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This week, our look at the sinister creatures of Asian mythology continues with a look at some of the ghosts and goblins of Japanese folklore.
A Famous Haunting-The Maidservant Okiku The tragic story of the maidservant Okiku is associated with the city of Himeji, in which young Okiku was once the favorite servant of a great lord. She loved her master dearly, and never tired of working to please him, hoping that eventually he would come to return her love. One night she was tending to her cleaning duties in the great hall when she overheard a nobleman and his associates plotting the assassination of the castle's master. She revealed the plot as soon as she could, averting the crime, but incurring the enmity of the escaped would-be assassin, who turned his attention to plotting revenge. The traitor knew that Okiku was responsible for the care and cleaning of a set of ten priceless gilded plates, which her master greatly cherished, and arranged for one of them to be broken and destroyed. When one of the plates was found to be missing, Okiku was tried and executed for the theft. Her body was disposed of in the well inside Himeji castle. Every night from then on, Okiku's spirit could be heard counting from one to nine. When she reached ten, instead of calling the number, she let out an unearthly wail. Anyone hearing it would be stricken with her despair. Her master, who later discovered the innocence and wrongful death of his favourite servant, was eventually driven mad by her nightly ritual. Yuki Onna
Oni are the traditional horned 'demons' of Japanese myth. Similar to Western trolls and ogres, Oni are incarnate spirits of anger who appear as powerful, hulking monsters in garish shades of blue, red , pink or green. Their major distinguishing feature is the pair of large horns on thier heads, although they may also have animal attributes, or monstrous characteristics such as three eyes or extra fingers and toes. A vengeful person who dies under very tragic circumstances may return as an Oni in order to avenge the death of loved ones.
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