yūrei ( 幽霊 , ゆうれい )
DESCRIPTION
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) - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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