Onryō (怨霊) is a Japanese ghost who is able to return to the physical world in order to seek vengeance.
Origin
The traditional Japanese spirit world is layered, with Yomi on one extreme, and the physical world on the other. In-between is a sort of purgatory, an uncertain and ambiguous waiting area where spirits languish before moving on. Ghosts in this in-between state who are influenced by powerful emotions such as spite, love, jealousy, hatred or sorrow can bridge the gap back to the physical plane where they can haunt and wreak havoc on their Earthly tormentors. While male onryo can be found, mainly in kabuki, the majority are women. Powerless in the physical world, they often suffer at the capricious whims of their male lovers. In death they become strong.
Appearance
Traditionally, onryo and other yurei had no particular appearance. However, with the rising of popularity of Kabuki during the Edo period, a specific costume was developed.
Highly visual in nature, and with a single actor often assuming various roles within a play, Kabuki developed several visual shorthands that allowed the audience to instantly clue in as to which character is on stage, as well as emphasize the emotions and expressions of the actor.
A ghost costume consisted of three main elements:
- White burial kimono
- Wild, unkempt long black hair
- White and indigo face make-up called aiguma.
Stories
- How a Man's Wife Became a Vengeful Ghost and How Her Malignity Was Diverted by a Master of Divination - A neglected wife is abandoned and left to die. She is transformed into an onryo, and torments a local village until banished. Her husband remains unharmed.
- Of a Promise Broken - A samurai vows to his dying wife never to remarry. He soon breaks the promise, and his former wife's onryo beheads the new bride.
- Furisode - A heartbroken woman curses her famously beautiful kimono before dying. Soon after, everyone who wears the garment soon dies.
Possibly the most famous onryo is Oiwa, from Yotsuya Kaidan. In this story the husband remains unharmed; however, he is the target of the onryo’s vengeance. Oiwa's vengeance on him isn't physical retribution, but rather psychological torment.
Art/Fiction
- In some Japanese horror movies (most notably Ring and Ju-on) onryo are the driving force in the plot.
- In the videogame series Fatal Frame/Project Zero onryo frequently appear.
- In the first-person shooter F.E.A.R., Alma shares many characteristics with that of onryo.
- Onryo is a professional wrestling gimmick in Japan since the late 1990s. The actual identity of the wrestler portraying the gimmick is unknown, as he has used it since the beginning of his career.
References
- Iwasaka, Michiko and Toelken, Barre. Ghosts and the Japanese: Cultural Experiences in Japanese Death Legends, Utah State University Press, 1994. ISBN 0874211794