Amidst the Halloween posts, I thought it would be refreshing to explore the ghosts of another culture.

In mid-1870’s Japan there was a brief circulation of nishiki-e; colorful woodblock prints, generally depicting the shocking crimes and scandals featured in newspapers. However, many told stories with a more supernatural bent. There was a swift government ban on these “unreliable” information sources, but a number of them were collected and preserved.

This print shows the ghost of a disgruntled candy store owner who grew ill and died after falling deep in debt to his neighbor, the owner of a successful tempura restaurant. The ghost has returned to settle the score.

This print shows the restless ghost of a woman whose husband neglected her so much that she fell ill and died. Upset at the way he was raising their young child, she returned from the spirit world to complain in his ear while he slept. The baby woke up and began to cry, so she cradled it in her arms and began to nurse it. When the man awoke and screamed at the sight of his undead wife, she vanished.

Many more colorful prints, along with their anecdotes here.