Tuesday, December 1, 2009

A Little Lesson in Japanese Ghost Lore

Author: NLD

Japan, like any other country, is steeped in ghostly lore. Here are a few more common Japanese spirits for you to read about and be eerily amazed.

Bakechochin
Translated as “haunted Lantern”, in Japanese folklore a bakechochin is a lantern inhabited by ghosts. According to folklore the lantern has a long tongue and wild eyes and is home for the ghosts of people who died with hate in their hearts; for this reason, they are doomed to haunt the earth for all time. If someone should light one of the haunted lanterns it is thought that a hateful ghost may leap out of it and attack.

Buruburu
Buruburu, meaning the sound of shivering, is a terrible ghost from Japanese folklore that for reasons unknown is said to lurk in forests and graveyards in the form of an old person, who is sometimes one-eyed. According to legend it attaches itself to its victim’s spine and causes a chill to run down them, or in the worse case causes them to die of fright.

Gashadokuro
A Gashadokuro according to Japanese folklore is a giant skeleton many times taller than a human. It is though to be made of the bones of people who have starved to death. After midnight the ghost roams the streets making a ringing noise that sounds in the ears. If people do not run away when the Gashadokuro approaches it will bite off their heads with its giant teeth.

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