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'''Atmospheric ghost lights''' are lights or fires of unknown origin or cause.
'''Atmospheric ghost lights''' are lights or fires of unknown origin or cause.


Examples include the [[onibi]], [[hitodama]], [[will-o'-wisp]], etc. and are often seen in human climates<ref name="角田1979">[[#角田1979|角田1979年]]、11-53頁。</ref>
Examples include the [[onibi]], [[hitodama]], [[will-o'-wisp]], etc. and are often seen in humid climates<ref name="角田1979">[[#角田1979|角田1979年]]、11-53頁。</ref>


According to legends, some of these fires are said to be wandering spirits of the dead, the work of [[devil]]s or [[yokai]], or the pranks of [[fairy|fairies]], and in many cases they are feared by humans as a portent of death. In other parts of the world, there are folk beliefs that places where supernatural fires appear are places where treasure is buried, and these fires are said to be the spirits of the treasure itself, or the spirits of humans buried with grave goods.<ref name="角田1979" /> They are also sometimes thought to be related to [[UFO]]s.<ref name="神田1992">[[#神田1992|神田1992年]]、275-278頁。</ref>
According to legends, some of these fires are said to be wandering spirits of the dead, the work of [[devil]]s or [[yokai]], or the pranks of [[fairy|fairies]], and in many cases they are feared by humans as a portent of death. In other parts of the world, there are folk beliefs that places where supernatural fires appear are places where treasure is buried, and these fires are said to be the spirits of the treasure itself, or the spirits of humans buried with grave goods.<ref name="角田1979" /> They are also sometimes thought to be related to [[UFO]]s.<ref name="神田1992">[[#神田1992|神田1992年]]、275-278頁。</ref>

Revision as of 15:52, 15 April 2013

Atmospheric ghost lights are lights or fires of unknown origin or cause.

Examples include the onibi, hitodama, will-o'-wisp, etc. and are often seen in humid climates[1]

According to legends, some of these fires are said to be wandering spirits of the dead, the work of devils or yokai, or the pranks of fairies, and in many cases they are feared by humans as a portent of death. In other parts of the world, there are folk beliefs that places where supernatural fires appear are places where treasure is buried, and these fires are said to be the spirits of the treasure itself, or the spirits of humans buried with grave goods.[1] They are also sometimes thought to be related to UFOs.[2]

Some fires of unknown origin, like St. Elmo's fire or the shiranui have recently been explained to be optical phenomenon of light emitted through electrical activity. Other theories concerning the origin of these fires include the combustion of flammable gasses, ball lightning, falling meteors, torches and other human-made fires, misrecognition/illusion of human-made objects, and pranks.[2][3] Atmospheric ghost lights have been explained as nothing more than natural phenemon, illusions, or misrecognitions like these.[2]

Examples of atmospheric ghost lights from Japan

Other than the onibi and hitodama stated previously, there are also various examples of legends of atmospheric ghost lights like the kitsunebi and the shiranui.

Osabi (筬火, lit. "'guide for yarn on loom' fire")
In the Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture area, it was an atmospheric ghost light that had first-hand accounts until the middle of the Meiji period. They are two balls of fire that would appear side by side on rainy nights at a pond called the Misuma pond (Misumaike). It is said that a woman lent an osa (a guide for yearn on a loom) to another woman, and when she came to retrieve it back, it turned into an argument where one said that it has already been returned, and the other said it has not, and the two mistakenly fallen to the pond, and their grudge became this atmospheric ghost fire, and even afterwards these two fires are said to be still arguing.[4] It is said that something misfortunate would continue befall those who see this mysteriuos fire.[5]
Obora
Told in the legends of Ōmi Island, Ehime Prefecture. It is said to be the spiritual fire of a deceased person.[6] In Miyakubo village, Ochi District of the same prefecture, (now Imabari), they are called "oborabi," and there is a legend of atmospheric ghost fires appearing above sea or at graves,[7] and these are sometimes seen as the same kind of fire.[8]
Kane no Kami no Hi (金の神の火, lit. "fire of the metal god")
Told in the legends of Nuwa Island, Ehime Prefecture. There are statements about it in the folkloristics publication, Sōgō Nippon Minzoku Goi. It is a fire that appears deep at night on New Year's Eve, behind the patron Shinto god (main building) of Nuwa Island. It has a characteristic of making sounds like that of humans screaming, and between the locals, they are seen as sign that the goddess of lucky directions has appeared.[9]
Kinka (金火, lit. "gold fire")
It appeared in the collection of fantastic stories Sanshū Kidan. They are said to appear at Hachiman Jōshikaidō and Komatsu, and it was a fuse-like atmospheric ghost light.[10]
"Sayō Shunsō Anzekyū Ika wo Mishi Mono" from "Nishihari Kaidan Jikki"
Kumobi (蜘蛛火, lit. "spider fire")
Told in the legends of Tenkō village, Shiki District, Nara Prefecture (now Sakurai). It is said to that several hundreds of spiders became one ball of fire and flew in the air, and that one would die upon contact with it.[11]
Similarly, in Tamashimayashima, Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, there is the "Kumo no Hi" said to be the deed of spiders. As a red ball of fire that appears above the forest of the Inari shrine on the island, it is said to dance around above mountains and forests like a living thing or a shooting star and then disappear.[12]
In Banshū (now Hyōgo Prefecture), in the collection of fantasitic stories, Nishihari Kaidan Jikki, in the entry "Sayō Shunsō Anzekyū Ika wo Mishi Mono," an atmospheric ghost light would appear in Sayō village, Sayō District, Banshū, and people spoke of it as "perhaps it is a spider fire," but the details have not been made clear.[13]
Gongorōbi (権五郎火, lit. "Gongorō fire")
Told in the legends in the area around Honjō-ji, Sanjō, Niigata Prefecture. A person named Isono no Gongorō, after quarreling with a traveling profesional gambler by a dice gamble and made a huge winning, and when he returned feeling good, he was chased on the road at night by the professional gambler opponent and killed, and it is said that the grudge turned into an atmospheric ghost light. At the nearby faily farm, this Gongorōbi is a sign that rain will fall, and peasants who see Gongorōbi are said to have hurried up in retrieving their rice-drying racks.[14]
"Jōsenbi" from "Ehon Sayo Shigure" by Shungyōsai Hayami
Jōsenbi (地黄煎火, lit. "Jōsen fire")
It was in the Yomihon, the Ehon Sayo Shigure from the Edo period. At Minakuchi, Ōmi (now Kōka, Shiga Prefecture), there was someone who made a livelihood out of selling jōsen (candy made from the sap of Rehmannia glutinosa that is boiled and made into a paste), but was killed by a robber and the money stolen. It is said that its attachment became an atmosheric ghost fire, and it floated on rainy nights.[15]
Sōrikanko
Told in the elegends of Shioire, Oodachi, Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. Its name means "the Kanko of Shioiri village."[16] Once, a beautiful girl named Kanko received many marriage proposals from males, but refused since she already had a man she liked, and a man who took displeasure to this buried her alive in the Niida River, and later its atmospheric ghost light became able to fly. Later, when a rock cement factory was built there, it is said that a small shrine for mourning Kanko was built there.[17]
Susuke Chōchin (煤け提灯, lit. "stained paper lantern")
Told in the legends of Niigata Prefecture. On a rainy night, it would fly around a dumping grounds for a place where corpses are washed for burial, and it is said to fly around airily.[18]
Obi (野火, lit. "field fire")
Told in the legends of Nagaoka District, Tosa Province (now Kōchi Prefecture). It appears regardless of whether it's in the middle of a mountain or in a human village. A fire about as big as an umbrella would float about, and suddenly burst apart into several tens of star-like lights that would spread apart in the air to around what looks like 4 or 5 shaku in distance on the ground, and at times they might even spread several hundreds of meters apart. It is said that by putting saliva onto a zōri and calling for it, it would come above one's head and brilliantly dance in the sky.[19]

Notes

  1. ^ a b 角田1979年、11-53頁。
  2. ^ a b c 神田1992年、275-278頁。
  3. ^ 宮田登 (2002). 妖怪の民俗学・日本の見えない空間. ちくま学芸文庫. 筑摩書房. pp. 168–173. ISBN 978-4-480-08699-0. {{cite book}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)
  4. ^ 柳田國男 (1977). 妖怪談義. 講談社学術文庫. 講談社. p. 214. ISBN 978-4-06-158135-7. {{cite book}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)
  5. ^ 加藤恵 (1989). "県別日本妖怪事典". 歴史読本. 第34巻 (第24号（通巻515号）). 新人物往来社: 332. 雑誌 09618-12. {{cite journal}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)
  6. ^ 日野巌・日野綏彦 (2006). "日本妖怪変化語彙". In 村上健司校訂 (ed.). 動物妖怪譚. 中公文庫. Vol. 下. 中央公論新社. p. 243. ISBN 978-4-12-204792-1. {{cite book}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)
  7. ^ 民俗学研究所1955年、287頁。
  8. ^ 村上健司編著 (2000). 妖怪事典. 毎日新聞社. p. 88. ISBN 978-4-620-31428-0. {{cite book}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)
  9. ^ 民俗学研究所1955年、385頁。
  10. ^ 堀麦水 (2003). "三州奇談". 江戸怪異綺想文芸大系. Vol. 第5巻. 高田衛監修. 国書刊行会. p. 164. ISBN 978-4-336-04275-0. {{cite book}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)
  11. ^ 井上円了 (1983). おばけの正体. 新編妖怪叢書. Vol. 6. 国書刊行会. p. 23. {{cite book}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)
  12. ^ 佐藤米司編 (1979). 岡山の怪談. 岡山文庫. 日本文教出版. p. 40. {{cite book}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)
  13. ^ 小栗栖健治・埴岡真弓編著 (2001). 播磨の妖怪たち 「西播怪談実記」の世界. 神戸新聞綜合出版センター. pp. 161–164. ISBN 978-4-343-00114-6. {{cite book}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)
  14. ^ 外山暦郎 (1974). "越後三条南郷談". In 池田彌三郎他編 (ed.). 日本民俗誌大系. Vol. 第7巻. 角川書店. p. 203. ISBN 978-4-04-530307-4. {{cite book}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)
  15. ^ 速水春暁斎 (2002). "絵本小夜時雨". In 近藤瑞木編 (ed.). 百鬼繚乱 江戸怪談・妖怪絵本集成. 国書刊行会. pp. 158–159. ISBN 978-4-336-04447-1. {{cite book}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)
  16. ^ 佐藤清明 (1935). 現行全國妖怪辞典. 方言叢書. 中國民俗學會. p. 28. {{cite book}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)
  17. ^ 森山泰太郎・北彰介 (1977). 青森の伝説. 日本の伝説. 角川書店. pp. 27–28. {{cite book}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)
  18. ^ 民俗学研究所編著 (1955). 綜合日本民俗語彙. Vol. 第2巻. 柳田國男監修. 平凡社. p. 775. {{cite book}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)
  19. ^ 高村日羊 (1936). "妖怪". 民間伝承 (12号). 民間伝承の会: 7–8. {{cite journal}}: Text "和書" ignored (help)

References

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