Yurei



Yurei (幽 霊) are Japanese ghosts. Like their Western counterparts, they are thought to be spirits removed from a peaceful life after death due to something that happened to them in life, lack of a proper funeral ceremony, or committing suicide. They usually appear between two in the morning and dawn, to frighten and torment those who offended them in life, but without causing physical harm.

Etimology
The term consists of two kanji. The first kanji corresponds to yuu (幽) which represents the concept of "dark" or "secluded", while the second kanji rei (霊) can be interpreted as "soul" or "spirit". Some alternative names that are given to the yuurei can be: Bourei (亡 霊) which means spirit that has departed and Shiryou (死 霊) which can be translated as dead spirit.

Features
In the late 17th century, a game called Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai became popular, and the rise of the kaidan genre became important in theaters, literary works, and other arts. At that time, the Yuurei began to gain attributes to distinguish themselves from human beings, making it much easier to distinguish Yuurei characters.

Ukiyo-e artist Maruyama Oukyo created the first known example of the traditional appearance of a yuurei, in his painting The Ghost of Oyuki.

Today, the appearance of the Yuurei is somewhat uniformed, instantly pointing out the ghostly nature of the figure and ensuring that it is culturally authentic. They are generally ghosts of the female sex.

White clothing: Yuurei are usually dressed in white ceremonial kimonos worn in the Edo period in funeral rituals. In Shintoism, white is a characteristic color of ritual purity, traditionally reserved for priests and the dead. This kimono can be a katabira (a flat white unlined kimono) or a kyokatabira (a white katabira that has Buddhist sutras on it). Sometimes they have a hitaikakushi (額 隠) literally "covered forehead", which is a small accessory in the shape of a white triangle tied around the head.

Black hair: Yuurei hair is usually long, black and flowing, which some believe was a characteristic mark left by the Kabuki theater, where all the actors used to wear wigs. This is a possible misunderstanding: Japanese women traditionally grew their hair long and wore it tied, leaving it loose only at funerals and burials.

Hands and feet: The hands of a yuurei hang lifelessly from the wrists, which are held closely with the elbows very close to the body. They typically lack legs and feet, floating in midair. These characteristics originate from the ukiyo-e prints of the Edo period, and were quickly copied in kabuki theater. In kabuki, this lack of legs and feet was represented by wearing a very long kimono or even suspending the actor in the air with a series of ropes and pulleys.

Hitodama: The yuurei are frequently represented being accompanied by a pair of floating flames or hitodama in mysterious colors such as blue, green or purple. These ghostly flames are separate parts of the ghost rather than independent spirits.

Life after death in Japan
According to traditional Japanese beliefs, all humans have a spirit or soul called reikon (霊 魂). When a person dies, his reikon leaves the body and enters a kind of purgatory, where he waits for the proper funeral and post-funeral rites to be performed, so that he can join his ancestors. If done correctly, the reikon is believed to be a protector of living relatives and will return year after year in August during the Obon festival to receive thanks.

However, if the person dies suddenly or in a violent way such as murder or suicide, if the appropriate rites are not carried out or if the influence of very powerful emotions such as the desire for revenge, love, jealousy, hatred or pity, it is believed that the reikon transforms into a yuurei, which can use the bridge back to the physical world.

The yuurei then exist on earth until they can rest in peace, either by performing the missing rituals or by resolving the emotional conflict that keeps them tied to the physical plane. If the rituals are not completed or the conflicts are not resolved, the yuurei will persist in their bewitchment.