The Story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi (Kwaidan) by Lafcadio Hearn
A long time ago, there was a man named Hoichi in Amidaji temple in Shimonoseki. Although Hoichi was blind from an early age, his ability to play the Biwa (a Japanese lute) was a skill to surpass his teacher, and his playing was popular among people. A particular favorite was a song telling the story of the battle of Dannoura from The Tale of the Heike.
On a humid summer night, when Hoichi practiced Biwa in the temple, a messenger from someone noble came. This noble person wanted to listen to the songs that Hoichi played, so Hoichi followed the messenger and passed through the big gate of the mansion. As soon as Hoichi played the battle of Dannoura and the messenger heard it, Hoichi heard many people weeping around him. He heard a woman’s voice say, “I want to listen to your playing three nights from this evening, and do not tell anyone about this.”
Hoichi returned to the temple in the morning, and although he was questioned about absence from the Buddhist priest, he did not say anything as he had promised the woman. The Priest ordered the Sexton to follow Hoichi when he went out of the temple secretly at night. Eventually, the Sexton found Hoichi playing Biwa in front of the tomb of Emperor Antoku.
The priest found that Hoichi was possessed by ghosts of the Heike family, and then wrote sutras to Hoichi ‘s body. He told Hoichi that he should not speak out no matter who he heard speak. That night, ghosts came to meet Hoichi, but they could not see Hoichi ‘s figure as he was protected by the text. However, because he forgot to write sutras only in Hoichi ‘s ears, only the ears were visible from the ghosts. The ghost took Hoichi ‘s ears as evidence that they came to pick up Hoichi.
The priest came to see Hoichi in the morning, and quickly noticed that both his ears were taken. He apologized for having
The Story of Okiku (Bancho-Sarayashiki)
There used to be a thief rebuild and a mansion of the Aoyama Harima-guchi-za in Goban-Cho in Ushigome gate. Here lived a maid named Okiku, but in the New Year of 1653, Okiku accidentally broke one of the dishes that had been treasured by the master. The angry wife of the master accuses Okiku, but ithe master thought this is tepid and became more strict. They cut off the middle finger of Okiku instead of one plate she broke, and confined Okiku to the chamber. Okiku leaves the chamber with tied by rope and threw herself to the old well on the back of the mansion.
Soon after, every night. From the bottom of the well and the voice of a woman counting the dishes echoed in the whole mansion.”One … … two … …”
In addition to this, the child of the master who was born soon after the Okiku’s death did not have the right middle finger. This rumor spreads,the boss of the master’s office knew that, then the master of Okiku lost his land.
However, as the voice of counting dishes continues in mansion even after that, the authority ask the saint at the Koishikawa temple to replenish the soul of Okiku.
One night, a voice counting dishes in the place where the saint read aloud sutras.
“Eight …… nine … ….” Then, the saint himself added “Ten!”, afterwards, the ghost of Okiku disappeared by saying “Oh thank goodness”.
Attaining Buddhahood: Entering Nirvana & How Japanese Ghosts “Rest in Peace”
“Buddhism” in Japanese culture
The expression “attaining Buddhahood” is frequently used in everyday Japanese conversation or literary work refers to reborn into a comfortable world such as paradise or heaven after death rather than “opening a sage and becoming to a Buddha.” The spirit of the dead person is wandering around this world even after death if he/she had regrets for the world, and it is not
These expressions are based on the faith that was supposed to return to the life of the Buddha later after the death of a person who believes in Buddhism who has come into Buddhism from an ancient Japanese life and death perspective, It was born in conjunction with the Pureland faith which reigns from the world to the Western Paradice. Japanese Buddism is changing and deforming from the original Buddhism in India.
In addition to this, the idea of “因果応報” (Inga
How to Survive Interactions with the “White Lady” Ghost
There does not seem to be one sure fire way to get rid of a White Lady ghost. There are some overarching similarities in the various stories, however. In general, it seems that these ghosts were once women who were treated poorly in life, and now seek retribution in death. A lot of the stories of a White Lady ghost disappearing have to do with their bones, or treasure in some cases, being found, or a person doing what the White Lady ask them to do. In some cases, such as with Madam Piggott’s spirit, there is no calm way to help them. Instead, they must be “cleansed”, or exercised, being locked away in a bottle or some other vessel.
Bibliography
Bancho Sarayashiki : Ichimaku Nijo. (Tokyo): Kokuritsu Gekijo, 1989.
Fujita, Hiroko, et al. Folktales from the Japanese Countryside. Libraries Unlimited, 2008.ersity of Hawaiʻi Press, 2008.
Hearn, Lafcadio.
Iwasaka, Michiko, and Barre Toelken. Ghosts and the Japanese : Cultural Experience in Japanese Death Legends = Yūrei-To-Nihonjin
Matsuo, Kenji. A History of Japanese Buddhism. Folkestone: Global Oriental, 2007. 2007.
Porcu, Elisabetta. Pure Land Buddhism in Modern Japanese Culture. Numen Book Series, V. 121. Leiden: Brill, 2008. 2008.
Image Bibliography
Taiso, Yoshitoshi, 1839-1892. Ghost of Okiku. woodblock. https://library-artstor-org.ezproxy.guilford.edu/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822001542859.
Page written and created by Nozomi K., Branwyn M., and Sophie P.
