Japanese Mythology

Gyuwan-zaka

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Gyuwan-zaka, Gyoan-zaka, Gyoan-yama
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Gyuwan-zaka is a haunted mountain path in Takahagi, Hidaka, Saitama Prefecture. In the past, it was a steep, winding slope overgrown with dense trees, creating a dark and frightening passage for anyone who travelled along it. The path became associated with the restless ghost of a Buddhist monk named Gyoan, whose tragic fate left a lasting supernatural presence on the mountain.

During the reign of Emperor Go-Daigo, Gyoan was a monk at Miroku-ji Temple in Takahagi who became involved in a plot to overthrow the shogunate. When the conspiracy was exposed, Gyoan and his companions were killed in battle in the mountains before they could achieve their goal. After his death, Gyoan’s ghost began appearing along the mountain path, terrifying travellers who passed through the area.

To appease his restless spirit, the villagers built a mound where Gyoan could be enshrined and named the mountain Gyoan-yama. Despite these efforts, the story of the haunting endured, and Gyuwan-zaka became associated with fear and ghostly apparitions. The monk’s frightening reputation was so well known that, in later times, parents were said to threaten crying children by telling them they would take them to Gyuwan, a warning that could make the children stop crying.

Sources

“牛碗坂 (Gyuwanzaka).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655069.html

Hokkoku no Yōkai

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Northern Ghost, Hokkoku, 北国
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Northern Ghost is a bizarre yokai depicted as a monstrous woman assembled from the people and objects associated with the Yoshiwara pleasure district. Its body takes the form of a courtesan, but its features are made from an assortment of unusual items. Cups form its eyes and mouth, sake bottles make up its nose, and its hair consists of tiny figures representing geisha and jesters. Shamisen instruments, shamisen boxes, hair ornaments, and toothpicks complete its strange appearance, creating a grotesque figure in which women, customers, and everyday objects merge into a single supernatural being.

The Northern Ghost is said to live in a strange place known as Oiranda or the Land of Arinsu. Each night, it emerges from muddy water and approaches any man it encounters. It calls out to its victims in a pleading voice, saying, “You look familiar, please, please.” Its sudden appearance from the mud gives it an uncanny, ghostly quality, as though the strange creature has risen from the depths to seek out unsuspecting passersby.

The Northern Ghost embodies the strange and unsettling world of Yoshiwara, transforming its courtesans, customers, and objects into a single monstrous apparition. Its bizarre construction makes it unlike an ordinary ghost or animal yokai, presenting a supernatural woman whose body is an entire collection of figures and objects brought together into one eerie form.

Sources

“北国の幽霊 (Ghosts of the North Country).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654443.html

Oiwa

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: お岩, O-Iwa
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Oiwa is one of the most famous vengeful ghosts in Japanese mythology and the central female figure of Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan. She was the wife of Tamiya Iemon, a man who betrayed her and conspired with others against her. Oiwa was given poison disguised as medicine intended to help her recover after childbirth. The poison horribly disfigured her face, leaving her with long hair and a swollen, damaged eye. Her suffering and betrayal filled her with resentment, and she died bearing a terrible grudge against Iemon and his accomplices.

After her death, Oiwa returned as a terrifying ghost to torment those responsible for her suffering. Her apparition haunted Iemon and his companions, driving them toward madness and gruesome deaths. She also caused the deaths of Iemon’s mother and other people around him. In his isolated dwelling on Hebiyama, Iemon was tormented by Oiwa’s ghost and swarms of rats, unable to escape the horror that followed him. His torment eventually ended when Sato Yomoshichi, the husband of Oiwa’s sister Osode, killed him.

Oiwa’s ghost is remembered for her horrifying yet sometimes sorrowful appearance, particularly her long, disheveled hair and swollen eye. Her story has become one of Japan’s best-known ghost tales, and her image has shaped the familiar depiction of the vengeful female spirit. Legends surrounding her curse persist, with performers and theatrical productions traditionally seeking her blessing before retelling her story, fearing the misfortune that might follow those who disrespect her memory.

Sources

“お岩 (Oiwa).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654415.html

Omaku

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Omak, Oneki
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Omaku is a mysterious supernatural phenomenon from Tōno, Iwate Prefecture, in which the thoughts and feelings of the living and the dead become entangled and wander between places. It is also known as Oneki. Rather than appearing as a clearly defined creature, Omaku manifests through strange apparitions in which a person’s presence seems to travel beyond the limits of their physical body.

One story tells of Jintarō, a soldier from Tsuchibuchi Village who served in the Imperial Guard Regiment. One summer morning, he attempted his usual handstand on a wooden block when he suddenly fell headfirst and lost consciousness. Later, he recalled that he had somehow left the barracks and flown through the air toward his distant hometown, several feet above the ground. There, he saw his wife and sister-in-law washing their feet in a stream, entered his family home, and sat beside his mother near the hearth. Dissatisfied with his visit, he then flew back to Tokyo and returned to his room in the barracks.

At that very moment, Jintarō awoke from his unconsciousness, surrounded by a military doctor, nurses, and fellow soldiers. He initially wondered whether the journey had been a prank, but a letter from his family confirmed the strange experience. His wife and sister-in-law had indeed seen him dressed in white rush into the house, sit beside his mother, and suddenly vanish. The incident was said to have occurred around the time of the Russo-Japanese War.

Another account describes a beautiful girl of sixteen or seventeen who appeared at a temple construction site while suffering from typhoid fever. Although she was too ill to be there, she entered through the back door while dozens of carpenters were taking their lunch break. The master carpenter, Keijirō, recognized her as the daughter of his neighbor and realized that she was close to death. She died the following day. The story presents Omaku as a mysterious encounter involving the presence of someone whose body and spirit may no longer be together.

Sources

“おまく (Omaku).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654387.html

Bolo

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: ボロ
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Bolo is a mysterious yokai from Kaibe Village in Oita Prefecture, Japan. It emerges from a bamboo thicket growing beneath a hackberry tree in the center of the village. When it appears, Bolo suddenly rises up and stands tall, presenting itself as a strange and imposing supernatural presence.

Bolo possesses an unusual ability: anyone who looks at it from below will see it disappear. Even more strangely, it cannot be cut, no matter how hard someone tries. Its supernatural nature makes it difficult to approach or interact with, as it vanishes from view and resists attempts to damage it.

The exact appearance and nature of Bolo remain uncertain. Its sudden emergence and towering form resemble other Japanese yokai that grow unnaturally tall, but its defining characteristics are its mysterious disappearance when viewed from below and its resistance to being cut.

Sources

“ボロ (Bolo).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654373.html

Yūrei

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 幽霊, ゆうれい, Obake, Shiryō, Bōrei
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Yūrei are the spirits of the dead who remain trapped between the world of the living and the afterlife. Their appearance often reflects the circumstances of their deaths. They are commonly depicted as translucent, faintly visible figures dressed in white burial kimonos or the uniforms of fallen warriors. Some bear bloody wounds that reveal how they died, while their long, disheveled hair often hangs across their faces. Their hands dangle limply from their wrists, and their lower bodies frequently fade away, leaving them seemingly without feet.

Unlike spirits that wander freely, Yūrei usually haunt a particular place or person. They may linger where they died or were buried, or pursue someone connected to their deaths, such as a murderer. Others remain close to their living families, unable to accept their own deaths and bringing misfortune and unhappiness to those they once loved. Some can invoke powerful curses, making their presence dangerous to anyone who encounters them.

Yūrei remain in the world of the living because something prevents them from moving on. Some died suddenly or violently, while others carried deep resentment or hatred into death. Spirits who do not receive proper funeral rites and prayers may also become trapped between the physical world and the afterlife. Their unfinished business varies: some need their killers brought to justice, others require their bodies to be found, and some simply wish to deliver a final message to a loved one.

A Yūrei can finally rest when the purpose that binds it to the world has been fulfilled, or when a priest successfully exorcises it. In Japanese tradition, the dead are normally honored through funeral ceremonies, prayers, and rituals that help reunite their souls with their ancestors. During the summer festival of Obon, ancestral spirits are believed to return to visit their families. Yūrei, however, are restless souls who have not completed this journey, remaining behind until they can find peace.

Sources

“Yūrei.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%ABrei

Onryō

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 怨霊, おんりょう, Grudge Spirit, Vengeful Ghost
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Onryō are among the most feared spirits in Japanese mythology. They are the ghosts of people who died consumed by powerful emotions such as jealousy, rage, hatred, or grief. Unable to pass on because of their overwhelming passions, they transform into wrathful spirits that seek vengeance upon the living. Many were victims of war, betrayal, murder, catastrophe, or suicide, and their ghostly forms may bear the wounds and injuries they suffered before death.

An Onryō seeks to punish those it blames for its suffering, but its vengeance often extends far beyond the original offender. Rather than simply killing its targets, it may subject them to prolonged torment, destroy their relationships, and cause their loved ones to die. Its curse can spread from person to person and affect entire places, creating a cycle of death and destruction. Unlike other ghosts, which may disappear after being appeased or exorcised, an Onryō’s curse can continue to haunt a location long after its spirit has been laid to rest. Its wrath is relentless and does not distinguish between the guilty and the innocent.

Not every Onryō is driven by hatred alone. Sometimes an intense love becomes corrupted by jealousy, causing a spirit to torment a former lover and destroy their new relationships, marriages, and families. The ghost of Oiwa, the central figure of Yotsuya Kaidan, is one of the most famous examples. Brutally disfigured and murdered through her husband’s treachery, she returns as a vengeful ghost whose curse is said to threaten those who retell her story. Actors, producers, and other performers have traditionally visited her grave in Tokyo before adapting the tale, praying for her soul and asking for her blessing. Through such legends, the Onryō embodies the terrifying idea that powerful resentment can survive death and continue to bring suffering to the living.

Sources

“Onryō.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onry%C5%8D

Okiku

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: お菊, おきく, Banchō Sarayashiki, The Dish Manor at Banchō
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Okiku was a beautiful servant girl who worked as a dishwashing maid at Himeji Castle. She became the object of desire of Aoyama, one of her master’s samurai retainers, who repeatedly tried to seduce her. Okiku continually rejected him, angering the samurai. Determined to force her into becoming his lover, Aoyama devised a cruel trick involving a set of ten precious dishes belonging to the castle.

Aoyama secretly hid one of the dishes and accused Okiku of losing it. Terrified because the loss of such a valuable object could be punished by death, she counted the dishes again and again, but could find only nine. Aoyama offered to protect her from punishment if she agreed to become his mistress. When she refused once more, he ordered her beaten, tied her up, and suspended her over the castle well. He repeatedly plunged her into the water and tortured her, demanding that she submit to him. When she continued to refuse, he struck her with his sword and threw her body into the well.

After her death, Okiku returned as a vengeful ghost. Night after night, she rose from the well and entered the castle grounds, searching for the missing dish. She counted the plates aloud: “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.” After reaching nine, she let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed throughout the castle. Her haunting tormented Aoyama and robbed him of sleep. Those who heard her counting became gravely ill, while those who heard her count all the way to nine were said to die soon afterward.

Eventually, the lord of the castle summoned a priest to put an end to the haunting. The priest waited in the garden, chanting prayers until Okiku emerged from the well and began counting once more. When she reached nine, the priest shouted, “Ten!” Before she could scream, Okiku appeared relieved, believing that the missing dish had finally been found. From that night onward, her ghost no longer haunted the castle.

Sources

“Okiku.” Yokai.com: The Database of Japanese Folklore. https://yokai.com/okiku/

Oitekebori

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 置行堀, おいてけぼり
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Oitekebori is a mysterious apparition said to haunt the canals of Honjo, in present-day Sumida, Tokyo. It is described as a human-like ghost that lurks near waterways and terrorizes fishermen who venture too close to its home. Its name comes from the eerie command “Oiteke,” meaning “Leave it behind!” or “Drop it and get out of here!”

Long ago, the canals of Honjo were filled with fish, and fishermen made their living catching them. One evening, two fishermen were fishing in a canal and found themselves catching far more fish than usual. Delighted by their enormous haul, they continued until their baskets were full. As they prepared to leave and carry their catch home, a terrible, disembodied voice rose from the water and shouted, “Oiteke!”

Terrified, the fishermen fled. In some versions, they abandoned their baskets and later discovered that the fish had vanished. In another telling, one fisherman escaped with his basket while the other was seized by a ghostly hand that rose from the canal and dragged him underwater, never to be seen again. The identity of Oitekebori remains uncertain in the legends: some stories blame a hungry kappa stealing fish, while others attribute the haunting to a mischievous tanuki, a yūrei, a kawauso, a mujina, or a supernatural soft-shelled turtle.

Sources

“Oitekebori.” Yokai.com: The Database of Japanese Folklore. https://yokai.com/oitekebori/

Buruburu

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 震々, ぶるぶる, Zozogami
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Buruburu is a mysterious yokai known as the spirit of cowardice. It follows people through inhabited areas, causing them to shudder with fear. Although it may not appear as a clearly visible creature, its presence is felt through sudden chills, trembling bodies, and the sensation of fear running down the spine.

Buruburu is born when a person commits an act of cowardice, such as fleeing from battle. The spirit then attaches itself to other people, possessing them by clinging to the collars of their shirts and touching the backs of their necks. Its supernatural touch makes their hair stand on end and sends shivers throughout their bodies.

The name Buruburu imitates the sound of trembling, while its alternate name, Zozogami, is also associated with the sensation of shivering with fear. The spirit embodies the physical feeling of terror itself, haunting people through the sudden, uncontrollable shudders that reveal its presence.

Sources

“Buruburu.” Yokai.com: The Database of Japanese Folklore. https://yokai.com/buruburu/