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{{Short description|Yōkai in Japanese mythology}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2018}}
[[File:19.Yume no seirei.jpg|thumb|Yume no seirei ゆめのせいれい from [[Bakemono no e]] (化物之繪, c. 1700), Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts, [[L. Tom Perry Special Collections Library|L. Tom Perry Special Collections]], [[Harold B. Lee Library]], [[Brigham Young University]].]]
[[File:19.Yume no seirei.jpg|thumb|Yume no seirei ゆめのせいれい from [[Bakemono no e]] (化物之繪, c. 1700), Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts, [[L. Tom Perry Special Collections Library|L. Tom Perry Special Collections]], [[Harold B. Lee Library]], [[Brigham Young University]].]]
'''Yume no seirei,''' 夢の精霊 or “dream spirit”, is a mysterious ''[[yōkai]]'' believed to cause nightmares.<ref>{{Cite book|title=E de miru Edo no yōkai zukan.|last=Zenyōji|first=Susumu|publisher=Kōsaidō Shuppan,|year=2015|isbn=9784331519578|location=Tokyo|pages=309}}</ref>
{{nihongo|'''''Yume no seirei'''''|夢の精霊|“dream spirit”}}, is a mysterious ''[[yōkai]]'' in [[Japanese mythology]] believed to cause [[nightmares]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=E de miru Edo no yōkai zukan.|last=Zenyōji|first=Susumu|publisher=Kōsaidō Shuppan|year=2015|isbn=9784331519578|location=Tokyo|pages=309}}</ref>


== Origins ==
== Origins ==
Belief in the supernatural was particularly strong during the [[Heian period|Heian]] and [[Edo period|Edo]] periods. During this time, many believed that the spirits of the dead caused a multitude of evils for the living.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Japanese Ghosts & Demons: Art of the Supernatural|last=Addiss|first=Stephen|publisher=Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas|year=1985|isbn=|location=New York|pages=68}}</ref> On certain nights, demons and ghosts would move in a haunting procession from dusk to dawn, known as the ''[[Hyakki Yagyō|Hyakki yakō]]'' or night procession of one hundred demons.* Occasionally, ''yume no seirei'' appears in this procession. He appears in the ''[[Hyakkai Zukan]],'' "The Illustrated Volume of a Hundred Demons," created by Sawaki Suushi in 1737.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyakkai_Zukan|title=Hyakkai Zukan|last=|first=|date=|website=Wikipedia|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=5 December 2018}}</ref> ''Yume no seirei'' is also part of the ''[[Bakemono no e|Bakemonozukushie]]'' (化物尽絵, "Illustrated Index of Supernatural Creatures"), housed in the Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts of the [[L. Tom Perry Special Collections Library|L. Tom Perry Special Collections]], [[Harold B. Lee Library]] at [[Brigham Young University]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakemono_no_e|title=Bakemono no e|last=|first=|date=|website=Wikipedia|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=5 December 2018}}</ref>
Belief in the supernatural was particularly strong during the [[Heian period|Heian]] and [[Edo period|Edo]] periods. During this time, many believed that the spirits of the dead caused a multitude of evils for the living.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Japanese Ghosts & Demons: Art of the Supernatural|last=Addiss|first=Stephen|publisher=Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas|year=1985|location=New York|pages=68}}</ref> On certain nights, demons and ghosts would move in a haunting procession from dusk to dawn, known as the ''[[Hyakki Yagyō|Hyakki yakō]]'' or night procession of one hundred demons.* Occasionally, ''yume no seirei'' appears in this procession. He appears in the ''[[Hyakkai Zukan]],'' "The Illustrated Volume of a Hundred Demons," created by Sawaki Suushi in 1737.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} ''Yume no seirei'' is also part of the ''[[Bakemono no e|Bakemonozukushie]]'' (化物尽絵, "Illustrated Index of Supernatural Creatures"), housed in the Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts of the [[L. Tom Perry Special Collections Library|L. Tom Perry Special Collections]], [[Harold B. Lee Library]] at [[Brigham Young University]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Bakemono no e |url=https://search.lib.byu.edu/byu/record/lee.991658?holding=ufs3as1qscmd6ed0 |website=search.lib.byu.edu |publisher=Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University |date=1700}}</ref>


== Physical Appearance ==
== Physical Appearance ==
[[File:Suushi Yume-no-seirei.jpg|thumb|Sawaki Suushi, Yume-no-seirei from the [[Hyakkai-Zukan]], circa 1737.]]
[[File:Suushi Yume-no-seirei.jpg|thumb|Sawaki Suushi, Yume-no-seirei from the [[Hyakkai-Zukan]], circa 1737.]]
Artists depict ''yume no seirei'' as an emaciated, elderly man. He wears a loose white robe, which reveals his frail body and exposed ribcage. His thin wispy hair flows behind him in a ghostly motion. In his right hand he holds a cane and with his left he reaches out, beckoning. The bottom half of his body eerily fades away as if he is disappearing. His appearance is similar to the description of the female ghosts ''[[Yūrei|yurei]]''.<blockquote>"During the Edo Period (1600-1867) a female yurei was conceived of in terms not unlike that of a Western ghost. Artists often depicted her with long straight hair and waving or beckoning hands. Pale clothing with long, flowing sleeves was draped loosely about the seemingly fragile figure, and the head and upper part of the body were strongly delineated. From the waist down, however, the form was misty and tapered into nothingness.”<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>
Artists depict ''yume no seirei'' as an emaciated, elderly man. He wears a loose white robe, which reveals his frail body and exposed ribcage. His thin wispy hair flows behind him in a ghostly motion. In his right hand he holds a cane and with his left he reaches out, beckoning. The bottom half of his body eerily fades away as if he is disappearing. His appearance is similar to the description of the female ghosts ''[[Yūrei|yurei]]''.<blockquote>"During the Edo Period (1600–1867) a female yurei was conceived of in terms not unlike that of a Western ghost. Artists often depicted her with long straight hair and waving or beckoning hands. Pale clothing with long, flowing sleeves was draped loosely about the seemingly fragile figure, and the head and upper part of the body were strongly delineated. From the waist down, however, the form was misty and tapered into nothingness.”<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>


== Similar ''yōkai'' ==
== Similar ''yōkai'' ==


=== Binbōgami ===
=== Binbōgami ===
In some sources, this image of ''yume no seirei'' is used to illustrate the kami of poverty, [[Binbōgami|''binbōgami''.]] Like ''yume no seirei'', ''binbōgami'' is a skinny, dirty, old man. Perhaps their similar physical description explains why this image of an old emaciated figure has been used for both ''yōkai''. However, unlike ''yume no seirei'' who brings nightmares, binbōgami brings poverty.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binb%C5%8Dgami|title=Binbōgami|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=5 December 2018}}</ref>
In some sources, this image of ''yume no seirei'' is used to illustrate the kami of poverty, ''[[binbōgami]]''. Like ''yume no seirei'', ''binbōgami'' is a skinny, dirty, old man. Perhaps their similar physical description explains why this image of an old emaciated figure has been used for both ''yōkai''. However, unlike ''yume no seirei'' who brings nightmares, binbōgami brings poverty.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}


=== Makura-gaeshi ===
=== Makura-gaeshi ===
''Makura-gaeshi''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://yokai.com/makuragaeshi/|title=Makuragaeshi|last=|first=|date=|website=yokai.com|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=5 December 2018}}</ref>, or pillow shifter, is another ''yōkai'' relate to sleep. Sleep was a particularly vulnerable state of being because it was believed that the spirit and physical body seemed to separated while dreaming.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=The book of yōkai : mysterious creatures of Japanese folklore.|last=Foster|first=Michael Dylan|publisher=University of California Press.|year=2015|isbn=9780520959125|location=Oakland|pages=280}}</ref> The pillow was a threshold, a sort of magical device, that allowed one to travel to another world. Because of this, pillows were treated with respect. It would have been disturbing to wake up and discover that your pillow had been shifted. If the makura-gaeshi moved your pillow while you were asleep, it was possible that your spirit would not be able to return to the body.<ref name=":1" /> This threat turns a seemingly innocuous prank into a deadly one and is all the more frightening because of the vulnerable unconscious state of dreaming.
''Makura-gaeshi'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://yokai.com/makuragaeshi/|title=Makuragaeshi|website=yokai.com|access-date=5 December 2018}}</ref> or pillow shifter, is another ''yōkai'' related to sleep. Sleep was a particularly vulnerable state of being because it was believed that the spirit and physical body seemed to separate while dreaming.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=The book of yōkai : mysterious creatures of Japanese folklore.|last=Foster|first=Michael Dylan|publisher=University of California Press.|year=2015|isbn=9780520959125|location=Oakland|pages=280}}</ref> The pillow was a threshold, a sort of magical device, that allowed one to travel to another world. Because of this, pillows were treated with respect. It would have been disturbing to wake up and discover that your pillow had been shifted. If the makura-gaeshi moved your pillow while you were asleep, it was possible that your spirit would not be able to return to the body.<ref name=":1" /> This threat turns a seemingly innocuous prank into a deadly one and is all the more frightening because of the vulnerable unconscious state of dreaming.


=== Baku ===
=== Baku ===
''Baku'', or dream-eater, is a benevolent ''yōkai'' with the power to eat nightmares.<ref name=":1" /> As a remedy for nightmares, baku can be seen as the antithesis of ''yume no seirei''.
''Baku'', or dream-eater, is a benevolent ''yōkai'' with the power to eat nightmares.<ref name=":1" /> As a remedy for nightmares, baku can be seen as the antithesis of ''yume no seirei''.

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Japanese folklore long}}

[[Category:Yōkai]]

Latest revision as of 21:42, 29 March 2024

Yume no seirei ゆめのせいれい from Bakemono no e (化物之繪, c. 1700), Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.

Yume no seirei (夢の精霊, “dream spirit”), is a mysterious yōkai in Japanese mythology believed to cause nightmares.[1]

Origins[edit]

Belief in the supernatural was particularly strong during the Heian and Edo periods. During this time, many believed that the spirits of the dead caused a multitude of evils for the living.[2] On certain nights, demons and ghosts would move in a haunting procession from dusk to dawn, known as the Hyakki yakō or night procession of one hundred demons.* Occasionally, yume no seirei appears in this procession. He appears in the Hyakkai Zukan, "The Illustrated Volume of a Hundred Demons," created by Sawaki Suushi in 1737.[citation needed] Yume no seirei is also part of the Bakemonozukushie (化物尽絵, "Illustrated Index of Supernatural Creatures"), housed in the Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University.[3]

Physical Appearance[edit]

Sawaki Suushi, Yume-no-seirei from the Hyakkai-Zukan, circa 1737.

Artists depict yume no seirei as an emaciated, elderly man. He wears a loose white robe, which reveals his frail body and exposed ribcage. His thin wispy hair flows behind him in a ghostly motion. In his right hand he holds a cane and with his left he reaches out, beckoning. The bottom half of his body eerily fades away as if he is disappearing. His appearance is similar to the description of the female ghosts yurei.

"During the Edo Period (1600–1867) a female yurei was conceived of in terms not unlike that of a Western ghost. Artists often depicted her with long straight hair and waving or beckoning hands. Pale clothing with long, flowing sleeves was draped loosely about the seemingly fragile figure, and the head and upper part of the body were strongly delineated. From the waist down, however, the form was misty and tapered into nothingness.”[2]

Similar yōkai[edit]

Binbōgami[edit]

In some sources, this image of yume no seirei is used to illustrate the kami of poverty, binbōgami. Like yume no seirei, binbōgami is a skinny, dirty, old man. Perhaps their similar physical description explains why this image of an old emaciated figure has been used for both yōkai. However, unlike yume no seirei who brings nightmares, binbōgami brings poverty.[citation needed]

Makura-gaeshi[edit]

Makura-gaeshi,[4] or pillow shifter, is another yōkai related to sleep. Sleep was a particularly vulnerable state of being because it was believed that the spirit and physical body seemed to separate while dreaming.[5] The pillow was a threshold, a sort of magical device, that allowed one to travel to another world. Because of this, pillows were treated with respect. It would have been disturbing to wake up and discover that your pillow had been shifted. If the makura-gaeshi moved your pillow while you were asleep, it was possible that your spirit would not be able to return to the body.[5] This threat turns a seemingly innocuous prank into a deadly one and is all the more frightening because of the vulnerable unconscious state of dreaming.

Baku[edit]

Baku, or dream-eater, is a benevolent yōkai with the power to eat nightmares.[5] As a remedy for nightmares, baku can be seen as the antithesis of yume no seirei.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Zenyōji, Susumu (2015). E de miru Edo no yōkai zukan. Tokyo: Kōsaidō Shuppan. p. 309. ISBN 9784331519578.
  2. ^ a b Addiss, Stephen (1985). Japanese Ghosts & Demons: Art of the Supernatural. New York: Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas. p. 68.
  3. ^ "Bakemono no e". search.lib.byu.edu. Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. 1700.
  4. ^ "Makuragaeshi". yokai.com. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Foster, Michael Dylan (2015). The book of yōkai : mysterious creatures of Japanese folklore. Oakland: University of California Press. p. 280. ISBN 9780520959125.
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