User:Pavloant000/Onryō

Intro Section

In Japanese traditional beliefs and literature, onryō (怨霊, literally "vengeful spirit", sometimes rendered "wrathful spirit") refers to a ghost (yūrei) believed to be capable of causing harm in the world of the living, injuring or killing enemies, or even causing natural disasters to exact vengeance to "redress" the wrongs it received while alive, then taking their spirits from their dying bodies. Onryō ghosts are often wronged women, who are traumatized by what happened during life and exact revenge in death.

The term overlaps somewhat with goryō (御霊), except that in the cult of the goryō, the acting ghost is not always necessarily a wrathful spirit.

Origin Section

While the origin of onryō is unclear, belief in their existence can be traced back to the 8th century and was based on the idea that powerful and enraged souls of the dead could influence, harm, and kill the living. The earliest onryō cult that developed was around Prince Nagaya who died in 729; and the first record of possession by the onryō spirit affecting health is found in the chronicle Shoku Nihongi (797), which states that "Fujiwara Hirotsugu (藤原広嗣)'s soul harmed Genbō to death" (Hirotsugu having died in a failed insurrection, named the "Fujiwara no Hirotsugu Rebellion", after failing to remove his rival, the priest Genbō, from power). Emperor Antoku (December 22, 1178 – April 25, 1185) and Emperor Daigo (February 6, 885 – October 23, 930) in Japanese history were believed to have been onryōs.

Vengence Section

Traditionally in Japan, onryō driven by vengeance were thought capable of causing not only their enemy's death, as in the case of Hirotsugu's vengeful spirit held responsible for killing the priest Genbō, but also of causing natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, storms, drought, famine and pestilence, as in the case of Prince Sawara's spirit embittered against his brother, the Emperor Kanmu. In common parlance, such vengeance exacted by supernatural beings or forces is termed tatari (祟り).

The Emperor Kanmu had accused his brother Sawara, possibly falsely, of plotting to remove him from the throne. Sawara was then exiled, and died by fasting. According to a number of scholars, the reason that the Emperor moved his capital to Nagaoka-kyō thence to Kyoto was in attempt to avoid the wrath of his brother's spirit after he died. When this did not succeed, the emperor tried to lift the curse by appeasing his brother's ghost by performing Buddhist rites to pay respect, and granting Prince Sawara the posthumous title of emperor.

A well-known example of appeasement of the onryō spirit is the case of Sugawara no Michizane, who had been politically disgraced and died in exile. It was believed to cause the death of his calumniators in quick succession, as well as catastrophes (especially lightning damage), and the court tried to appease the wrathful spirit by restoring Michizane's old rank and position. Michizane became deified in the cult of the Tenjin, with Tenman-gū shrines erected around him.

Media

Yotsuya Kaiden has been made into numerous movies and retold many times over the course of Japanese history. The story revolves around Tamiya Iemon and his wife Oiwa. They're relationship is not a happy one, and through some set of circumstances Iemon gives Oiwa a powder that permantenly disfigures her face. Upon realizing this Oiwa takes her own life and that of her baby. After her death she comes back to haunt Iemon and his new wife, becoming an onryō.

Banchō Sarayashiki is another Japanese ghost story that has been retold many ways. In this story Okiku, a beautiful maid, is the target of desire for the samurai who's house she works at, Aoyama Tessan. She continuenly refuses his advances, and in a fit of rage Tessan hides one of 10 expensive plates that Okiku is in charge of counting. When Okiku cannot find the 10th plate she recounts them obsessivly, panicking more each time. Tessan tells her he will forgive her losing the plate if she becomes his mistress, but even then she refuses him. At her refusal Tessan throws her into a well on the property, where she dies. After this everynight Okiku rises from the well, softly counting to 9, and then letting out a horrendous shriek once she reaches 10. She has become an onryō.

The term onryō is also present in the game Phasmophobia. It is one of 20 ghost types that the player can identify, and is noted for treating lit candles like a crucifix.

The movie The Ring has a main antognist who is an onryō, Sadako Yamamura. Her origin is from the Ring novel series by Koji Suzuki, where she haunts and kills people through tapes on a TV. Before her death she is raped by a doctor with smallpox, who seals her in a well where she dies. Before Sadako dies she promises to take revenge on the world, and becomes an onryō.