Onryō (怨霊) is a mythological spirit from Japanese folklore who is able to return to the physical world in order to seek vengeance.
While male onryō can be found, mainly in kabuki, the majority are women. Powerless in the physical world, they often suffer at the capricious whims of their male lovers. In death they become strong.
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While origin of onryō is uncertain, it can be traced back to the 8th Century and was based on the idea that powerful and enraged souls of the dead could exert influence on the land of the living.
The traditional Japanese spirit world consists of three layers: heaven, the world of living and the world of the dead. Regardless of who the person was before death, all spirits go to Yomi when they died, even the kami (deities). While it is impossible for the dead to come back to the world of the living anymore according to Japanese mythology, powerful dead spirits could influence the living either out of good will or malice. Kojiki (711-2), the oldest Japanese book which narrates Japanese history beginning from its creation mythology, tells that when the goddess Izanami died she was able cast a curse from Yomi on the land of living. In a smiliar sense, onryō refers specifically to human souls transformed by extreme emotions to do such harm. The earliest remaining record of onryō is found in Shoku Nihongi (797): a high ranked courtier Fujiwara no Hirotsugu (died in 740 ja:藤原広嗣), who lost power and was defeated in a failed rebellion against Genbō is mentioned after his death as "Hirotsugu's soul harmed Genbō to death".[1]
Onryō were believed to be driven by their desire for vengeance, as the example of Hirotsugu against Genbō. Appearance of their revenges were however believed vary from their former enemies' misfortune to natural disasters: earthquakes, fires, storms, famine and pestilence.
Shoku Nihongi does not however give clear relations between those disasters and onryō without minor exceptions like courtiers, it records several disasters in the late 8th centuries and rehabilitation of some then deceased royals in punishment and similar high ranked courtiers, as if the latter was response to the former. The form of rehabilitation by the imperial court sometimes culminated to their worship, their elevation to kami and thus dedication of shrines to those then deities, for example, as Prince Sawara and Sugawara no Michizane.
Though they do not always follow the ideal of justified revenge, for example, several tales involve abusive husbands, but these husbands are rarely the target of the onryō's vengeance.
Possibly the most famous onryō is Oiwa, from Yotsuya Kaidan. In this story the husband remains unharmed; however, he is the target of the onryō’s vengeance. Oiwa's vengeance on him isn't physical retribution, but rather psychological torment.
Traditionally, onryō and other yūrei had no particular appearance. However, with the rising of popularity of Kabuki during the Edo period, a specific costume was developed.
Highly visual in nature, and with a single actor often assuming various roles within a play, Kabuki developed several visual shorthands that allowed the audience to instantly clue in as to which character is on stage, as well as emphasize the emotions and expressions of the actor.
A ghost costume consisted of three main elements:
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