Have you ever wonder if restless ghosts really come back to Earth when they’re already dead? In Japan, ghosts are called Yurei. When a person dies, there are series of rites and funeral rituals to be performed in order to send the deceased to a peaceful place. Japanese folklore have a vast collection of stories that narrate about ghosts who died an unnatural death (suicide, murder, natural disaster) are the ones who come out as tormentor and vengeful.
These are the popular types of Yurei from the Japanese Folklore:
1. Onryo - Onryo is classified as a vengeful ghost who comes back to the physical world to seek revenge for those who had abused and wronged them. They are normally women who is capable of tormenting their former lovers in all aspects and sometimes drive the living to end his life as well. But what’s weird is that they lash out her anger to other people like the family member of her lover but not the lover itself.
2. Ubume - This is a ghost of a mother who failed to make it alive while giving birth. They come back to the physical world to watch and ensure the safety of their child. There are a number of legends as to how the ghost of a mother appears in the wild. For instance, an Ubume asks a stranger to hold out her child for awhile and disappears immediately when the stranger take the infant. The baby would suddenly feel heavy to hold as it turns out to be a boulder rock image of a Jizo and not a child at all.
3. Goryo - Goryo came from aristocratic families and died as a martyr. It is a type of vengeful ghost similar to Onryo that seeks to make its soundful revenge to those who had wronged them by destroying properties, sending typhoons and earthquakes.
4. Zashiki-Warashi - It is a child ghost who wander tirelessly in an old large house. As a child, they do nasty pranks and hideous acts to get the attention of the living. Like the normal kids, they don’t like to be ignored or else, they’ll keep performing their pranks. However, having a Zashiki-Warashi in your house is considered a lucky sign and can bring great fortunes to the family.
5. Funayurei - Translated as “ship ghosts,” these are the spirits of those who died at the sea. Funayurei is said to have abilities to make a ship disappear by tricking the captain to run off their original course. For smaller boats, Funayurei uses a ladle to fill the boat with water until it starts to sink.
It’s scary to hear about Japanese ghost stories most especially experience them in an unexpected scenarios. That’s why it’s important to pay respects and be careful when you’re in Japan so as to not disturb the unseen ghosts.
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