Frustrated grandma tries to give daughter-in-law the chop
Over 1,000 years ago, Sei Shonagon mentioned in "The Pillow Book" that the relationship between wives and mothers-in-law was destined to be a hostile one. Shukan Shincho (4/6) notes that an unfortunate incident in the Gifu Prefecture city of Taijimi in late March shows that the old adage is every bit as true in Noughties Japan as it was in Heian Japan.
Relatives of Tsurue Yamaguchi, a spry, tiny 80-year-old pensioner, called the cops and told them that the granny had, in a brief moment of rage against her daughter-in-law, literally turned into -- or at least to - an old battle-ax.
Officers arrived on the scene shortly afterward to find out that the frail old lady had swiped her son's 50-year-old wife, Sayoko, in the head with a huge ax and they arrested Yamaguchi for attempted murder.
"Tsurue, her son, Sayoko and their grown daughter, were sitting down in the family living room watching TV and talking. When Tsurue's son left the room to go to the toilet, the old woman spotted her chance and went at it," a police investigation insider tells Shukan Shincho, adding that the old woman picked up an ax she had concealed earlier and whacked her daughter-in-law in the head. "One of her granddaughters called the police to report what had happened. Tsurue had picked up an ax about 40- to 50-centimeters-long, with the blade taking up around 19 centimeters of that. The trouble was, the ax was a bit heavy for the old woman and she couldn't lift it up high enough to give her swing the power she was probably looking for. In the end, the ax just scraped the side of the daughter-in-law's head, causing a wound that only needed four stitches. There was no damage done to the skull at all. Still, the weapon she used was a lethal one, so she had to be charged with attempted murder."
Tsurue does not deny the charges, telling the police "I wanted to kill my daughter-in-law."
"Sayoko (the daughter-in-law) was bleeding, but she didn't even fall over. She and her daughter grabbed the old woman and overpowered her in the living room," the investigation insider says. "Tsurue is pretty deaf. When her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter were sitting in the living room, they were having a really good chat and the old woman thought they were making fun of her. During questioning, police found out that things between Tsurue and Sayoko have been bad for a fairly long time."
Tsurue Yamaguchi wasn't always a homicidal, ax-wielding harridan. The Yamaguchi family was made up of Tsurue, her son, Sayoko, and two adult granddaughters. The son is a regular salaryman and Sayoko works part-time as a golf caddy. Tsurue spent her time working in the family garden, tending to its flowers.
"Tsurue is a pretty cheerful type. She lost her husband about six or seven years ago. They seemed to be a great couple, I often saw them out on walks together. I do remember it sticking in my mind when she recently complained about having to do everything in her home," a neighbor of the Yamaguchis tells Shukan Shincho.
Tsurue has a bad leg and uses a walking stick to get around. Nonetheless, she always made sure she never failed to doll herself up when she left the family home.
"She used to wear her hat on a bit of an angle and seemed to be a fashionable type. After her husband died, she used to hang out in the neighborhood with another couple of old women. They jokingly called themselves 'The Three Grannies,'" the neighbor says. "About two or three years ago, the two other members of 'The Three Grannies' died one after another. She wasn't in any senior citizens clubs or anything, so perhaps she was frustrated, but had no outlet for her aggravation."
Not only did Tsurue lose the love of her life and her best buddies in quick succession, she became distanced from other members of her family.
"We haven't eaten a meal together as a family for more than four years," Shukan Shincho quotes the 80-year-old woman telling the police probing the case. "And over the past few years, our relations have steadily become worse." (By Ryann Connell)
April 3, 2006
source : http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp
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Poor old lady, I guess she waited too long. Her strength failed her.
Over 1,000 years ago, Sei Shonagon mentioned in "The Pillow Book" that the relationship between wives and mothers-in-law was destined to be a hostile one. Shukan Shincho (4/6) notes that an unfortunate incident in the Gifu Prefecture city of Taijimi in late March shows that the old adage is every bit as true in Noughties Japan as it was in Heian Japan.
Relatives of Tsurue Yamaguchi, a spry, tiny 80-year-old pensioner, called the cops and told them that the granny had, in a brief moment of rage against her daughter-in-law, literally turned into -- or at least to - an old battle-ax.
Officers arrived on the scene shortly afterward to find out that the frail old lady had swiped her son's 50-year-old wife, Sayoko, in the head with a huge ax and they arrested Yamaguchi for attempted murder.
"Tsurue, her son, Sayoko and their grown daughter, were sitting down in the family living room watching TV and talking. When Tsurue's son left the room to go to the toilet, the old woman spotted her chance and went at it," a police investigation insider tells Shukan Shincho, adding that the old woman picked up an ax she had concealed earlier and whacked her daughter-in-law in the head. "One of her granddaughters called the police to report what had happened. Tsurue had picked up an ax about 40- to 50-centimeters-long, with the blade taking up around 19 centimeters of that. The trouble was, the ax was a bit heavy for the old woman and she couldn't lift it up high enough to give her swing the power she was probably looking for. In the end, the ax just scraped the side of the daughter-in-law's head, causing a wound that only needed four stitches. There was no damage done to the skull at all. Still, the weapon she used was a lethal one, so she had to be charged with attempted murder."
Tsurue does not deny the charges, telling the police "I wanted to kill my daughter-in-law."
"Sayoko (the daughter-in-law) was bleeding, but she didn't even fall over. She and her daughter grabbed the old woman and overpowered her in the living room," the investigation insider says. "Tsurue is pretty deaf. When her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter were sitting in the living room, they were having a really good chat and the old woman thought they were making fun of her. During questioning, police found out that things between Tsurue and Sayoko have been bad for a fairly long time."
Tsurue Yamaguchi wasn't always a homicidal, ax-wielding harridan. The Yamaguchi family was made up of Tsurue, her son, Sayoko, and two adult granddaughters. The son is a regular salaryman and Sayoko works part-time as a golf caddy. Tsurue spent her time working in the family garden, tending to its flowers.
"Tsurue is a pretty cheerful type. She lost her husband about six or seven years ago. They seemed to be a great couple, I often saw them out on walks together. I do remember it sticking in my mind when she recently complained about having to do everything in her home," a neighbor of the Yamaguchis tells Shukan Shincho.
Tsurue has a bad leg and uses a walking stick to get around. Nonetheless, she always made sure she never failed to doll herself up when she left the family home.
"She used to wear her hat on a bit of an angle and seemed to be a fashionable type. After her husband died, she used to hang out in the neighborhood with another couple of old women. They jokingly called themselves 'The Three Grannies,'" the neighbor says. "About two or three years ago, the two other members of 'The Three Grannies' died one after another. She wasn't in any senior citizens clubs or anything, so perhaps she was frustrated, but had no outlet for her aggravation."
Not only did Tsurue lose the love of her life and her best buddies in quick succession, she became distanced from other members of her family.
"We haven't eaten a meal together as a family for more than four years," Shukan Shincho quotes the 80-year-old woman telling the police probing the case. "And over the past few years, our relations have steadily become worse." (By Ryann Connell)
April 3, 2006
source : http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp
----
Poor old lady, I guess she waited too long. Her strength failed her.
