The famous Japanese ghost story Banchō Sarayashiki tells of the love between an upper class samurai named Aoyama and a beautiful servant girl named Okiku. It is set in 1655, and many versions of this story have been written since the seventeenth century, sometimes Okiku returns Aoyama's love, other times she rejects him. One thing remains true throughout however, the couples web of broken trust and promises ultimately leads to Aoyama killing Okiku, and casting her body down into a well. Her spirit then returns to haunt the grounds, either out of sorrow or anger.