In this look at Japanese yurei and the White Lady (or Woman in White, or Lady in White) in England, we seek to compare the ways in which women who die turn into spirits, and how they were viewed in life. That being said, we recognize that these two types of ghosts may not be comparable, and have found throughout our research that the two have several differences.
Who Are These Ghosts?
Female Ghost
Even atheists and nonbelievers- or at least those pretending not to believe- have a kind of fear in the depths of their heart of the existence of supernatural beings such as gods, ghosts, devils, and yokai (monsters). But what about the unfoundedness of fear? Everyday life is penetrated by fear. Fear is a reality. It breaks the balance between the bodily mechanisms and its chemical composition. Our bodies are physically affected. It is measured by the outer world when the external world changes to a different world.
Japanese ghosts are based on the idea that the dead wander the world without being able to enter the “Pureland” in Buddhism. The reason why each form of ghost remains in the world varies for each narrative that particular ghost has. Tragic death, such as murder or double suicide can be the reason. The phrase “ghost” in Japanese (幽霊), or yurei, means an abnormal state of the soul of the dead. In the case of ghosts, as it is usually the spirit of a human being, its spirit should go to the afterlife, the state that is known to the world as being called “ghost.” It is said that ghosts look similar to how they looked when they were alive, but something seems to be off. A ghost that appears to be disfigured or misshapen may not actually be a ghost, but a yokai, or monster. Yurei typically look very similar to their former human selves.
The “White Lady” is a phenomenon found in many areas of the world, but we will be focusing on legends of the ghost in the United Kingdom, predominantly England. The concept of the Lady in White originates from folktales in which young women with long hair dressed in flowing white clothes are seen standing outside late at night. The White Lady does not necessarily always have malicious intent; there are tales in which she simply stays in one place, or is heard crying in another room. However, when she is vengeful, the reader or listener is always given a reason why. The Woman in White is often mistreated in life, and many die tragic deaths which give a rationale for her to come back as a ghost.
Gustav Klimt, Lady in White, painting, 1917-1918
This website will explore social norms in both Japan and England, and how attitudes and actions towards women in each country affected the way their female ghosts were portrayed. We believe that, though citizens of England and Japan have very different cultures and lifestyles, the similarities in their patriarchal societies influenced the predominant legends of female spirits in each country. Each tale of female yurei and the Lady in White gives the ghost agency and power that she did not have in life; perhaps these stories were a way for women of Japan and England to regain authority over their lives that their society had taken from them.
Contents
Image Bibliography
Gustav Klimt. 1917-1918. Lady in White. painting. Place: ╓sterreichische Galerie Belvedere, inv. 4286.. https://library.artstor.org/asset/LESSING_ART_1039902526.
Kawanabe Kyosai (Gyosai) (Japanese, b.1831, d.1889). Image: 4/12/2010. Female Ghost. Painting. Place: Cincinnati Art Museum, Gift of W.J. Baer. https://library-artstor-org.ezproxy.guilford.edu/asset/AWSS35953_35953_41345330.
Tsukioka, Yoshitoshi. 1990. Yoshitoshi Ryakuga. The Walters Art Museum Digital Collection. The Walters Art Museum. https://art.thewalters.org/detail/32308/yoshitoshi-ryakuga/.
Page written and created by Nozomi K., Branwyn M., and Sophie P.
