Japanese Ghost Stories - The Demon's Arm (Ogre of Rashomon)
-
-
- SamuraiDave
- added this
Summertime is ghost-time in Japan. It's time to tell scary stories in order combat the summer's heat with the cold chill that only ghost stories can bring.
This story is a version of the Ogre of Rashomon as the story is named in Yei Theodora Ozaki's Japanese Fairy Tales. I however refer to the titular creature as a demon based on the Japanese word "oni" which is demon/devil.
Rashomon is a gate that once stood in Kyoto that lapsed into disrepair and became a place of ill repute. According to legend a demon took up residence there and snatched up passer-bys. Eventually it bit off more than it could chew when it tried to grab a samurai.
The photos were taken by me of the temple gate of Zojo-ji Temple in Tokyo, a shot of a float from the Nebuta festival of Aomori showing a samurai fighting a demon (Raiko and Shuten-doji), and a depiction of the story on a float at the Neputa Festival in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture. The other images are 19th Century woodblock (ukiyoe) prints.
This story is a version of the Ogre of Rashomon as the story is named in Yei Theodora Ozaki's Japanese Fairy Tales. I however refer to the titular creature as a demon based on the Japanese word "oni" which is demon/devil.
Rashomon is a gate that once stood in Kyoto that lapsed into disrepair and became a place of ill repute. According to legend a demon took up residence there and snatched up passer-bys. Eventually it bit off more than it could chew when it tried to grab a samurai.
The photos were taken by me of the temple gate of Zojo-ji Temple in Tokyo, a shot of a float from the Nebuta festival of Aomori showing a samurai fighting a demon (Raiko and Shuten-doji), and a depiction of the story on a float at the Neputa Festival in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture. The other images are 19th Century woodblock (ukiyoe) prints.
-
- groups:
- Community, Entertainment, Culture, Art and Style, 6 more
-
- tags:
- Japan, Ghosts, Japanese Culture, Storytelling, 3 more
-
-
figgdimension
-
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SRhaKmrhIw
a good one too...and one of the oldest and most famous ancient japanese ghost stories thanks voted/\ - 10 months ago
-
figgdimension
-
-
-
SamuraiDave
-
figgdimension:
Yotsuya Kaiden (Oiwa) isn't the oldest ghost story (it dates from the 18th Century) but it's one of the most famous in Japan. Supposedly the play is cursed
- 10 months ago
-
SamuraiDave
-
-
remanns
-
A grade. much +^d "Featured" at "SF&F and Comics" !
- 10 months ago
-
remanns
-
-
Incredulous
-
OMG! I have a photo of this gate in my basket of family photos....this could explain soooo much of our family history.
Naaaah....more likely it's those cantankerous Irish genes.
Awesome post Dave....political implications to this day? --perhaps. +^d!
- 10 months ago
-
Incredulous
