The Dark Side of Japan: Ancient Black Magic, Folklore, Ritual

by Antony Cummings

  The Samurai and the Englishman

  Hearn tells the story of an unnamed Englishman from the days of empire (meaning he was something of an elitist) who, while in Japan, hired a samurai to teach him Japanese. The samurai, seeing his employer as a ‘lord’, would bow to him and bring gifts, which led the Englishman to see him as a servant and not an employee, and a forced relationship grew. One day an argument ensued, and the Englishman struck the samurai, who drew his sword. However, before he attacked, he reflected and then replaced it in its scabbard and left. That night the samurai committed suicide by ritual disembowelment because he could not strike a man with whom he had a lord–retainer relationship, and also the Englishman had loaned him money in a time of need. However, the Englishman, being English, did not understand the offence he had caused, and presumably thought all would be reconciled. With the samurai dead, he never got his chance – a true cultural misunderstanding.

  Monkey on the Emperor’s Roof

  For many nights there was a cloud of thunder on the roof of the emperor’s palace, and no one could understand what it was until it changed into a monster-monkey with terrible claws and began crying at the moon. Night after night it came, so Yorimasa, a famed archer-poet, shot the beast down to the ground. This creature was a nuye. It had the head of a monkey, the claws of a tiger, the back of a badger and the tail of a snake. As it lay wounded, Hayata Tadazumi killed it and that was the end of the beast.

  Yorimasa and the Monster-monkey Cloud by Evelyn Paul.

  Fox-witch

  Remembering that the fox is a creature of supreme supernatural power, we come to the tale of Tamamo no Maye, who was a concubine to the emperor but also a fox-witch. There was a great illness over the land, and the people were confused as to why. One of the priests, suspecting Tamamo of witchcraft, erected an altar and asked everyone to pray before it; to the priest’s bemusement, she avoided giving supplication and prayer. At last she was directly summoned to pray, and as she approached the holy altar she began to transform in to a white fox with nine tails (making her over 1,000 years old), at which point she flew away into the sky.

  Hoichi the Earless

  There was once a blind musician who played at night outside the Akamagaseki memorial, which was a tribute to the Taira clan, who fell in the Genpei War. As the blind musician was an excellent player and told of the war in his songs, a ghost of the dead Taira clan came out to hear him. The ghost led him by the hand to a location inside the cemetery and asked the blind man to play for the crowd of ‘samurai’. Night after night he returned, playing for the dead samurai of old – a fact he did not know as he was blind and bewitched. The temple where he was staying sent out men to drag him back by force and awaken him from this bewitchment. So frightened was he by his haunted audience that the next day he asked the priest for help. The priest said that he was called away on business but that he would have his apprentice write many holy sutras on him so that the dead could not see him. Also, he warned him not to say a word even when the ghosts surrounded him and spoke to him. That day, the apprentice wrote the sutras all over Hoichi’s body. As night fell the ghosts returned and tried to speak with Hoichi, but found that all they could see was a biwa (lute) playing itself and two ears floating in the air. The ghosts, not getting an answer from the musician, tore the ears away and took them with them. The priest returned the next day and apologised, saying that the apprentice had not written the holy words upon his ears – a beginner’s mistake.

  Fire in Legend

  Japan has a few legends about fire, such as ghost-fire, demon-fire, fox-flame, flash-pillars, badger-blaze, dragon-torch and the lamp of Buddha, in addition to fire-wheels (messengers from hell), sea-fires and flames that erupt from cemeteries.

  In Settsu there is said to be a globe of fire that hovers over a tree from March to June with a face in the flames. This has its origins in the tale of a sick woman and her governor husband, who had an exorcist named Nikobo perform rites of exorcism to rid her of evil. When Nikobo succeeded, the governor was jealous of his success (and power over his wife?) and had him executed. From that point on, the face of the exorcist was seen in the flames and the fear of this eventually killed the governor.

  Another tale of fire comes from Kadachi Hills, where fire is said to appear over a lake and when the flames rise they take the form of two wrestlers engaged in combat. Be warned, if you try to interfere with their fighting you will be thrown a great distance.

  Also, it was bad luck to throw some things onto a fire. Two such things were persimmon seeds and the Lycoris plant – it was thought that a fire would take revenge by burning down your house. The warning about the Lycoris plant may be due to the appearance of its flower, which is reminiscent of fire.

  The Concubine and the Lord’s Wife

  Once there was a lord whose wife had been ill for three whole years, and none of the treatments she had received, nor the prayers of monks nor the fasting of her husband, helped her to recover. When death was inevitable, her husband went to her side and said that after she had died he would spend gold securing prayers said on her behalf to encourage a better birth in the next life. To this the wife said that all she required was the brief company of his favourite concubine, Lady Yukiko, so that she may discuss with Yukiko her duties as she was to become the lord’s wife after she had passed. Lady Yukiko was brought to her bedside and spoke to the dying wife, who asked her to take her on her back and carry her to the garden to see the blooming of the ‘double-flowered cherry blossom tree’. Yukiko bent down to take the wife on her back, but as she did so the dying wife leapt up with superhuman force, pushing her hands through the top of Yukiko’s robes and grabbing her breasts, crying out triumphantly. With this the wife died, and they both fell forward. However, as people tried to remove the corpse of the wife from Yukiko, they found that the hands had stuck fast to her breasts and that the skin of both the breasts and the hands had merged to form one mass. Surgeons could not understand how this had happened, and in the end a Dutch surgeon was summoned. He said that it was unlike anything he had seen and he recommended cutting the corpse at the wrists at least to take the body away; as this was done, the hands shrivelled and turned black. This was not the end, as at the hour of the Ox each night the hands came to life, squeezing the breasts hard and causing pain, and they did so for two hours until it was the hour of the Tiger, at which point they stopped. Lady Yukiko became a nun and prayed to appease the spirit of the wife, wandering the country. She was last seen in 1846.

  Holy Pictures

  There was once a holy man who was poor beyond measure and had not the means to feed himself. To remedy his hunger he decided to paint images to sell along the road. The problem was that he was so holy that what he painted came to life, and not only that – the paintings even issued thunder and lightning, making them a hard sell.

  The Dead Wife’s Revenge

  There was once a samurai who disliked his wife but loved his mistress, O-sode. He decided to poison his wife, and after the deed was done her ghost wished for revenge. Haunting the samurai without end, the tormented spirit drove the samurai to kill everyone around him until there was only O-sode left, whom he also killed, leaving the samurai alone.

  The Painter and the Girl

  Once there was a great student painter called Sawara who lived with a master to learn his art. Kimi, the daughter of the master, fell in love with him and they were to be married. Before he could marry her, though, Sawara had to go to another master of greater renown and further his career. Two years went by and Kimi had no word from him; letters were sent and he was sought out, but to no avail. In fact the apprentice Sawara had married another, but happened to come upon Kimi one day; she was unmarried and still waiting. On discovering he was married, she rushed into the sea hut and killed herself with a knife. Sawara followed in after her, but on seeing her dead form he simply drew a picture of her and painted it in full to keep her memory alive. Unfortunately, what happened was too true to his wishes. Each ni
ght the painting came to life and haunted his house, so much so that he had to give the painting to a temple and pray that the soul of Kimi would move on.

  Unkei the Artist to the Regent of Hell

  The artist Unkei was met after his death by Yemma, the Regent of Hell. The regent loved Unkei’s work so much that he brought him back to life and commanded him to return to earth and create a statue in his image. The statue is said to be at Ennoji temple in Kamakura.

  Follow the Bell

  Similar to the above, one Ono no Kimi was also told that he must return to earth by the Regent of Hell, but he said he did not know the way nor could he retrace his footsteps. The Regent of Hell told him to listen and follow the pealing of the Engakuji temple bell, and that way he would find himself back in the world of humans.

  Hell Is Full

  Another person to escape from Hell was Tokudo Shonin, who died and ended up in front of Yemma. The regent told him that Hell was full because people were not visiting the thirty-three holy sites which were dedicated to Kwannon. He was sent back to earth for three days to tell people the news and prevent Hell from overflowing with souls.

  Buddha and His Trip to Hell

  One legend says that Nanda was a student of the Buddha but was captivated by the beauty of women. To help his disciple, Buddha took him to Hell (after he had taken him on a trip to Heaven) and showed a vat of molten metal which was coming to the boil but had no occupant; he told Nanda it was his. A demon who was stood next to the boiling substance said that this cauldron was waiting for a man named Nanda who would waste his chance at enlightenment and squander his days on beautiful women – at this point he got the idea.

  Japanese Voodoo

  (Well, not quite voodoo.) There is a tale of a young man who made wooden figures of his dead parents. One day he returned home to find that the previously happy-looking figures now bore sad expressions. His wife saw this and decided to test them; she got a pin and pricked the dolls. Blood oozed out.

  Japanese Dolls

  Japanese dolls are famous the world over, but what is not known is that while Japanese belief held that a new doll is merely a doll, if the same doll is played with for generations by children of the same family then the doll acquires a soul and is a living thing. It is even said that one doll got up and ran to safety when its house was on fire. This is similar to the aforementioned idea of tsukumogami, living objects.

  The Demon Queller

  In ancient China there lived a man called Shoki who studied hard; however, he failed his exams and did not gain the qualifications he desired. In dire straits, he killed himself. When the Chinese emperor found out about this he buried him with honour out of respect for his dedication. In death, Shoki committed himself to rid the land of China of all demons. He is depicted killing or beating demons, but at times in the illustrations demons are hidden to comic effect, keeping out of his way. Sometimes he is shown with pain on his face from having Moxa treatment, wherein a burning herb is placed on the skin. Despite Chinese origins, the figure of Shoki was very popular in Japan.

  The Ghost of Sakura Castle

  At the time of this legend, the land was ruled with an iron fist by Tokugawa Iemitsu. The lord of Soma, Kotsuke, ruled Sakura Castle; he was cruel and sadistic and decided to tax the people heavily, taking them to the limit. The people joined together and made an appeal to Edo, the capital, but the appeal failed, at which the people marched towards Sakura Castle and the cruel lord. The leader of this peaceful rebellion was a man named Sogoro, and yet again they could not sway the lord’s mind. Desperate, they decided to travel again to Edo, hoping to get the shogun’s help, and this time eleven people from the village made their way along the highways of Japan to the capital, full of hope. Yet again their hopes were dashed, but this time seven of the party of eleven remained in the capital to carry on their crusade of justice. They forged a plan where they would hide under a bridge and wait for the shogun to come past so that that they could drop a petition into his lap. When he passed by, Sogoro threw the document into his litter but was immediately arrested and thrown into jail. For this grave insult to the person of the shogun, both Sogoro and his wife were sentenced to be crucified. But this was not enough; their three sons, aged seven, ten and thirteen, would be beheaded while they hung on the cross. The other six people involved in the incident were to be banished, but they pleaded with the authorities and asked to die in place of the wife and children – their offer was refused. In 1646 the sentence was carried out and the crucified parents watched their children beheaded as they hung. Sogoro, on his cross, vowed to haunt Kotsuke’s family. He shouted that when he died his lifeless head would turn towards the castle and his spirit would take vengeance. From that time onwards, Kotsuke’s room was filled with ghosts and evil, so much so that it drove the lord’s wife insane and she died. The lord, repentant, erected a memorial stone but in the end went mad and killed people in terror. This was the sad case of Sakura Castle.

  O-tei – The Reincarnated Wife

  In Echizen there was a man called Nagao Chosei who was to be married to his love, O-tei, but O-tei became ill and was near death. Before she died, she said to Nagao that it was their fate to meet for seven lives and that he would meet and marry her again in this lifetime if he would just wait for her. He promised that he would wait for his love, and she died in his arms. After the correct rites had been performed he created a death tablet for her and wrote out the promise they had made and put it on his altar. However, being samurai, he had a duty to marry and was forced into an arranged marriage. After many years his parents and wife and also his son died. One day he was visiting a spring town called Ikao, and, stopping at an inn, he was served by a young woman. His heart leapt as she was very reminiscent of O-tei, but to satisfy himself he asked her probing questions. In the ghostly voice of the spirit of O-tei she proclaimed his name and her former name and the promise they had. She spoke of their intended marriage and how she was back to fulfil the promise. The girl fell down unconscious and on waking could not recall the incident, and nor did she talk as the dead again, but they married and were reunited.

  Ghost Poem

  There is a poem on ghosts which is translated by Clara A. Walsh:

  It is an awesome thing

  to meet a-wandering,

  in the dark night,

  the dark and rainy night,

  a phantom greenish-grey,

  ghost of some Wight,

  poor Wight,

  wandering lonesomely

  through the black of night.

  The Beautiful Nun

  Once there was a beautiful woman of the court who was young and much admired. However, she wanted to become a nun. Visiting the temple, she asked the priest to take her into the order but the priest told her that she was young, powerful and had a full life before her and that her beauty was too much of an issue. He continued his refusal by telling her she would not fit in well as a nun because of her youth and her extreme good looks, but still she pleaded on. In the end, the priest left the room and waited for her to leave. However, she did not leave. Instead she put iron tongs in the fire of the brazier, and when red hot she held them to her face, burning her flesh and disfiguring her beauty. After this the priest accepted her into the order.

  O-same and the Haunted Robe

  Once a young woman was walking in town when she spied a most beautiful samurai in the gorgeous robes of his rank. At once she was in love. She did not have the opportunity to talk with him, and when home she thought of him all day. The woman decided on a plan. She would make purple robes with symbols like his own and wear them around town to draw his attention and win his heart. However, she never saw him again and spent nights crying over the robe, eventually falling ill and dying. The robe was then given to the temple as was custom, but the monk decided to sell the expensive item. The robes were bought by a young woman, but when she brought them home she was haunted by images of a beautiful samurai and soon died. Again the robe returned to the temple, b
ut again it was sold and another girl died in pain; yet again it was returned and resold, and yet again it killed and was returned. This time the monk decided that it was a robe of ill will and ordered a fire to be lit in the temple area. When he threw the robe on the fire, the flames leapt up in the air and formed ideograms which had been used in a prayer – the very prayer O-same had used when she prayed for her samurai love. These flame-spirit letters reached the roof of the temple and it burst into flame, but woe, there is more – the fire spread all across Edo. This fire was in the 1650s and is remembered as the Great Fire of the Long-sleeved Robe. The fire was real, but this is the legend.