3 ghost stories that shaped modern Japanese horror

Japanese horror has a long and fascinating history, stretching back tens of thousands of years to pre-civilization animistic beliefs that eventually crept into native Shinto mythology, such as Oni (demon, devil, ogre). Furthermore, before becoming an art genre, Japanese horror was so popular that it was, at times, horrifying. Literal peeling A true story from Japanese history. We haven’t even mentioned the traditions of the Edo period (1603-1867) 100 paranormal stories It is an indoor game in which participants sit on about 100 lanterns or candles and extinguish them one by one after telling a scary story. The point is, Japanese horror is complicated. You can’t just point to one thing and say, “This is where a lot of modern stuff comes from.” You need at least three things, like:

peony lantern

17th century peony dora Obon begins on the first night of Obon, a day when the souls of the dead are said to return to earth. It tells the story of Ogihara Shinnojo, who sees a beautiful woman being escorted through the streets by a servant holding a lantern with a peony pattern. He decided to strike up a conversation with her because Nampa It’s always been a problem in Japan Much longer than we thought.

The woman introduced herself as Otsuyu and accepted the man’s invitation to his home, where they eventually had sex. She left before sunrise but promised to return. Ogiwara’s tryst with Otsu lasted for weeks until he began to neglect his friends, work, and all other obligations.

One day, a worried neighbor peeked into the house and discovered Ogiwara being embraced by a talking, moving skeleton. The next morning, he warns Ogiwara that his Bone Companion is indeed a Bone Companion, urging him to talk to a local monk, who shows Ogiwara Mr. Otsu’s grave, complete with a weathered peony lantern. The monk gave Ogiwara an amulet to protect him, and after that, Otsu’s visits stopped altogether.

However, as time passed, Ogiwara began to miss Otsu. To cope with the fact that he might be a necrophiliac, he began drinking heavily, and one night he found himself near her grave. There he found Otsuyu, beautiful as ever, waiting for him. She held his hand, and that was the last time anyone saw Ogiwara. A few days later, the monk opened Otsu’s tomb and found the dead Ogihara holding her skeleton.

an important detail peony dora The fact that Otsu’s grave was left unattended may have allowed her ghost to appear MinbotokOr “Attached Buddha”. These are the ghosts of the Forsaken who fulfilled their most primal desires after death. It’s not something they can control; it’s like an irresistible force, driven by something more powerful than we can imagine, and it often appears in Japanese horror films, where natural or supernatural forces are often unstoppable.

In Western horror films, “evil” can be fought and defeated. In Japanese horror films, At best it can be avoided. We actually see this a lot in movies ringwhere the ghost Sadako cannot be defeated. Her curse can only be passed on to one other person. Ultimately, humanity is not strong enough to defeat the supernatural. that is Peony Dora, As well as most of the Japanese horror films.

Katsushika Hokusai’s “Plate House” (1831)

Bancho Sarayashiki (vegetable farm)

speaking of ring, This is a story that had a huge impact on him. According to the story, there was once a poor girl named Oikku who found a job as a dishwasher at the lord’s mansion in Edo (now Tokyo) or Himeji Castle (now Hyogo Prefecture). The important detail is that this place has high-class stuff, but there is a low-level employee named Aoyama who wants the beautiful Ogiku to be his mistress. She keeps rejecting him until Aoyama resorts to blackmail. He hides one of his master’s most prized dishes and accuses Daju of stealing it. She panicked, frantically counting the ten dishes, but one was always missing.

Qingshan proposed that if Daju became his lover, he would tell the lord that Daju was innocent. But even when faced with the possibility of death for his “crime”, Daju rejects Aoyama. He reacted poorly and beat, tied up, and dunked the girl into the well multiple times. After rejecting the offer of sex again, Aoyama kills Daiju and throws her body into a well. But she soon returns, and her ghost wanders the manor, counting from one to nine before screaming wildly in despair. It is said that those who hear her count to nine will soon die, which basically makes Daiju a kind of Japanese banshee. But technically she is a cool.

Onryo literally means “vengeful ghost” It is one of the oldest evil supernatural forces in Japanese mythology and legend, dating back to around the eighth century. Initially, most were male, but over time, most intersex people Became female. Many theories have attempted to explain this change, from positing a connection between women and the mysterious and powerful natural world to attempts to give women in death a power they lacked in life in Japan’s highly patriarchal society. Today, their appearance in the public consciousness is greatly influenced by Kabuki theater. She often wears white clothes and has long, unkempt hair that covers her face. What is the connection between this and Daju being killed in the well? Geng Yashiki Banchang and ring It couldn’t be clearer.

Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Soul of the Oiwa” (1831)

Yotsuya Kaidan (Yitani Kaidan)

Possibly the most famous Japanese ghost story of all time, Yotsuya Ghost Story It tells the story of the beautiful Oiwa who marries a ronin named Iemon – the creator of Aoyama. Geng Yashiki Banchang Seems qualified to be pope. Not only was Iemon an inconsiderate bastard, deadbeat, and gambler, but he also murdered Oiwa’s father when she was about to leave her husband. Eamonn won her back by blaming the death on a passing robber and vowing to avenge his father’s death. The search didn’t take up much of his time.

Iemon eventually befriends a wealthy doctor and a beautiful granddaughter, who falls in love with him immediately, because apparently, being a ronin was like owning a motorcycle during the Edo period. The doctor promised Iemon that as long as he got rid of Oiwa, he could live a wealthy and comfortable life, so because she was unwell, he prepared poison disguised as medicine for her. Because I just gave birth to a baby recently. Over time, the poison left Oiwa horribly disfigured and she was in so much pain that she died by accidentally cutting her own throat while cursing Iemon. (We skipped some of the details, but she became aware of Aemon’s betrayal shortly before her death.) Her ex-husband then killed the servant who brought him news of her death because he was The worst.

Then the ghosts started. Iemon begins seeing Oiwa’s disfigured face everywhere, and before he realizes it’s a hallucination, he kills his new wife and father-in-law, believing them to be the ghosts of his wife and servants. Oiwa appears in everyday objects such as lanterns and pursues Iemon until he goes crazy.

a common description cool Oiwa’s eyes drooped, one upward and one downward. this may be reference Tiandiyan (“Eye of Heaven and Earth”) often appears on Buddhist statues and symbolizes anger. We see similar disfigured eyes in Sadako ring, as Yotsuya Ghost Stories It was also a big inspiration for Supernatural characters. Meanwhile, Oiwa’s appearance in everyday objects may have partly inspired the idea behind house (1977), One of the greatest Japanese horror movies of all time.

But even so, the story’s legacy of horror isn’t over yet. Yotsuya Ghost Stories is a story about a family torn apart by infidelity, which also appears in Pearl temperature (resentment) series and many other horror films, in which disturbing traditions lead to unsettling attacks from malevolent supernatural forces. Of course, Japanese horror is more diverse than “powerful nature,” “vengeful ghosts,” or “preserving traditions,” but these themes definitely form the basis of Japanese horror, and they all stem from the stories of the three O-Girls.

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