Strange and have to love. Welcome to Yanran's little "Hundred Ghosts Night Walking Handbook", which is dedicated to the yokai from Japan. Today I am telling you about the well-known Wraith Monster - Ghost.
01
The origin of the ghost
Today to talk to you about the ghost, in many legends in Japan there are ghosts, the ghost floating in mid-air in white clothes can be said to be the first monster in the country, in many programs and works in Japan, it is often seen that the ghost appears as the protagonist.
According to traditional Japanese beliefs, after death, the soul exists as an independent entity, but only after funerals and prayer ceremonies can they go to the legendary paradise and become the guardian deity of the family. If you do not receive a funeral, die unjustly, or have great malice in your heart, you may become a ghost. It is said that the ghost of people wearing white clothes and wearing a triangle scarf is now commonly seen from the Edo period.
02
The appearance of a ghost
The classic image of the ghost is a white dress, wearing a triangular scarf, its lower body has no feet, and it usually floats in the air. This appearance stems from the custom of wearing white mourning clothes when the deceased dies, and if the soul after death does not die, it will become a ghost and wander in the world.
There are all kinds of people who have become ghosts, and there are similarities between them, but there are also some differences. The exact appearance depends on the situation when they die, and they will remain the same as they were when they died. Some people will have blood on their bodies, some people will have fewer arms, some people will have disheveled hair, some people will wear white mourning clothes, and some people will wear uniforms.
03
The behavior of ghosts
Ghosts like to hang their hands on their chests and float in the air in a frightening way. It is said that ghosts can invoke powerful curses, often appearing where they die or are trapped, and only when their obsession with turning into ghosts is resolved can they rest in peace.
Some ghosts have died because they have been killed by others, so they are full of reluctance about their own death, and they will only leave if they bring the murderer to justice or pass on their message to their relatives. Being expelled by monks or yin and yang masters or the like is also a way for ghosts to get rest.
04
The story of the ghost
In Japanese ghost stories, there are four very famous ghosts, namely: Michimasa Sugawara, Hirasume, Prince Hayara, and Emperor Takatoku. Today we are telling the story of the relationship with Prince Hayayoshi.
This Prince Hayara at the end of the Nara period was the younger brother of Emperor Huanwu at that time, and because Prince Hayara's birth mother was of a bad birth, he was ordained in the temple from an early age. Later, after Emperor Huanwu succeeded to the throne, Prince Hayayoshi was also made crown prince. But by this time Emperor Huanwu already had heirs who could inherit the throne.
Fujiwara Uzumaki, who was later reused by Emperor Huanwu, was killed and given to Prince Hayayoshi. Emperor Huanwu imprisoned Prince Hayayoshi without excuse and exiled him. However, Prince Hayayoshi refused to confess his guilt, and in order to prove his innocence, he went on a hunger strike on the road to exile, and starved to death a few days later.
After the death of Prince Sora, the story about him had just begun. Prince Hayayoshi, who died with a deep grudge, returned to the capital as a wraith. Not long after, Fujiwara Hyakukawa's widow fell ill and died, Emperor Huanwu's birth mother and empress dowager died one after another, and his son Prince Andian was also seriously ill and bedridden.
At the same time, natural disasters such as droughts, famines, and floods began in and around the capital, and diseases such as smallpox were brought with them. Thieves swarming, the people not living, and a whole hell on earth. As a result, more and more people think that this is the ghost of Prince Hayayoshi.
Later, in the nineteenth year of the Enri calendar, Emperor Huanwu posthumously awarded Prince Hayayoshi the title of "Emperor Chongdao" and built a Shrine dedicated to Prince Hayayoshi (Emperor Chongdao). At the same time, he also restored the reputation of Fujiwara Hyakukawa's stepmother Inoue, who was deposed. In the twenty-fourth year of the reign, Emperor Huanwu decreed pardon for those who had previously been exiled for their involvement in the Fujiwara Clan Incident. The day of Emperor Chongdao's death is also designated as the National Festival Day.
It is said that after that, the spirit of Prince Hayayoshi disappeared.
05
Small fiction hundred ghosts
Generally speaking, Japanese ghosts = Chinese ghosts, that is, the ghosts of people floating in the air. And the Japanese ghost = the Chinese monster = the monster with a terrible appearance and a long horn on its head.
Legends of ghosts in Japan are very early, as early as the Nara period, there was a concept of going to the Land of Yellow Springs after death, so the concept of ghosts began to appear at this time. Later in the Heian period, ghosts were often written into some folklore. Since the Muromachi period, ghosts have gradually become the main characters of "Noh" and "Kabuki". In the Edo period, various folk tales made ghosts more popular.
The story of Prince Hayaru, which Xiao Xiao just told, happened at the end of the Nara period, and can be regarded as the beginning of the Heian period. Because the ghost of Prince Hayayoshi was raging everywhere, the Yin-Yang master of Yin-Yang Liao advised Emperor Huanwu every day to move the capital, and Emperor Huanwu moved the capital to the area around Guanglong Temple, which was the future HeianJing. Therefore, it can be said that the ghost of Prince Hayayoshi prompted the emergence of "Heian Kyo".
This article is original by Yanran Xiao, welcome to pay attention, take you along with long knowledge!
Other related contents of "100 Ghosts Nightbook":
Holding a frog scroll in hand, the legend of Takiya Kiyoshi, a Japanese princess who can summon an army of skeleton monsters
A dead soldier summoned by Takiya, a huge skeleton whose soul cannot rest in peace - the Skeleton of the Desert
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