to Seattle during the dog days of August, as these ghost stories have historically been performed during the summer months, specifically during the Obon season, when people pay homage to their ancestors and spirits of the dead. With stories like “Yotsuya Kaidan,” a famous tale of selfish murder, a curse, and vengeful ghosts, and the tragic love story in “Botan Dōrō” between a ghost and a living person, KAIDAN is curated to evoke eerie shivers down the spine.
KAIDAN: Japanese Ghost Stories will be performed by actors Nick Mendoza, Alanah Pascual, Naho Shioya, and Misaki Teranishi, with musical accompaniment by Okinawan performer Mako, and Taiko drumming and bamboo flute from Asako Tateishi of School of TAIKO. Local artist Hiroko Nagatomo will also be bringing her talents to this stage production with sumi-e, or ink paintings.
The show runs August 1-29 in Seattle at multiple locations throughout the city. Opening night will be at West of Lenin on August 1. In addition to shows at West of Lenin, Theatre 33 in Bellevue, and Hugo House, KAIDAN will be part of the programming at the Issaquah Aire Craft Festival on August 15.
