ARTH 215 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Sugawara No Michizane, Lafcadio Hearn, Kitano Tenmangū
16 Aug 2016
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EAST 215
Week 4—Jan 27
Japanese Ghosts and Yokai
-Yurei: ghosts, human spirits kept from a peaceful afterlife
-Yokai: variously translated as monster, spirit, goblin, ghost, demon…or as any unexplainable
experience or numinous occurrence
-Any unexplainable experience or understanding is connected to Yokai—creation of
something beyond human understanding
-Continuously shifting definition between a Yokai and a ghost
“The story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi” Reading = Yokai experience
Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904)
-Married a Japanese woman and received a Japanese name: Koizumi Yakumo
-One of the first authors to share Japanese culture and history with the western world —
shared many horror stories, folk tales and traditions through books
-in 1903, published Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things — a ghost story book
The Story of Mimi-Nashi Hoichi
-Lafcadio Hern added many additions to make the story scarier
-Akama Shrine — enshrined Hoichi (the main character from the story) where people can go
and pray for him
Shifting Images of Ghosts
-Compared to Yokai, the images of ghosts are much more clear
-Emperor Kammu relocated the capital from Nagaoka-kyo to Heian-kyo (Kyoto) in 794
-Emperor Kammu’s constant fear of demons caused by frequent disasters and deaths around
him
-Belief in ghosts suddenly spread in and around the imperial court during the Heian Period
(784-1185)
-In the early stage of the concept of ghosts: the departed spirits with a grudge or died
unnaturally like those deposed or defeated in wars — retired emperor, nobleman, scholar…
(those only able to become ghosts)
Shinto Shrine: Kitano Tenmangu Shrine — built to conceal and sooth the anger of Sugawara
Michizane
-More recently, ordinary people are able to become ghosts as long as they die with a grudge
-White costume is put on when one dies — ghost appears with the costume they wore when
they died. That is why their hair is long and untied, as they glued their hair onto their head
when they died
-Everything in life has a dark side, and a light side
-To be extroverted, must show the open-side of the hands (more difficult to be introverted)
-Just because ghosts are in the dark side, they can only show the back-side of the hands —
the sign that they are not in this life (a sign that they are IN the afterlife)
-Must conceal their open-hands
Example: Sumo wrestling
-Cannot punch (shows the backside of the hand)
-Originally sumo wrestling is a religious act—must only show the open side of the had to show
their palms and convey that they are in THIS life, rather than the afterlife
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Yurei: ghosts, human spirits kept from a peaceful afterlife. Yokai: variously translated as monster, spirit, goblin, ghost, demon or as any unexplainable experience or numinous occurrence. Any unexplainable experience or understanding is connected to yokai creation of something beyond human understanding. Continuously shifting de nition between a yokai and a ghost. The story of mimi-nashi-hoichi reading = yokai experience. Married a japanese woman and received a japanese name: koizumi yakumo. One of the rst authors to share japanese culture and history with the western world shared many horror stories, folk tales and traditions through books. In 1903, published kwaidan: stories and studies of strange things a ghost story book. Lafcadio hern added many additions to make the story scarier. Akama shrine enshrined hoichi (the main character from the story) where people can go and pray for him. Compared to yokai, the images of ghosts are much more clear. Emperor kammu relocated the capital from nagaoka-kyo to heian-kyo (kyoto) in 794.
