In Japanese traditional beliefs and literature, The Onryo ‘Vengeful Spirit is a type of ghost (Yurei) they are believed to be capable of causing harm in the world of the living, injuring or killing their enemies, or even causing natural disasters to exact vengeance, to Wright the wrongs which were inflicted on them while they were alive, then taking their spirits from the dying bodies.
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They may not have the power/authority to protect themselves, but in death, they are terrifying and can wreak havoc even on the most powerful in society.
Onryo, are often depicted as wronged women, traumatized by what happened during their lives and exact revenge in death.
Revenge is a timeless theme relatable to all cultures and is portrayed in Greek tragedies novels, Shakespeare’s plays, and modern movies (Death-wish, Clint Eastwood, John Wick, The Equalizer).
The Origin
In Japan, it’s believed a person’s soul or spirit exists naturally when it is stable or in balance. When too much hatred or resentment builds up, it can cause the spirit to become separated from the body, resulting in the spirit becoming an Onryo.
The belief in the existence of the Onryo, can be traced back to the 8th century and is mentioned in the Chronicle Shoku Nihongi 797.
Characteristics of an Onryo
The most common form of an Onryo is that of a woman, who was betrayed, beaten, murdered, or driven to suicide, they appear with long black hair, wearing a white dress/shroud.
They are consumed by hatred and seek vengeance on who has wronged them, but Onryo can also be men who have felt wronged and seek retribution.
The motive is always the same vengeance. The Onryo are extremely powerful and can easily kill someone, however, they prefer the person of their hatred to live and watch the suffering and death of their loved ones.
It’s said even after the focus of their hatred/fury has long gone, they are still consumed by hatred/jealousy and even the locations of their focus feel desperate and joyless.
It is said the only way to rid yourself of an Onryo, is to have them exorcised or placate them, give them something they desperately desire, this could be recognition or acknowledgment of the wrongdoing
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Devils Advocate – Are Onryo evil?
The vengeful spirit sounds and is terrifying, they must be evil right? but if you consider their lives were taken too soon, by battle, murder, and suicide they were left in violence and brutal circumstances.
Their spirit/soul is full of hatred against the person/people who caused their death, they want vengeance against them.
Maybe they had no power/authority in life to protect themselves, but in death, they are terrifying and unstoppable.
Onryo in Japanese Folklore
Oiwa
The most famous Onryo tale, and probably the most famous ghost story in Japan, is the story of Oiwa a beautiful young woman.
Oiwa came from a wealthy family, a samurai called Tamiya Lemom, was attracted to Oiwa, but also to her money and the social status it would give him if he married her.
Oiwa’s father saw through Tamiya’s plan straight away and rejected the marriage proposal. Tamiya was furious by this and murdered Oiwa’s Father.
Tamiya Lemon convinces Oiwa that the bandits killed her father and she would be safe if she married him, Oiwa obviously in shock from her father’s brutal death agrees to the marriage. It’s said it was an unhappy marriage, but they did have a child.
As you might have guessed Tamiya eyes wandered and he falls in love with another young lady, to pursue this relationship, he decides Oiwa must go, so he brutally murders her and dumps her body unceremoniously into a river.
Oiwa’s ghost returns in the form of an Onryo, and she seeks to take revenge on her husband. Oiwa’s ghost drove Tamiya lemon mad and after further tormenting eventually killed him.
This story was based on a true story of a woman who died in 1630, it’s said the vengeful ghost still haunts the place, where this dreadful and violent death occurred. Oiwa’s story is told in Yotsuya Kaidan and the ghost of Yotsuya. Yotsuya Kaidan has been retold many times in books, kabuki and film.
Even today in modern times superstition and folklore surround the story, just like in Shakespeare’s Macbeth (The Scottish Play) bad luck, injuries, and even death are attributed to this story.
To this day, producers, actors, and their crew visit the grave of Oiwa in Tokyo, before performing an adaptation of Yotsuya Kaidan, praying for her soul and asking for her blessing to tell her story.
The Broken Promise
A samurai and his wife in the Izumo province of Japan were happily married and living a good life, but tragedy struck and the wife became seriously ill.
On her death bed, the samurai vowed his undying love for his wife, and promised, because his love for her was absolute, he wouldn’t remarry.
Life goes on and the samurai fell in love with a young lady and married her.
The dead wife was so full of hatred, jealously by her husband breaking his promise, she became an Onryo. She was so full of anger and felt betrayed by her husband. The Onryo murdered the young bride by horrifically decapitating her.
In the village, the watchmen saw the ghost departing the samurai’s house and bravely gave chase with their swords drawn. They eventually caught up with the Onryo and cut her down while reciting Buddhist chants and prayers.
In conclusion
Hopefully, this will be the first in a series of Japanese ghost articles.
I chose the first one to be on the Onryo – The Vengeful Ghost, because they are scary and terrifying, and they are also in popular culture, many people will know them from the Japanese movies and Hollywood remakes of The Ring, Ju-on, and The Grudge.
The Onryo has been fascinating to research, they are formed by basic, but strong feelings of hatred, fury, betrayal, and jealousy, which we can all relate to, but of course, they take it to the extreme.
If you enjoyed this Ghost tale- please check out The Goryo – The Noble Dead.
