Goryō: Difference between revisions
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An example of a {{transliteration|ja|goryō}} is the [[kami|Shinto kami]] known as [[Tenjin (kami)|Tenjin]]: |
An example of a {{transliteration|ja|goryō}} is the [[kami|Shinto kami]] known as [[Tenjin (kami)|Tenjin]]: |
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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 |
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 {{transliteration|ja|onryō}}. 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.<ref>Morris, 54.</ref></blockquote> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 19:55, 24 February 2023
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]
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]
Goryō is often used as a synonym for onryō (怨霊). Goryō Shinko (御霊信仰) refers to the belief that the onryō of people who have died unfortunate deaths cause hauntings and disasters, and the belief that they are enshrined as kami to appease them.[2]
Description
The name consists of two kanji, 御 (go) meaning honorable and 霊 (ryō) meaning soul or spirit.
The belief that the spirits of those who died with resentment or anger after being treated unfairly caused hauntings existed before the Nara period (710–794). However, the belief that the spirits of those who died after being defeated in a power struggle among the nobility caused plagues and natural disasters, and that Shinto shrines were built to appease their spirits and enshrine them as kami, arose from the Nara to the Heian periods (794–1185). The first example is Prince Sawara, who was stripped of his position as crown prince and exiled to Awaji Island to die in 785. After his death, a plague epidemic broke out in Kyoto, which people feared was caused by his spirit, and the Kamigoryo Shrine (ja) was built in Kyoto in 794 to appease his spirit, and he was enshrined as a kami.[2]
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 onryō. 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.[3]
See also
- Emperor Sutoku
- Japanese folklore
- Onryō
- Taira no Masakado
- Yurei
- Goryō faith
- The common end of myriad good deeds
- Ghosts in Chinese culture
Notes
- ^ a b 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) - ^ a b 御霊信仰 (in Japanese). Kotobank. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ 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
External links
- The image of the Goryō for Japanese families[permanent dead link]
- Goryo Shinko - The Religion of Ghosts - An article about the Heian period Goryo religion at hyakumonogatari.com