Landmark Japanese Horror Titles. Oni (demons) and yurei (ghosts) have played a role in Japanese culture for thousands of years, and stories of new spirits continue to be told today. One of the most popular genres, J-Horror or Japanese Horror, garners worldwide attention. One of Japan’s most famous ghost stories, famed in the filmKwaidan and in the books of Lafcadio Hearn. The most famous ghost here is a young girl known as “Annie.” In 1992, Annie thoroughly scared a Japanese psychic taking a guided tour: The visitor had been unimpressed by the place until she stepped in a particular room. This vibrant, serene city is also home to one of Japan’s most famous ghost stories. Born in Greece, he built up his career in the U.S. as a journalist and then went to Japan with a commission as a newspaper correspondent. The woman that stands on her arms. Years ago in Japan, there was a tradition where people would gather in a room and light 100 candles. He is, however, very famous for writing about Japan—specifically his collections of Japanese folklore and ghost stories. Author Thersa Matsuura retells Japan's Three Great Ghost Stories, the vengeful spirits at the center of these tales, and the artists that portrayed them. Ring (1998) Up until the late 1960s, yurei (ghost) films were released in the summer in Japan to tie in with traditional Buddhist Obon celebrations, or the Festival of Spirits. In our serie about Japanese ghost stories, after Yotsuya Kaidan, we will talk this week about Bancho Sarayashiki, which you probably already know without knowing since this legend inspired the famous film The Ring.It dates back at least to the 18th century since a play of Bunraku adapted it in 1741. Which was your favourite Japanese ghost story from this video? 100 Japanese Ghost Stories and Candles. To learn much more about Japanese Ghosts, check out my book Yurei: The Japanese Ghost Japan is one of the most haunted places on Earth. Kamokawa Taxi Ghost. There are many of these stories, but all share a common thread. Then they would start telling scary tales and ghost stories. Living near Himeji made it was impossible not to learn a kaidan called ‘Banchō Sarayashiki.’ Its English title is ‘Okiku and the Plates,’ and there are many versions of it throughout Japan. Chapters Otsuya: The Peony Lantern; Okiku: The Manor of the Dishes; Oiwa: The Ghost Story of Yotsuya; The ukiyo-e tradition offers a glimpse into popular culture during the Edo Period (1603–1867). Some Famous Japanese Ghost Stories. Even creepy, there are stories that the ghost of Hanako-san responds to you when you knock the bathroom door thrice or ask her if she is there. Hey, people ! Japanese folklore has a whole category of ghosts called funayurei, which just means "ship ghosts." Though the general outline of her story remains the same, the names, locations, and surrounding details vary quite a bit from telling to telling. It's been a long time since I visited them. The red vest. 7. Three famous Japanese ghost stories. More Stories Coming Up ~! This story is not about horror, death or gruesome things. There are some ghosts who are designed in the motif of goods are sold at stores in Taishōgun shopping street and some ghosts who are famous in Japan. The arms that drink wine. Kwaidan, in particular, gives a good sense of the supernatural traditions that pervade the genre in Japan. These stories are whatever I've heard and read. Japanese culture and heritage are rich with spirituality and superstition. A village woman is known for her unnatural strength, and … other attributes. You can learn a lot about a culture by its folklore, and you can learn even more about what it fears by its ghost stories. By Katherine McLaughlin. The ghost of Hanako-san inhabits the third washroom on typically the third floor of the school buildings. 4. In Japan, you should "cleanse" yourself after going to a funeral by throwing salt over your body. The purple mirror. It might appear a bit offbeat if we adhere to Hollywood standards. For example, a ghost which is designed like a loaf of bread in a bakery, at a fish shop, it is designed like a fish, in a drugstore, it is designed like a bandage. Japanese Creation Myth. One of the most famous Japanese legends is about the Bakeneko Prostitutes of Edo (the former name of Tokyo). In Japanese folk belief, Japan as an island is infused with s… lollibotomy yōkai. 5. here are some famous and most commonly heard Japanese ghost stories. Slit-Mouthed Woman. My Story In Japan by Jigoku_Shonen. People also love these ideas. 1. Botan Dōrō (牡丹燈籠, The Peony Lantern) is a Japanese ghost story that is both romantic and horrific; it is one of the most famous kaidan in Japan.The plot involves sex with the dead and the consequences of loving a ghost.. Don't be sleepless at night after you read them!!! Around the time after the Kakitsu Revolt (1441), there lived a man named Odagaki Shumesuke, a chief retainer in a prestigious family in the Hatama country of Aoyama (Modern day Himeji city). 10 great Japanese ghost stories. The Strong Japanese Ghost. "Quanfu" elementary school was one them. At the end of each story, they … Cutting your fingernails in the evening is bad luck, and so is using or referring to the number four (homonym for death) or nine (homonym for suffering). Her story has been retold countless times in folk tales, puppet theater, kabuki, film, and manga. Before I went to Japan, some of my friends would tell me ghost stories about Japan. Kwaidan in Japanese literally means ‘ghost stories’, and is a film based on the book “Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things” by Lafcadio Hearn published in 1904. The creation myth comes from the Kojiki “Record of Ancient Matters,” the first book written in Japan (dating back to 712) and the Nihon Shoki (finished in 720).. There are also Nurarihyon (the ghost who looks like an old man with big head … The tale supposedly dates back to the mid-16th century and has been retold, rewritten and performed on countless occasions. One of the most offbeat stories in this list. To learn much more about Japanese Ghosts, check out my book Yurei: The Japanese Ghost. Do films come any more frightening than these? Find out more about them and send a chill down your spine. Often the client of the prostitute falls asleep only to awaken to see the beautiful woman picking at fish bones or other seafood while she has a cat head or shadow. The scene where Kayako's ghost crawls in a bone-cracking manner down the stairs while emitting a terrifying death rattle has become an iconic image in Japanese horror. Illustration. 10 Famous Japanese Ghost Stories. Much older. I was only 15 and that's when it happened. The oldest building of the school was a 4 stories tall circular building which was a very unusual architecture for its time. Bancho Sarayashiki (番町皿屋敷) is one of the most famous ghost stories in Japanese folklore. Japanese Mythology: 5 Famous Japanese Legends 1. The paranormal roots of Japanese horror can be traced to kaidan, or traditional ghost stories designed to both entertain and send a moral message. Read scary stories that inspired many famous horror movies, anime and manga. Japan has hundreds of ghost stories, known as 怪談 which is pronounced kaidan. Many schools and government buildings in Taiwan back then were old buildings constructed during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan from the 1890's to 1940's. Along with Oiwa and Otsuyu, Okiku’s tale is one of the Nihon san dai kaidan—Japan’s Big Three Ghost Stories. Night Stories of Takemata. Here is the original. Scary Japanese urban legends, myths and ghost stories. Every culture has its own famous tales that with the passing time become a part of that culture. The ghost that haunts Kyoto’s most famous river is actually both terrifying and annoying, specifically to the taxi drivers of the country’s once-capital. Hanako-san is the ghost of a little girl who is believed to possess the girl’s washroom of all the schools in Japan. Translated from Takemata Yawa; 1557. But the story is older than each of these. The Grudge earns a spot in this list for its well-done elements of storytelling and unique ghost story. When the Hanshin Tigers, a Japanese baseball team, won their first win of the championship in 1985, they partied so hard that they ended throwing a statue picturing the … The story begins in a limitless, formless chaos of a dark, silent universe. It is way more light. My first experience was when I went to Japan for a family visit over the summer. They take her to her home and upon parking, notice she has vanished! She was immediately overwhelmed by feelings of cold, hunger, and sickness, and when she tried to stumble away from the room, a small, ghostly hand tried to grab her leg. They are the ghosts of drowned sailors, who, instead of going, "Wow, I would never wish this terrible fate on anyone else," say, "I wish my friends were here. Female ghosts have far more interesting stories than male ghosts: they’re grieving the loss of their children, they’re a wrathful darling, they’re mourning the loss of their energetic excellence, or they’re attempting to resurrect themselves by engaging in sexual relations with a living person. Japan has a rather rich folklore and mythological characters play a very big part in it. 3. The story tends to differ from teller to teller, but the basic story is that someone driving picks up a young, beautiful hitchhiker. If we look at world history, there have lived many different civilizations in all parts of the world and they all had their own ghost stories to tell. Lafcadio Hearn, a.k.a Yakumo Koizumi, is known for introducing Japanese ghost stories to the world for the first time at the end of the 19th century. Some became history with the passing years while others are still famous and have become a part of that particular region’s culture. I will seek them out and drown them." An onryo is very similar to a go-ryo, which is another type of ghost in Japanese folklore which returns to attack the living, although a go-ryo is usually a person who comes from a noble or aristocratic family and usually dies a martyr’s death. This kind of Japanese ghost story also relates to vengeful spirits but unlike the Goryō, which is not necessarily a wrathful spirit, the Onryō is almost always a malicious ghost as they died full of anger, and only return to scare the living to death and take their souls. He soon fell in love with the country’s fascinating culture and made his home there. It is even believed to be the inspiration behind Koji Suzuki's 1991 novel Ringu, which was subsequently developed into the classic horror movie of the same name. Lafcadio Hearn was one of the first experts in Japan and has several books about traditional Japanese stories, since he dedicated himself to compiling all the stories and legends that he could. 29 October 2020 . The person who answers the door tells them the girl died years ago. Scary stories about yokai (supernatural creatures).