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Goryō
In a broad sense, is an honorific for a spirit, especially one that causes hauntings, and the term is used as a synonym for . In a narrower sense, it refers to a person who was a noble or accomplished person in his or her lifetime, but who lost a political power struggle or died prematurely from an epidemic or other disease, becoming an that brings pestilence or famine and is later enshrined as a in Shinto shrines. For example, the " Sandai Jitsuroku" (a historical Japanese document) mentions that six Shinto shrines were dedicated to the worship of , which were the spirits of those who died from non-natural causes. Later on, two more shrines were added, bringing the total to eight. refers to the belief that the of people who have died unfortunate deaths cause hauntings and disasters, and the belief that they are enshrined as to appease them. Description The name consists of two kanji, 御 (go) meaning honorable and 霊 (ryō) meaning soul or spirit. The belief that the spi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Onryō
In Japanese traditional beliefs and literature, are a type of ghost () believed to be capable of causing harm in the world of the living, injuring or killing enemies, or even causing natural disasters to exact Revenge, vengeance to "redress" the wrongs it received while alive, then taking their spirits from their dying bodies. are often depicted as wronged women, who are traumatized, envious, disappointed, bitter, or just infuriated by what happened during life and exact revenge in death. These kinds of ghosts appear extremely vengeful, ruthless, heartless, brutal, cruel, deranged, egotistical, selfish, bloodthirsty, and cold-hearted. Emperor Sutoku, Taira no Masakado, and Sugawara no Michizane are called the because they are considered to be the most powerful and revered in Japanese history. After they died with resentment and anger, there was a series of deaths of political opponents, natural disasters, and wars, and the rulers enshrined them as and deified them in Sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yūrei
are figures in Japanese folklore analogous to the Western concept of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, (''yū''), meaning "faint" or "dim" and (''rei''), meaning "soul" or "spirit". Alternative names include , meaning ruined or departed spirit, , meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing or . Like their Western counterparts, they are thought to be soul, spirits barred from a peaceful afterlife. Japanese afterlife According to traditional Japanese beliefs, all humans have a Spirit (animating force), spirit or soul called a . When a person dies, the ''reikon'' leaves the body and enters a form of purgatory, where it waits for the proper funeral and post-funeral rites to be performed so that it may join its ancestor worship, ancestors. If this is done correctly, the ''reikon'' is believed to be a protector of the living family and to return yearly in August during the Obon, Obon Festival to receive thanks. However, if the person dies in a sudden or violent manner such ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Onryō
In Japanese traditional beliefs and literature, are a type of ghost () believed to be capable of causing harm in the world of the living, injuring or killing enemies, or even causing natural disasters to exact Revenge, vengeance to "redress" the wrongs it received while alive, then taking their spirits from their dying bodies. are often depicted as wronged women, who are traumatized, envious, disappointed, bitter, or just infuriated by what happened during life and exact revenge in death. These kinds of ghosts appear extremely vengeful, ruthless, heartless, brutal, cruel, deranged, egotistical, selfish, bloodthirsty, and cold-hearted. Emperor Sutoku, Taira no Masakado, and Sugawara no Michizane are called the because they are considered to be the most powerful and revered in Japanese history. After they died with resentment and anger, there was a series of deaths of political opponents, natural disasters, and wars, and the rulers enshrined them as and deified them in Sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Folk Religion
, also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoists'', although adherents rarely use that term themselves. With no central authority in control of Shinto, there is much diversity of belief and practice evident among practitioners. A polytheistic and animistic religion, Shinto revolves around supernatural entities called the (神). The are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations. The are worshipped at household shrines, family shrines, and ''jinja'' public shrines. The latter are staffed by priests, known as , who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific enshrined at that location. This is done to cultivate harmony between humans and and to solicit the latter's blessing. Other common ri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kami
are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, beings and the qualities that these beings express, and/or the spirits of venerated dead people. Many ''kami'' are considered the ancient ancestors of entire Japanese clans, clans (some ancestors became ''kami'' upon their death if they were able to embody the values and virtues of ''kami'' in life). Traditionally, great leaders like the Emperor of Japan, Emperor could be or became ''kami''. In Shinto, ''kami'' are not separate from nature, but are of nature, possessing positive and negative, and good and evil characteristics. They are manifestations of , the interconnecting energy of the universe, and are considered exemplary of what humanity should strive towards. ''Kami'' are believed to be "hidden" from this world, and in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sugawara No Michizane
, or , was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian period of Japan. He is regarded as an excellent poet, particularly in '' waka'' and '' kanshi'' poetry, and is today revered in Shinto as the god of learning, . In the famed poem anthology ''Hyakunin Isshu'', he is known as , and in kabuki drama he is known as . Along with Taira no Masakado and Emperor Sutoku, he is often called one of the “Three Great Onryō of Japan.”. Biography He was born into a family of scholars, who bore the hereditary title of which predated the Ritsuryō system and its ranking of members of the court. His grandfather, Sugawara no Kiyotomo, served the court, teaching history in the national school for future civil bureaucrats and even attained the third rank. His father, Sugawara no Koreyoshi, began a private school in his mansion and taught students who prepared for the entrance examination to the national school or who had ambitions to be officers of the court, including his own son Michizane. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daijō-daijin
The was the head of the during and after the Nara period and briefly under the Meiji Constitution. It was equivalent to the Chinese , or Grand Preceptor. History Emperor Tenji's favorite son, Prince Ōtomo, was the first to have been accorded the title of ''Daijō-daijin'' during the reign of his father. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''Daijō-Daijin'' in the context of a central administrative body composed of the three ministers: the ''Daijō-daijin'' (Chancellor), the , and the . These positions were consolidated under the Code of Taihō in 702. At a time when the Emperor and the nobility held real power, the ''Daijō-daijin'' was the highest position in the ''Daijō-kan'', the central organ of the state. However, it was stipulated by law that no one could be appointed to this position if there was no suitable candidate, and the highest permanent position in the ''Daijō-kan'' was that of ''Sadaijin''. In the Nara period (710– ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emperor Sutoku
was the 75th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 崇徳天皇 (75)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Sutoku's reign spanned the years from 1123 through 1142. Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his ''imina'') was Akihito (顕仁). Sutoku was the eldest son of Emperor Toba. Some old texts say he was instead the son of Toba's grandfather, Emperor Shirakawa. *Chūgū: Fujiwara no Kiyoko (藤原 聖子) later Kōkamon'in (皇嘉門院), Fujiwara no Tadamichi's daughter * Hyounosuke-no-Tsubone (兵衛佐局), Minamoto no Masamune's adopted daughter ** First son: Imperial (1140–1162). * Mikawa-dono (三河), Minamoto no Morotsune's daughter ** Fifth Son: Kakue (覚恵; 1151–1184) * Karasuma-no-Tsubone (烏丸局) Events of Sutoku's life * February 25, 1123 ('' Hōan 4, 28th day of the 1st month''): In the 16th year of Emperor Toba's reign (鳥羽天皇二十五年), he abdicated; and the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghosts In Chinese Culture
Chinese folklore features a rich variety of ghosts, monsters, and other supernatural creatures. According to traditional beliefs a ghost is the spirit form of a person who has died. Ghosts are typically malevolent and will cause harm to the living if provoked. Many Chinese folk beliefs about ghosts have been adopted into the mythologies and folklore of neighboring East Asian cultures, notably Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Beliefs about ghosts are closely associated with Chinese ancestor worship, where much have been incorporated into Buddhism and in turn influenced and created uniquely Chinese Buddhist beliefs about the supernatural. Traditionally, the Chinese believed that it was possible to contact the spirits of deceased relatives and ancestors through a medium. It was believed that the spirits of the deceased can help them if they were properly respected and rewarded. The annual Hungry Ghost Festival, celebrated in China (including Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Folklore
Japanese folklore encompasses the informally learned folk traditions of Japan and the Japanese people as expressed in its oral traditions, Tradition, customs, and material culture. In Japanese, the term is used to describe folklore. The Folklore studies, academic study of folklore is known as . Folklorists also employ the term or to refer to the objects and arts they study. Folk religion Men dressed as namahage, wearing ogre-like masks and traditional straw capes (''mino (straw cape), mino'') make rounds of homes, in an annual ritual of the Oga Peninsula area of the Northeast region. These ogre-men masquerade as kami looking to instill fear in the children who are lazily idling around the fire. This is a particularly colorful example of folk practice still kept alive. A parallel custom is the secretive ritual of the Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa which does not allow itself to be photographed. Many, though increasingly fewer households maintain a kamidana or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yin Miao
In Taiwan, Taiwanese Chinese folk religion, folk religion, ''yin Miao shrine, miao'' ( zh, t=陰廟, p=Yīnmiào, l=Yin and yang, dark temple) are Chinese temple architecture, temples dedicated to Ghosts in Chinese culture, wandering and homeless spirits, as opposed to ''yang miao'', which are dedicated to Chinese gods and immortals, deities. According to local beliefs, ghosts without a permanent resting place (as in a grave) wander in the human realm and may cause trouble for the living. Therefore, ''yin miao'' serve as such resting places for these spirits as a form of respect and to maintain peace. Temples dedicated to deities associated with afterlife, like City God (China), Cheng Huang Ye or Dizang, Di Zang Wang, are not considered ''yin miao''. Architecture and location As opposed to ''yang miao'', ''yin miao'' are typically much smaller and less decorated. ''Yin miao'' will often display the words . There are usually no paifang or any menshen at the entrance, and there a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taira No Masakado
was a Heian period provincial magnate (''gōzoku'') and samurai based in eastern Japan, notable for leading the first recorded uprising against the central government in Kyōto. Along with Sugawara no Michizane and Emperor Sutoku, he is often called one of the “.”. Early life Masakado was one of the sons of Taira no Yoshimasa (平良将), also known as Taira no Yoshimochi (平良持), of the Kanmu Taira clan (''Kanmu Heishi''), descendants of Emperor Kanmu (reigned 781–806) who were demoted from princely to commoner status and granted the Taira surname. Yoshimochi was one of the sons of Prince Takamochi, a grandson or great-grandson of Kanmu who was appointed the vice-governor of Kazusa Province (modern central Chiba Prefecture) in 889 ( Kanpyō 1). Takamochi's sons who joined him there occupied a variety of provincial offices in the eastern part of the country such as that of '' chinjufu shōgun'', the commander-in-chief of the defense garrison (''chinjufu'') i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
