Goryō

Goryō (御霊) [ɡoɾʲoː] are vengeful Japanese ghosts from the aristocratic classes, especially those who died from unnatural causes such as war, famine or disease..[1]

This article is about the mythological Japanese spirit. For the Korean dynasty, see Goryeo.

It is a term of respect used to refer to the spirits or souls of the deceased. This usage is often associated with spirits that were believed to have caused misfortune or disaster, such as the spread of disease or famine. For example, the "Sandai Jitsuroku" (a historical Japanese document) mentions that six shrines were dedicated to the worship of goryō, which were the spirits of those who died from non-natural causes. Later on, two more shrines were added, bringing the total to eight.[1]

Description

The name consists of two kanji, 御 (go) meaning honorable and 霊 (ryō) meaning soul or spirit.

Arising mainly in the Heian period, the belief was that "the spirits of powerful lords who had been wronged were capable of catastrophic vengeance, including destruction of crops and the summoning of a typhoon or an earthquake".

According to tradition, the only way to "quell the wrath of a goryō" was with the help of a yamabushi, who could "perform the necessary rites that would tame the spirit".

An example of a goryō is the Shinto kami known as Tenjin:

Government official Sugawara no Michizane was killed in a plot by a rival member of the Fujiwara clan. In the years after his death, the capital city was struck by heavy rain and lightning, and his chief Fujiwara adversary and Emperor Daigo's crown prince died, while fires caused by lightning and floods destroyed many residences. The court drew the conclusion that the disturbances were caused by Michizane's angry spirit. In order to placate him, the emperor restored all his offices, burned the official order of exile, and he was promoted to Senior Second Rank. Even this wasn't enough, and 70 years later he was elevated to the post of Daijō-daijin, and he was deified as Tenjin-sama, which means "heavenly deity". He became the patron god of calligraphy, of poetry and of those who suffer injustice. A shrine was established at Kitano. With the support of the government, it was immediately raised to the first rank of official shrines.[2]

See also

Notes
  1. 日本国語大辞典,デジタル大辞泉,世界大百科事典内言及, 精選版. "御霊(ごりょう)とは？ 意味や使い方". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-02-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Morris, 54.

References
  • Iwasaka, Michiko and Toelken, Barre. Ghosts and the Japanese: Cultural Experiences in Japanese Death Legends, Utah State University Press, 1994. ISBN 0-87421-179-4
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