Japanese Ghosts

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Japanese Ghosts and Ghost Stories, kaidan 怪談

O-Bake, お化け, anything that is fearful or super-large or otherwise out of the normal range is called O-Bake. We grow huge pumpkins in the garden, O-bake kabocha.

There is, of course also
O-Bake Daruma お化け達磨 !!



From the side


http://ebikani.org/youkai/hariko/obakedaruma.htm

Here are a few more papermachee monsters to click and have fun:
http://ebikani.org/youkai/hariko/mokuzi.htm

.. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Here is another Monster Daruma, from a computer game.
出たー！お化け達磨



Look at some more photos here:
http://syarekou.hp.infoseek.co.jp/games/kiga5/kiga5.html
Copyright (ｃ) 2001 Syarekoube

Now let us look at some of the more traditional Japanese Ghosts.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Lafcadio Hearn has introduced the Japanese Ghost Stories in his great book
KWAIDAN.

Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn - Project Gutenberg - to download

..................................................

Yotsuya Kaidan, the famous Ghost Story of Yotsuya

Hanga by Hokusai about the lantern ghost of O-Iwa, the jealous wife.


百物語　お岩さん　　天保２、３（1831-32）年頃
　　　　　 　　　　　　　葛飾北斎美術館 蔵
http://joho.ehime-iinet.or.jp/rekihaku/kakonotokubetutenji/

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

One Hundred Ghosts walking at Night
"Gazu Hyakki Yagyoo" "画図百鬼夜行”
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/asin/4309726089


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Record of One Hundred Goblins,
by Kyôsai, Kyoosai Kawanabe
hyakki gadan 百鬼画談


http://www.city.koga.ibaraki.jp/rekihaku/hyakki.htm


In this woodblock-printed book by the gifted Meiji artist Kawanabe Kyôsai (1831-1889), the tradition of telling ghost stories is shown. On certain nights, especially in the summer, people gather together to tell ghost stories by the light of one hundred string wicks burning in an oil lamp.
As each story is told, one of the wicks is extinguished, thus making the room darker and darker. At the conclusion of the hundredth story, the room is thrown into darkness--and a spirit is said to appear.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ukiyo-e/images/8728s.jpg
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ukiyo-e/images.html


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hokusai made a great collection of 100 monster prints
One Hundred Ghost Stories
(Hyaku monogatari 百物語)

One of my favorite is the Dish Mansion (Sara yashiki　皿屋敷)


© Tokyo National Museum
http://www.tnm.go.jp/en/servlet/Con?pageId=B01&processId=01&event_id=2040

More about the One Hundred Ghost Stories
http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/h/hyakumonogatari.htm

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Scroll of Monsters Yookai Emaki 妖怪絵巻


Look at them all here:
http://www.rekihaku.ac.jp/kikaku/index59/

And the collection of monster painting of the kids
http://www.rekihaku.ac.jp/kikaku/index59/emaki/index.html



A replica of Buson's Monster scroll. 蕪村妖怪絵巻

http://www.nime.ac.jp/~saga/images/images2/yokai1.html


Here are some nice woodblock prints from famous ghost stories, which are performed as Kyogen pieces in the theater.
http://www.waseda.jp/enpaku/gallery/kaidan/e_kaidan.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Old Household Tools, Tsukumogami 付喪神

According to "Yin-Yang Book", more than 100-year-old tools get souls and disconcert the public. Those tools are called Tsukumogami. At every beginning of a new year, the event called Sweeping soot is held in which old tools are thrown away on an alley.


http://ddb.libnet.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/exhibit-e/otogi/tsukumo/tsukumo.html

After reading the explanation about the spirits of the old tools I finally understood why second-hand is such a hard business in Japan. Nobody wants to get the vengeful spirit, that might come with an old cupboard or shoe. Most old belongings of a dead person are ritually burned.

When we moved into the old farmhouse, we had a long purifying ceremony to make sure that Grandpa, who lived there all his life, would not stay with us for ever... Now, I guess, he is happily looking down at the Paradise Hermitage, GokuRakuAn.

Here is another link to it:
... many people were frightened at the possibility that their objects might come alive and present new problems for them, so they would often throw them away when they reached 99 years. Because of this, when the items did come alive, they would sometimes be angry that they had been thrown out after being used so long. They would band together and oftentimes go back and scare the people who had thrown them out, for being so wasteful.
http://www.youkaimura.org/tsuku.htm

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The Ground Spider, The Earth Spider
Tsuchigumo zooshi 土蜘蛛草紙　



The story is from the Heian Period. Look at all the photos of this old scroll here.
http://longuemare.hp.infoseek.co.jp/tutigumo_contents.html

.. .. ..

It became a great success as a Kabuki Play later on.

It was only in Meiji period, late 19th century when TSUCHIGUMO was arranged as KABUKI play. The beautifully costumed evil character Earth Spider and its performances of throwing paper threads like spider webs, won public popularity.



http://ueno.cool.ne.jp/mirukashihime/kabuki.htm

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Book about some strange animals 怪奇鳥獣図巻



Look at some more here:
http://www.kousakusha.co.jp/DTL/kaiki.html

... ... ...

The Old Chinese Sutra about Mountain and Sea Creatures
古代中国で編纂された地理と博物学の本『山海経』


http://www.chinjuh.mydns.jp/sengai/bovtigro/pa20.htm

Click on any of the clickable words.
http://www.chinjuh.mydns.jp/sengai/p01.htm

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


The Complete Database about Ghosts
In Japanese
このデータベースには、日本民俗学の文献から集められた怪異・妖怪伝承についての20,719件の書誌情報が入っています。
http://www.nichibun.ac.jp/youkaidb/.


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Quote from About Japan. Read more on these link pages. http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa102800.htm Obake, Bakemono Literally means, "transforming thing." "O" is an honorific prefix and "bake" is a noun form for the verb "bakeru (to change, to transform)." It can also be used more generally to refer to anything that is weird or grotesque. Yuurei According to Shinto beliefs, all people have a soul called "reikon." When a person dies, the reikon leaves the body and joins the souls of its ancestors. However, when a person dies suddenly by murder, is slain in battle, commits suicide, or when he or she hasn't been given an appropriate funeral, the reikon may become a yuurei to seek revenge. Many yuurei are female ghosts who suffered badly in life from love, jealousy, sorrow, or regret. Male yuurei are less common. Yuurei usually appear in a white kimono (katabira), which people were buried in the old days, and have no legs. They also wear a white triangular piece of paper or cloth (hitaikakushi) on their forehead. They usually appear between 2 and 3 a.m. http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa102800.htm I will tell you about "youkai," and look at the characters for them. Youkai literally means, "bewitching apparition." They include monsters, goblins, and ghouls. They usually appear at dawn or dusk. Unlike yuurei, which are the souls of the dead and downright scary, youkai are comical, bizarre and mischievous in some way. Here are some youkai. Oni Oni, demons or ogres, are one of the most famous youkai. They are huge and have horns. The color of their body is red, blue, or black. They usually carry a big iron club (kanabou). They are best known for guarding the gate of Buddhist hell. They also often appear in folktales. (Momotaro, Issun-boshi etc.) They are dumb, cruel, and malicious. On Setsubun (Feb. 3rd), there is a custom to drive away evil sprits. People scatter soybeans outside of doorways, shouting "Oni wa soto, Fuku wa uchi! (Demon out, Good luck in!)." Kappa Kappa are supernatural creatures which live both on land and in water. They are as tall as a four or five year old child. They have a beak-like snout, and fins on their hands and feet. They also have a shell on their back, and a water-filled dish on their head. As long as the dish is full of water, kappa keep their supernatural powers. Kappa are known for dragging people into the water and pulling out their livers through their anuses. Although kappa harm people sometimes, there are also many tales where they have helped people. They are very curious. They often appear in cartoons because of their lovable images. Kappa love sumo wrestling and cucumbers. That is why cucumber sushi rolls are called "kappa maki". "Okappa" are bobbed hairstyles because they look like the kappa's hairstyles. Kappa are excellent swimmers. There is a saying "Kappa no kawa nagare (a drowning kappa)" which means, even an expert can make mistakes sometimes. Rokurokubi Female monsters with long, flexible necks. They look just like ordinary humans during the day, but at night, they extend their necks to frighten or spy on people. They sometimes turn their human faces into those of demons. Yuki-Onna A snow woman, appears in a white kimono on a stormy night. She causes travelers to become lost and freeze to death. Click here to read the story of "Yuki-Onna" by Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo). Hitotsume-Kozou A one-eyed goblin, literally has a large eye in the center of its face. It looks like the shaved head of a priest. It does not play tricks, but just scares people. Tengu Tengu is also a youkai. Click here to read about "tengu." http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa110400.htm

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Read Mark Schumacher about

Amano Jyaku Amanjaku、Amanojaku 天邪鬼
Fox (Oinari)　お稲荷さま
Kappa 河童
Tengu　天狗
ONI (DEMONS) in Japanese Buddhist and Shinto Traditions

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Some more links about the ghosts and monsters of Japan

Japanese Ghosts
By Tim Screech

The Japanese world of the supernatural comprises a dizzying array of characters, from the humorously bizarre to the downright terrifying. In the 18th century, Toriyama Sekien attempted to categorize the many different types of ghostly beings that inhabit the Japanese landscape, its heavens and its hells; the results of his efforts filled four huge volumes. Here, Tim Screech takes us on a slightly more abbreviated tour.
http://www.mangajin.com/mangajin/samplemj/ghosts/ghosts.htm



No-Masks List
Ghosts & Spirits
Hannya
Demons
http://www.pasar5.com/NOH_MASK/mlist.html



Ghosts, Demons and Spirits in Japanese Lore
Norman A. Rubin


The Realm of the Hell-Dwellers
A Buddhist Perspective
The eight hot hells and eight cold hells lie thousands of miles beneath the surface of the southern continent Jambudvipa. The major hells are stacked one on top of the other with the worst hell on the bottom.



The Wheel of Becoming
Bhavachakra artwork copyright by Ryuei. 2000.
http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/ShuteiMandala/vedic.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Read my articles about

Bakeneko, the Monster Cat ... 化け猫

Oni, Japanese Demons ... 鬼　と美術

TENGU and DARUMA

Ghosts (yookai, bakemono) .. and haiku


Halloween, Hallowe’en , a kigo for haiku

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Suggested further Reading

Japanese art is laden with images and allusions. Contemporary viewers may encounter difficulty recognizing the literary and historical allusions and other cultural codes embedded in early modern Japanese works. However, a more careful viewing leads to the exciting recognition that Japanese art covers themes familiar to Westerners and Easterners alike. The individual versus society; humanity and the forces of nature; this world vis á vis the Ultimate--are among the themes handled in Japanese art as they are in other cultures' artistic expressions.

Read a great exploration with many woodblock prints here:
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ukiyo-e/images.html


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

天野行雄さんによる妖怪民芸品４選

Exhibition of the Monster Folk Art by Amano Yukio



:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Alphabetical Index of the Daruma Museum