Yūrei ( 幽霊 , ゆうれい )

Definition

Usually translated as ghosts, but the category is much broader in the Japanese mind frame. Spirits may be a better approximation of the word.

Different Types

Tailing boy 後追い小僧 (Ato-oi-kozou) Ghost Fire 人魂 (Hito-dama) Doppleganger 生霊 (Ikiryou) Specter 死霊 (Shiryou) Laboring Maiden 産女 (Ubu-me) Snow Woman 雪女 (Yuki-Onna) General Ghost 幽霊 (Yuurei)

Tailing boy 後追い小僧(Ato-oi-kozou) Mountain spirits of deceased children

originally from anywhere, not just mt.

Young children (4-10) Dressed in rags and furs No footprints Harmless Get rid of by leaving some food on a

rock or stump

Ghost Fire 人魂 (Hito-dama) Floating ball of fire Occurs when organic matter

decomposes, giving off phosphorous gases

Roaming spirit of dead person

Doppleganger 生霊(Ikiryou) Spirits of living people Looks just like person they originated

from Visible or invisible Intense negative emotions (envy,

jealousy, hate, anger, etc.) Living person rarely aware Haunt house of target

Specter 死霊 (Shiryou)

Grotesque Show signs of death Extremely violent deaths Not social or interested in talking Haunt area, not person

Laboring Maiden 産女(Ubu-me) Woman holding baby in arms

wearing red skirt, dyed red from recently giving birth

When woman dies during childbirth Appears near rivers and bridges on

rainy nights Ask stranger to hold baby; if strong

enough to hold baby for awhile, freed from ghost condition

Snow Woman 雪女 (Yuki-Onna) Beautiful young lady Pale skin White kimono Travel around snowy countryside Freezes people during cold winter

nights

General Ghost 幽霊(Yuurei) Wandering ghost Female Is the norm Beautiful young woman w/ long

flowing hair No legs & lame hands White kimono Hitakakushi (triangular piece of paper)

Put on forehead to allow reikon to reunite w/ ancestors

Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795), The Ghost of Oyuki, Eighteenth Century

Tribute to one of deceased lovers

Scroll painting Based on dream after

woman’s death Reflection of love and

adoration Beauty of woman in memory

and haunting spirit in death

• Long straight hair• Erect body• Beckoning hands• Pale clothing• Fragile figure• Fading form

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), The Nightly Weeping Rock

• Local folktale• Stone marked

along Tokaido roadway

• Ghost of mother (murdered on road) returns her saved child to husband

Husband face marked by

compassion for murdered wife & the gift of returning their child

Leans away from the ghost due to fear and loathing of the specter

Ghost: Sadness for her

murder, happiness for the rescue of child

Emotional expressions & attitudes are manifestations of their suffering

Contrasting colors Blue sash of

father Orange robe of

baby Contrasting light

Moon & flame of ghost

Darkness of night

Tension & movement

Duality

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, The Ghost of Oiwa

• The Ghost Story of Yotsuya

• Avenge death• Fire = anger

and desire for revenge

• Balding head, disfigured face as result of poison

Continuity Long black hair Floating body

Change More gruesome

and vengeful Hunched

position Explanations

Violence, social upheaval

Empowerment of women

Kawanabe Kyosai (1830 - 1889) Known for paintings of ghosts, demons,

and supernatural Different versions of the Night

Procession of the Hundred Deomns Aspects of Buddhist hell Ghost scrolls, influential in kabuki

costume

Buddhist Scrolls

12th-14th century scrolls painted by Buddhist monks

Depictions of gruesome scenes of Hell Show Buddhist followers what would

happen to them if they committed sins in their earthly lives.  

What we have seen up until now is mostly yūrei associated more with Japanese folktales, which in Japanese as 民話 (Minwa), abbreviated form of 民間説話 (Minkan Setsuwa).  民話(Minwa) can be divided into subcategories: 昔話(Mukashibanashi), 伝説 (Densetsu). 

Subcategories of 民話(Minwa) 昔話 (Mukashibanashi)

tales passed down orally time and place of the story is ambiguous

伝説 (Densetsu): Legend passed down with belief time and place of the story is concrete

TODAY

Use these two phrases interchangeably. 

Folktales are continually passed down to later generations

Emergence of fiction and 都市伝説（ Toshi Densetsu ） changed the depiction of “yūrei”.

都市伝説（ Toshi Densetsu）

urban legend, urban tales, urban narratives, modern and contemporary legend.

recent stories that takes place within a society or groups of people that are believed to be true.    Murder story on news Personal accounts of supernatural

encounters Younger generation

Developments in these new forms of ghost stories have more of less changed the appearance of Yūrei.

Dark Water (2002) Koji Suzuki’s short story “Floating

Water” Mitsuko, child ghost, Appearance

Corpse Same clothes she died in Grotesque and disfigured face

No grudge

Ju-On (2003)

Curse of murdered housewife Appearance

White skin Big black eyes Black hair Solid figures

Kairo (2001)

Appearance: Solid Blurred features Dark

Ringu (1998)

Sadako Yamamura Appearance:

Long black hair White dress Visible limbs Solid

Continuity & Change

Continuity Transparent, pale, white Vengeful

Change Movement away from excessively

horrific and gruesome images Kawaii culture Change in Audience Not all bent on revenge

Gakko no Kaidan

Gakko no Kaidan - Hanako

Gakko no Kaidan – Datto

Gakko no Kaidan - Akane

Ghost Hound

Ghost Hound

Ghost Only

I Can’t Sleep Alone

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo (Oda Suzuka)

Kaidan Restaurant

The Soul Taker

In conclusion