LadyOchikubo the Sankose

Ochikubo Monogatari (落窪物語), also known as The Tale of Ochikubo, is a story from the Heian period which is similar to the famous fairy tale Cinderella.

Ochikubo Monogatari was written during the later part of the 10th century by an unknown author. It is known as the oldest surviving tale in Japanese literature to include harassment and bullying from a stepmother. Ochikubo Monogatari's well-formed plot and vivid description of characters influenced many writers such as Murasaki Shikibu, author of The Tale of Genji. The lively dialogues are also of particular quality.

The title "Ochikubo" comes from the name of the room in which the protagonist, a miserable lady, lives. The beautiful protagonist, Ochikubo Lady, is forced to live in a shabby hut with a tatami mat in the corner of a shinden-zukuri (chamberlain-style) building, as the name suggests, and is bullied by her stepmother, but in the end she is chosen by a young man from the Konoe-fu (Ukon) and they marry, making this a tale of stepchild bullying with a similar plot to Cinderella.

Ochikubo Monogatari is a Middle Ages tale that precedes The Tale of Genji, and is also mentioned in The Pillow Book. Although the story has a rather simple plot that clearly separates benevolence and resentment, it is highly regarded as a story that realistically depicts the aristocratic society of the time, centering on the plot of stepchild bullying.

After suffering from relentless harassment from her stepmother, Princess Ochikubo meets a man named Michiyori who is a general. The two marry and Princess Ochikubo lives very happily with him. Michiyori starts to take revenge on Princess Ochikubo's family, setting up a series of humiliating events.[1]