What is Onryō?
'''Onryō''' (怨霊) is a [[Japan]]ese [[ghost]] (''[[Yūrei]]'', 幽霊) who is believed to be able to return to the world of the living to seek [[:wikt:revenge|revenge]]. Some onryō are male, mostly in [[Kabuki]], but most of them are women. They usually suffer at the hands of their male lovers when they were alive, because they were weak, but they become strong in death. In Japanese tradition, the spiritual world has [[Yomi]] ([[hell]]) on one side and the world of the living in the other. In the middle, there is a waiting area, like a [[purgatory]], where spirits lie in doubt before moving on. Some spirits, especially those of murdered people, can go back to the world of the living, [[influence]]d by [[:wikt:feeling|feeling]]s of [[anger]], sadness, or love. Onryō and yūrei do not have a particular look. But the popularity of Kabuki in the [[History of Japan#Edo period|Edo period]] meant that a [[costume]] was created to show what they look like. This usually included a white [[burial]] [[kimono]], long and black, messy hair, and white and purple [[make-up]]. The influence of this image can be seen in modern movies about Onryō, like ''[[The Ring (2002 movie)|Ring]]''.{{Japanese folklore long}} ==References == *Iwasaka, Michiko and Toelken, Barre. ''Ghosts and the Japanese: Cultural Experiences in Japanese Death Legends'', Utah State University Press, 1994. {{ISBN|0874211794}} ==Other websites== *[http://www.seekjapan.jp/article-2/766/Tales+of+Ghostly+Japan Tales of Ghostly Japan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110625063348/http://www.seekjapan.jp/article-2/766/Tales+of+Ghostly+Japan |date=2011-06-25 }} ''Japanzine'' By Zack Davisson *[http://www.mangajin.com/mangajin/samplemj/ghosts/ghosts.htm/ Japanese Ghosts] ''Mangajin #40'' by Tim Screech *[http://www.theway.jp/zen/html/gallary/somnailindex.html Yūrei-ga gallery at Zenshoan Temple] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813161802/http://www.theway.jp/zen/html/gallary/somnailindex.html |date=2006-08-13 }} {{Japan-stub}} {{DEFAUL