Coverpage
Introduction The Snow Ghost
The
Secret of Iidamachi Pond The
Ghost of Aki Province
The Haunted Temple
Introduction
"My name is Sadako. That's all
you need to know. I am what the Japanese call a yurei, or a 'ghost,' as
they would call
me in the West. More specifically, I am an onryo, a vengeful ghost who
has returned from beyond the grave to take revenge. You might have seen
me in the Japanese film Ringu
about the cursed videotape that kills anyone who watches it after seven
days. I'm afraid that I don't have time to discuss all of that right
now, but don't worry: you aren't going to die from reading this
webpage!
I thought that it might be
a good time to tell people a little more about what it means to be a
ghost, or yurei. You see, ghosts and spirit
s of those who have passed on
have been
around for centuries in Japanese culture. There have been many famous
Japanese stories that talk about ghosts.
For example, in the case of
'The Snow Ghost,' a woman
haunts her former husband after he abandons his father-in-law. A
typical occurrence, if you ask me. It's fairly similar to the case of
the 'The Secret ofIidamachi Pond' where a woman haunts the family
members of her killer. The 'Ghost of Aki Province' tells a similar
story, where a woman haunts her former fiance for being unfaithful.
However, the final story, 'The Haunted Temple' tells a very different
kind of story where a priest's ghost attacks an intruder in his temple.
Even though these stories are set in Japan, they have wide appeal to
audiences from both East and West. I have heard a great many ghost
stories throughout my time on this earth, but the Japanese ones are by
far the best...and the scariest. These stories have specific rules that
set them apart from Western stories. For example,yurei are almost
always dressed in white, to signify the funeral kimonos that they were
buried in, and yurei hair is often disheveled. Yurei
also traditionally have hands that dangle lifelessly from their wrists,
and often float through the air without any feet. I find this
particular aspect of being a ghost rather fun. It helps to remind
mortals of our power.
I know that yurei have re
cently become well known
throughout the world
due to the use of yurei in Japanese pop culture items, such as movies
and animation. I'm here to remind you that a yurei is never to be
taken
lightly. Trust me-its best to either do what a yurei wants, or to stay
out of her way.
People,
especially western people, have become far too comfortable with
yureis, and have forgotten how to respect them. I think it's time that
the Japanese were reminded of our power and Westerners learned how to
respect us. To achieve this, I am going to take you back in time to a
traditional
Japanese festival called Obon. This is a yearly festival for honoring
the dead, also known as the
Feast of Lanterns. I am going to take you back to a Feast of the
Lanterns from long, long ago.
Scholars have come
from all over Japan to
tell stories about yurei-to remember them and honor them. I am taking
you now to witness this storytelling contest. The best storytelling
contest about ghosts the world has ever seen..."
"Sadako"
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"Sadako's Eye"
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"Sadako comes out of the TV"
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