Japanese ghost stories, also known as yūrei tales, are acknowledged around the world for their compelling depiction of supernatural beings. The most famous being Oiwa, from Nanboku Tsuruya’s 1825 play, The Ghost Stories at Yotsuya on the Tokaido. Though viewed by Western culture as great means for entertainment, this story is not meant to bring pleasure. Instead, yūrei folklore deeply reflects Japanese culture, and ghosts are viewed by the Japanese as history rather than fiction. Within these beliefs, one can learn that yūeri are not typical ghosts, but rather a lost soul who needs to gain vengeance before turning to the afterlife. Within this unessay, I will be explaining the context behind yūeri, and exploring the content within Tsuruya’s “The Dream” from The Ghost Stories at Yotsuya on the Tokaido that symbolizes the path a yūeri must take to truly find peace. Alongside this, I am including a painting of what Oiwa truly looks like, according to the historical beliefs of the spirit’s appearance.
The exact translation of yūeri is “faint spirit/ghost,” but they do not exist for the entertainment purposes people enjoy them for. There are many types of yūeri in Japanese culture, but due to the context of the play, I’ll only be analyzing onryō yūeris. Onryō are spirits who died while experiencing feelings of jealousy and/or hatred. Oiwa is the most popular and respected onryō whose story has been told and retold for generations. According to the Japanese Yurei Project, “There is a legend, that a curse accompanies her story, and that those who retell it suffer injuries and even death. To this day, producers, actors, and their crews continue to visit the grave of Oiwa in Tōkyō before productions or adaptations of Yotsuya Kaidan, praying for Oiwa’s soul and asking for her blessing to retell her story.” These spirits are not viewed lightly, and one must take precautions before telling the tale of an onryō.
Onryō are considered the most powerful supernatural entities in all of Japan. They carry the ability to kill someone instantly, but would rather subject their victim to a life of torment. They, as all yūeris, are said to be a “lost soul” who must complete their life before entering the true afterlife. Onryō spirits must fully take vengeance in order to complete their life. It’s said that these spirits often haunt a specific person; either their murderer or their loved ones. In “The Dream” from The Ghost Stories at Yotsuya on the Tokaido, following Oiwa’s death, she greets Iemon disguised as another woman. As Iemon continues to speak ill of his dead wife, Oiwa drops the disguise, and uses her full onryō wrath against him.
Onryō are always women; and always have dark veins, pale skin, and a thin figure. They’re dressed in white, blood-stained clothing, and always have long, dark hair to hide their appearance. Though not always, onryō also often have deformed faces; either having missing features (such as the nose and eyes) or broken bone structure. One can assume that Oiwa’s face was terribly disfigured when Chōbei sees her and screams, “My God! What’s this? This girl has a monster’s face! I’m out of here.” (Tsuruya, p. 153.)
That is why I chose to paint Oiwa in this way; pale and distorted. I wanted to give her a slim face with a soulless expression to make her look more ghost-like. It’s also believed that yūeris appear so faintly it looks as though they have no feet, and limp wrists, so I wanted to include that in the artwork. I chose to dress her in similar clothing that’s featured on page 152 of Ghost Stories, but instead of adding its detailing I made it fully white with blood stains to represent the appearance yūeris have.
After immersing myself into so many Japanese ghost stories during this semester, it felt inappropriate to not learn more about its cultural context. So many people in Western culture celebrate Japanese media, including anime, movies, and its ghost stories– but how are we to really appreciate it without understanding its roots? Though I always viewed Oiwa as a strong female character, I had no idea of the true powers she holds, and the respect she truly deserves.
Sprockets and Springes 