Yūrei (幽霊) are Japanese ghosts. Like their Western counterparts, they are thought to be spirits kept from a peaceful afterlife due to some wrong caused to them in life, a lack of a proper burial, or because they committed suicide. They typically appear in the hours between midnight and sunrise, floating about to frighten and torment those who wronged them in life, but otherwise causing no harm.

Traditionally, they are female and dress in white kimonos, typical burial clothing in ancient Japan. They typically lack legs and feet, and are frequently depicted as being accompanied by a pair of floating flames or will o' the wisps in eerie colors such as blue, green, or purple. Yūrei also often have a triangular piece of paper or cloth known as a hitaikakushi on their forehead. Like many monsters of Japanese folklore, malicious yūrei are repelled by ofuda.

Vengeful ghosts, on the other hand, called goryō, traditionally haunt a person or a location as an act of revenge for a wrong done to them during their lifetime. Thus, saying "I will haunt you" became a threatening statement made in anger to someone. Buddhist priests and ascetics were sometimes hired to perform services on those whose unusual or unfortunate deaths could result in their transition into a vengeful ghost. (see exorcism). Sometimes these ghosts would be deified in order to placate their spirits.

See also

• Hungry ghost