Traditional Japanese Ghost Story: Okiku

The Japanese love telling ghost stories. One prevalent tale that has been shared since the 12^th century is “The Story of Okiku.” 

This story involves a traditional Japanese ghost called a “yuurei.” Like many ghost stories that have been told from one generation to the next, there are several versions of Okiku’s story.

This story is connected to Japanese religious beliefs. The Shinto belief is that all people have a soul, which is called a “reikon.” When a person dies, their reikon leaves their body and joins the souls of their ancestors. 

The Japanese believe there are exceptions to this. For instance, if a person dies suddenly because they were murdered, killed in battle, or they commit suicide-- then their bodies are often not given a proper burial. 

These misplaced souls sometimes become revengeful ghosts called “yuureis.” Yuurei in Japanese means—the soul of the dead.

Many yuureis are females who in life suffered greatly. Causes for this suffering might be love, jealousy, sorrow, or regret. 

These ghosts usually appear wearing the traditional Japanese white kimono known as a Katabira. For centuries these kimonos were used to bury women in. 

Two more defining characteristics of the yuurei ghost is they have no legs, and they are seen between the hours of 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. 

One of the most famous yuurei ghosts appears in the folk story, Bancho Sarayashiki—The Story of Okiku. As stated above, this story has several versions. 

This story is about a young maid named Okiku, who works for a family whose master Tessan Aoyama is a samurai. One day while cleaning the families’ ten precious ceramic plates, she accidentally breaks one of them. The outraged Aoyama kills her and throws her body into a well. 

Every night, after this, Okiku’s ghost rises from the well, slowly she is heard counting out nine plates, and then she breaks into heartbreaking sobs over and over again. This torments Aoyama, who goes insane in the end. So Okiku gets her revenge.

Most versions of this story have Okiku counting from one to nine, and then she heart- wails and sobs. They also state she was thrown in the well after being killed. 

She is always portrayed as the innocent victim of an unreasonable master.

One variation of the story mentions Aoyama actually wants to seduce Okiku. When she refuses his advances, he hides one of the ten Dutch plates and states he will accuse her of stealing it, if she does not become his mistress. In desperation, she throws herself into the well. 

Yet another version has the samurai’s wife break the plate, then she throws it in the well to hide her deed, she tells her husband Okiku stole it, then he kills Okiku. 

One kinder ending to this story has Aoyama paying a family friend to hide in the well and wait for Okiku to appear. As she counts one to nine, he finishes for her by shouting “ten.” This finally stops the sobbing and allows Okiku to rest.

The Japanese state that the well that Okiku was thrown into after she was killed still exists. The most common location cited is at Himeji Castle, also known as the White Egret Castle. 

This castle located west of Kobe has kept its original form for nearly 400 years. It is considered Japan’s most beautiful castle. 

In Japan’s recent devastating earthquake and tsunami, it was not impacted. 

Another area cited for being the possible location of Okiku’s well is at the Canadian embassy in Tokyo that was established on land bought from the Aoyama family. 

Thailand’s Spirit and Ghost Beliefs

Thailand is Buddhist but they also have an animistic belief in ghosts. This belief is a hold over from before Buddhist times. So their Buddhism is mixed with a spirit based religion.

If you have visited Thailand you probably have noticed little toy houses near most of the buildings. I have a friend who inquired about the significance of these little houses. He found most of the Thai people would not discuss their Buddhist ghost beliefs with him. It is a closely guarded secret.

The Thai feel that spirits are everywhere; they feel strongly that some spirits can even cause trouble. Because of this belief they feel it is important to appease these spirits so they can live their lives in peace. One way they do this is by building or having a little home built for these spirits. Every day the Thai people make offerings to these spirits by leaving water, food, candles, incense, and flowers for them. They feel this pleases the spirits and at the same time keeps them away.

The Thai also believe that not all spirits are bad. They believe that some spirits if they are pleased and treated with respect will help the living by keeping angry ghosts and unwanted intruders away. They also feel these good spirits can help keep them healthy.

These spirit houses are not only outside Thai homes they are often placed outside hotels, hospitals, and office buildings. They can be seen throughout Thailand. They are placed on a post that is at eye-level or slightly higher. When a new house is built the average Thai has a Brahmin priest find the best location for their spirit house in their garden. These houses are always placed facing north or south--north preferably. The Thai people before improving their own homes will improve and enlarge their spirit houses.

The Thai routinely pray or ask these spirits for better jobs, greater wealth, good relationships, and protection. They feel as long as they treat them with respect the spirits will be good to them. In the same vein they feel if a person ignores these spirits they better be on their guard.

Most Thai people in general fear ghosts because of the ghost stories that their parents told them when they were little in order to keep them away from certain places. In Thailand spirits are considered higher in rank than ghosts. They belief ghosts can do horrible things to you: they can make you lose your money, or even your wife. They also can make you sick and even physically accost you.

The Thai believe that when a stranger comes to stay at their home this visitor must first ask permission and protection from the spirit in their spirit house. The homeowner then rewards the spirit for doing them this favor by offering them duck, chicken or a large coconut. If this is not done it is believed their visitor will have really bad dreams and the evil spirit "Phee" will sit on their chest making it hard for them to breathe.

Many Thai say they have seen these ghosts and the Thai media often report on these sightings. Again people from Thailand do not like talking about this but they feel in essence that a war is going on between spirits and ghosts. When questioned about this they evade answering. Despite this it is well known that every village has what they call a “spirit specialist” who looks for just the right spots to place spirit houses. This specialist conducts a ceremony where he chants the proper mantras in order to establish protection for the living.

“These Buddhist ghost beliefs still play a big influence in the lives of the Thai.”                                                                              
                                               --Buddhist Ghost Beliefs

Spirit Houses
Sino-Thai Tower
Bangkok

The only exception are the young Thai of the latest generation who live in large cities. This portion of the Thai population is the first to ignore this tradition.

New Mexico Legend: The Miraculous Staircase

In 1610 the Spanish founded Santa Fe, today the capital of New Mexico. Santa Fe was originally called the “Royal City of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi,” in Spanish-- La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Assisi. 

Santa Fe remained under the control of the New Republic of Mexico for 25 years. In 1848 with the U.S. victory in the Mexican War the southwest was ceded to the United States.

Loretto Chapel

At the end of the Old Santa Fe Trail in the capital stands the Loretto Chapel. In 1850 Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy was appointed by the Catholic Church to New Mexico territory. 

Seeking to spread the faith and bring an educational system to the territory he sent out a plea for priests, brothers, and nuns to come preach and teach.

In 1852 the Sisters of Loretto founded in 1812 in Kentucky responded to Lamy’s plea. They sent seven sisters but only five arrived in 1852, their journey to Santa Fe was very difficult. 

Their Mother Superior died in a cholera epidemic as they traveled by wagon and another sister became too ill to continue and returned to Kentucky. 

These sisters opened the “Academy of Our Lady of Light (Loretto) in 1853. In 1855 several more sisters joined them. Their school grew to over 300 students with a campus that covered a square block with ten buildings.

Despite the challenges of the new territory, which included: smallpox, tuberculosis, leaky mud roofs, and a brush with rowdy Confederate Texas soldiers during the Civil War the Loretta Sister’s school thrived. Their student’s tuitions were paid through donations, and from the sister’s own inheritances from their families.

Bishop Lamy brought architect Antoine Mouly and his son from Paris, France to Santa Fe to build what is now St. Francis Cathedral. It took them ten years to complete the construction. 

During this time Lamy encouraged the Loretta Sisters to have the Mouly’s design and build their dream chapel as well. The sisters again pooled their own inheritances to raise the $30,000 required to build the chapel.

Work began on the Loretto in 1873. The Mouly’s fashioned the chapel after the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. The stain glass used was purchased from the DuBois Studio in Paris. It traveled to Santa Fe by sailing ship, paddleboat, and wagon. Construction on the chapel was completed in 1878.

During the time the Loretto Chapel was completed it was standard practice to use a ladder to get to the choir loft in churches. The Loretto Sisters found their long habits prevented them from climbing this ladder. 

Carpenters were called in to address the problem, these craftsmen all stated that a staircase would take up too much floor space in the small chapel.

Legend states the sister’s in an attempt to find a solution to the seating problem, made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. 

He used a square, saw, hammer, and water and worked in privacy. Six months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter who built it by himself disappeared without thanks or collecting his pay.

The sisters searched for this carpenter, they even put an ad in the local newspaper. When they found no trace of him the sisters concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come to answer their prayers. 

Many still believe in this legend. In recent years several people have tried to debunk it but the more recent Sisters of Loretto have not accepted any of the new explanations for the mysterious carpenter.

When I was little the staircase was still open for visitors to walk up and down—it was originally built without the handrails that adorn it today and it is extremely steep. 

The staircase design was not only innovative for the time but this structure also enhances the aesthetic appeal of the entire chapel. The Gothic Loretto Chapel as a whole is a very beautiful place.

“It has been surmised that the central spiral of the staircase is narrow enough to serve as a central beam. Nonetheless there was no attachment unto any wall or pole in the original staircase.”

Some of the design elements of the Loretto Chapel’s staircase still perplex architects, engineers, and master craftsmen today. The staircase makes over two complete 360-degree turns, stands 20 feet tall and has no center support. It rests solely on its base and against the choir loft. 

The risers of the 33 steps are all the same height. It was made from a wood that was not found anywhere in the region. Where this lumber came from is a part of the mystery for no one saw any deliveries. Glue and nails were not used in its construction just wooden square pegs.

Hundreds of thousands of people have visited the Loretto Chapel over the years to view The Miraculous Staircase. The Loretto Academy was closed in 1968—the chapel was put up for sale. In 1971, the chapel was informally deconsecrated as a Catholic chapel. Today it is run as a private museum.

Shirley Plantation: The Ghost of Aunt Pratt

The Shirley Plantation, located in Virginia's coastal region, is the states oldest plantation. It was founded in 1613, just six years after the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown. 

During its long history Shirley has been the home for eleven generations of the same family, today this family continues to own, operate, and work this grand plantation. 

The Shirley Plantation is a National Historic Landmark.

Through its history, this southern plantation managed to survive Indian uprisings, Bacon’s Rebellion, the American Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the Great Depression. 

One story about the Plantation’s main house called the “Grand House” took place during the civil war. 

Around 2000 Union soldiers camped around the plantation. The Shirley women turned the Grand House into a hospital where they tended to both Union and Confederate soldiers, it is believed this is why the house was not burned down.

The descendants of Edward Hill I, the original owner, still reside in a private residence on the plantation. The Shirley Plantation is the oldest family-run business in North America. 

Edward Hill I established the farm in 1638, and construction on the Grand House started in 1723, when Elizabeth Hill, the great-granddaughter of the first Hill married. The house was completed in 1738. 

The Shirley Plantation is known for its resident ghost. 

Martha Hill Pratt was known to the family as “Aunt Pratt.” She was the daughter of Edward Hill III, 17th-century owner of the Shirley. 

Her manifestations occur through a portrait of her that hangs in the Grand House.

When Martha Pratt finished her schooling, she left an unsigned portrait of herself at the Grand House. She traveled to England where she married an Englishman by the name of Huge Griffin. The surname Pratt is a family pet name.

Originally this portrait was hung in a bedroom on the second floor. When Martha passed away, the family moved her picture to the third floor. After this, the family noticed the portrait started to shake and rock on the wall. So they moved the painting to the attic. 

Then the family began hearing knocking sounds all over the house. Yet later, when they moved the portrait to the first floor, it continued to tremble and shake. 

Some concluded Martha's spirit was attached to the picture, and she was apparently not happy with the moves.

The portraits strange behavior led to it being put on display in New York. While being filmed for a television report, the camera caught it shaking. 

Over the years, the portraits’ shaking and rocking caused its frame to break down. While in a shop being repaired workers stated that they heard bells tolling, but there were no bells in the area.

When the portrait was returned to the house, it was hung in its original place on the second floor. It seems to be finally at peace. 

School groups that tour the Grand House are encouraged to stand to the side when viewing Aunt Pratt’s portrait because she does not like to have her view out the window blocked. Her dark eyes and stern mouth dominate the room.