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In Japanese traditional beliefs and literature,onryō (怨霊,lit. 'vengeful spirit', sometimes rendered "wrathful spirits", "hatred spirits", "resentful spirits", "ruthless spirits", "envious spirits", "dark spirits", "fallen spirits", or "downcast spirits")[1] are a type of 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 exactvengeance to "redress" the wrongs it received while alive, then taking their spirits from their dying bodies.Onryō 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, cruel, deranged, egotistical, bloodthirsty, and heartless.[2]
Emperor Sutoku,Taira no Masakado, andSugawara no Michizane are called the Three Great Onryō of Japan (日本三大怨霊,Nihon Sandai Onryō) because they are considered to be the most powerful and reveredonryō 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 askami and deified them inShinto shrines to appease the resentment and anger that had turned them intoonryō.[3][4]
Onryō are used as subjects in various traditional Japanese performing arts such asNoh,Kabuki, andRakugo; for example,hannya is a Noh mask representing a femaleonryō.[5]
The reverence foronryō has been passed down to the present day. The head mound of Taira no Masakado (将門塚,Masakado-zuka or Shōmon-zuka), located between skyscrapers nearTokyo Station, was to be moved several times as part of urban redevelopment projects, but each move resulted in the death of a construction worker and a series of accidents. Although the buildings surrounding the Taira no Masakado mound have been rebuilt many times, the mound has remained intact between the high-rise buildings. Even today, the mound is carefully maintained.[6]
The termgoryō (御霊) is often used as a synonym foronryō, but the termgoryō is more commonly used to refer to theonryō that have become the object of the people's reverence after a noble person has died a politically unjust death.Goryō Shinko (御霊信仰) refers to the belief that theonryō of people who have died unfortunate deaths cause hauntings and disasters, and the belief that they are enshrined askami to appease them.[7][8][9]
While the origin ofonryō 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 earliestonryō cult that developed was aroundPrince Nagaya who died in 729;[1] and the first record of possession by theonryō spirit affecting health is found in the chronicleShoku Nihongi (797), which states that "Fujiwara Hirotsugu (藤原広嗣)'s soul harmedGenbō 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).[10][11]
According to the belief ofIkiryō, a person's soul or spirit exists naturally when it is stable or in balance. When too much hatred or resentment brews, it can become separated from the body, resulting in the spirit becoming anonryō. This can also occur in individuals who died an untimely death.[12]
Traditionally in Japan,onryō driven byvengeance 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 priestGenbō,[13] but also causing natural disasters such asearthquakes,fires,storms,drought,famine andpestilence,[1] as in the case ofPrince Sawara's spirit embittered against his brother, theEmperor Kanmu.[14] In common parlance, such vengeance exacted by supernatural beings or forces is termedtatari (祟り).[1]
TheEmperor 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 the capital toNagaoka-kyō thence toKyoto was an attempt to avoid the wrath of his brother's spirit, according to a number of scholars.[14] This not succeeding entirely, 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.[14]
A well-known example of appeasement of theonryō spirit is the case ofSugawara 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.[1] Michizane became deified in the cult of theTenjin, withTenman-gū shrines erected around him.
Possibly the most famousonryō is Oiwa, from theYotsuya Kaidan. In this story, the husband remains unharmed; however, he is the target of theonryō's vengeance. Oiwa's vengeance on him is not physical retribution, but rather psychological torment.
Other examples include:
Theonryō is a staple of theJ-Horror genre, most notable beingSadako Yamamura andKayako Saeki from theRing andJu-On franchises, respectively. The characters in these works are usually women who were wronged in life and returned asonryō to wreak havoc on the living and obtain revenge.[18]
InThe Ring,Sadako Yamamura is the main antagonist. Her origin is from theRing novel series byKoji 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 anonryō.
The aforementionedYotsuya Kaidan 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. Their relationship is not a happy one, and through some set of circumstances, Iemon gives Oiwa a powder that permanently 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 anonryō.[19]
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 whose house she works at, Aoyama Tessan. She continually 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 obsessively, 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, every night Okiku rises from the well, softly counting to 9, and then letting out a horrendous shriek once she reaches 10. She has become anonryō.[20]
Hisako (久子; "Eternal Child" or "Everlasting Child"), from the third entry of the fighting gameKiller Instinct, is anonryō who died while defending her village. She still haunts her old village and will take vengeance on anyone who desecrates its ruins with hernaginata. She has pale white skin and long black hair like mostonryō.[21]
In 2018, the asymmetrical horror gameDead by Daylight released theShattered Bloodline chapter DLC, and with it came Rin Yamaoka, The Spirit. The Spirit is anonryō who returns from the dead after being brutally murdered by her father.[22] In March 2022, Sadako Yamamura was added as a playable character.[23]
The termonryō is also present in the gamePhasmophobia. It is one of 24 ghost types that the player can identify, and is noted for treating lit candles like a crucifix.
Yoshie Kimura, the main antagonist fromDeath Forest, is anonryō. She died when exploring the forest with her classmate, from being beaten to death by an unknown person.
Mizu, the protagonist of the 2023Netflix seriesBlue Eye Samurai shares many similarities with, and is often compared diegetically to, anonryō.
InJujutsu Kaisen, the Gojo clan is said to have descended from theonryōSugawara no Michizane.
The characterHanzo from theOverwatch franchise received a skin simply titled "onryō".[24][25][26]
The protagonist of the PlayStation 5 game,Ghost of Yōtei, employs the image and mythology ofonryō for her campaign of revenge.[27]
Traditionally,[citation needed]onryō and otheryūrei (ghosts) had no particular appearance. However, with the rising of popularity ofkabuki during theEdo period, a specificcostume was developed.
Highly visual in nature, and with a single actor often assuming various roles within a play, kabuki developed a system of visual shorthand that allowed the audience to instantly recognize 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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