Spirit away

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In English, to "spirit away" means to remove without anyone's noticing.

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In Japanese folklore, spiriting away (Japanese: Kamikakushi (神隠し), lit.'hidden by kami ') refers to the mysterious disappearance or death of a person, after they had angered the gods (kami). There are numerous legends of humans being abducted to the spirit world by kami. Folklorist Kunio Yanagita recorded several tales of kamikakushi in Tōno Monogatari (遠野物語, Tōno Tales, 1909). [1]

Bible

Enoch is referenced as being "no more; for God took him" (Gen 5:21–24 ).

Elijah disappears when a chariot of fire appears and is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. [2]

Philip the Evangelist is taken away by the Spirit of the Lord after witnessing to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8).

Modern fiction

In Japan

In the anime film Spirited Away , the main protagonist, Chihiro, is "spirited away" from reality to the spirit world. [3] There, she meets friendly and aggressive spirits as she tries to return before forgetting her name. [4]

In the series Higurashi When They Cry one person dies and one disappears mysteriously every year in Hinamizawa village. This is known as "Oyashiro-sama's curse," named after the village kami Oyashiro. [5] The first arc of the series “Onikakushi-hen” translates to "Abducted by Demons” or “Demoning away”. [6]

In the novel and manga Missing / Spirited Away by Gakuto Coda, the main character Utsume Kyoichi goes missing for a second time, in the company of his new spirit girlfriend Ayame.

In the manga Rin-ne by Rumiko Takahashi, heroine Sakura Mamiya disappeared for a week after being taken away by spirits, and she was brought back to this world by Rinne's grandmother Tamako. Sakura can't remember what exactly happened to her during these days, but as a consequence she gained spiritual powers that let her see ghosts, something that she wants to get rid of.

Kamikakushi is mentioned in a song "Madoite Kitare, Yuuda na Kamikakushi ~ Border of Death" by IOSYS. It refers to Yukari's mystic abilities.

In the video game series Fatal Frame many of the characters get spirited away [7] [8] by ghosts often leading them into a spirit world where they use the Camera Obscura, an antique camera-like device that captures images of spirits to either find a way out or save someone who has been spirited away. [9]

In the Japanese classic film Goyokin by Hideo Gosha (starring Tatsuya Nakadai), kamikakushi is mentioned after the inhabitants of a small fishing village all mysteriously vanish.

Other literature

In the 1820 short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow , when the main character Ichabod Crane vanishes after being pursued by the Headless Horseman, he is rumored to have been spirited away by the specter. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

Kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, beings and the qualities that these beings express, and/or the spirits of venerated dead people. Many kami are considered the ancient ancestors of entire clans. Traditionally, great leaders like the Emperor could be or became kami.

<i>Spirited Away</i> 2001 film by Hayao Miyazaki

Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Tohokushinsha Film, and Mitsubishi and distributed by Toho. Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro "Sen" Ogino, a ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood, enters the world of kami. After her parents are turned into pigs by the witch Yubaba, Chihiro takes a job working in Yubaba's bathhouse to find a way to free herself and her parents and return to the human world.

<i>Yōkai</i> Supernatural beings from Japanese folklore

Yōkai are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. The word yōkai is composed of two kanji characters that both mean "suspicious, doubtful", and while it may be regarded as a loanword from the Chinese term yaoguai, the word yōkai has taken on multiple different meanings particular to a Japanese context.

<i>Kappa</i> (folklore) Japanese mythical creature

A kappa—also known as kawatarō, komahiki, with a boss called kawatora or suiko—is a reptiloid kami with similarities to yōkai found in traditional Japanese folklore. Kappa can become harmful when they are not respected as gods. They are typically depicted as green, human-like beings with webbed hands and feet and turtle-like carapaces on their backs. A depression on its head, called its "dish" (sara), retains water, and if this is damaged or its liquid is lost, the kappa is severely weakened.

<i>Yūrei</i> Figures in Japanese folklore similar to ghosts

Yūrei are figures in Japanese folklore analogous to the Western concept of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, (), meaning "faint" or "dim" and (rei), meaning "soul" or "spirit". Alternative names include Bōrei (亡霊), meaning ruined or departed spirit, Shiryō (死霊), meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing Yōkai (妖怪) or Obake (お化け). Like their Chinese, Korean, and Western counterparts, they are thought to be spirits barred from a peaceful afterlife.

Fatal Frame, titled Zero in Japan and Project Zero in Europe and Australia, is a Japanese survival horror video game series created, published and developed by Koei Tecmo. Debuting in 2001 with the first entry in the series for the PlayStation 2, the series consists of five main entries. The series is set in 1980s Japan, with each entry focusing on a location beset by hostile supernatural events. In each scenario, the characters involved in the present investigation use Camera Obscura, objects created by Dr. Kunihiko Asou that can capture and pacify spirits. The series draws on staple elements of Japanese horror, and is noted for its frequent use of female protagonists.

<i>Higurashi When They Cry</i> Japanese visual novel series and its franchise

Higurashi When They Cry is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion that comprises the first two entries of the When They Cry franchise. The series focuses on a group of young friends living in the fictional village of Hinamizawa and the strange events that occur there in 1983.

<i>Fatal Frame</i> (video game) 2001 video game

Fatal Frame is a survival horror video game developed by Tecmo for the PlayStation 2. The first installment in the Fatal Frame / Project Zero series, it was released in 2001 in Japan and 2002 in North America and Europe. An enhanced port for the Xbox was released in 2002 in North America and 2003 in Japan and Europe. The game was published for both systems by Tecmo in Japan and North America. In Europe, the PlayStation 2 version was published by Wanadoo, and the Xbox version by Microsoft. It was re-released in North America on the PlayStation Network in 2013.

The term yamabito (山人) or sanjin, as understood in Japanese folklore, has come to be applied to a group, some scholars claim, of ancient, marginalized people, dating back to some unknown date during the Jōmon period of the history of Japan.

<i>Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly</i> 2003 video game

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, is a Japanese survival horror video game developed and published by Tecmo in 2003 for the PlayStation 2. It is the second installment in the Fatal Frame series, and features an independent story with little relation to the first title. The story follows twin sisters Mio and Mayu Amakura as they explore an abandoned village and experience encounters with the paranormal. Their lives quickly become threatened when the village spirits begin to possess Mayu and target them as sacrifices for an ancient ritual. Players must use a camera with powers of exorcism to defeat enemies and uncover the secrets of the village.

<i>Fatal Frame III: The Tormented</i> 2005 video game

Fatal Frame III: The Tormented is a survival horror video game developed by Tecmo for the PlayStation 2. The third entry in the Fatal Frame series, it was published by Tecmo in 2005 in Japan and North America, and by Take-Two Interactive in Europe in 2006. Set after the events of the first two games, the story revolves around three characters who lost loved ones and are drawn into the supernatural Manor of Sleep. The gameplay revolves around exploring the Manor and tackling hostile ghosts using the Camera Obscura. Each character has different strengths and weaknesses, such as stronger attack or stealth elements.

<i>Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse</i> 2008 video game

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is a survival horror video game developed by Tecmo, Nintendo SPD and Grasshopper Manufacture. The fourth installment in the Fatal Frame series, it is a prequel to Fatal Frame and the first on a Nintendo console, it was released in 2008 by Nintendo for the Wii in Japan. A remaster for eighth and ninth generation consoles and Windows published by Koei Tecmo was released worldwide in 2023.

This is the glossary of Shinto, including major terms on the subject. Words followed by an asterisk (*) are illustrated by an image in one of the photo galleries.

<i>Ōkami Kakushi</i> 2010 visual novel

Ōkami Kakushi is a Japanese visual novel developed by guyzware and published by Konami for the PlayStation Portable, with Ryukishi07 of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni fame as game director and the manga author duo Peach-Pit as character designers. The game was released on August 20, 2009 in Japan. An anime adaptation produced by AIC began airing in Japan on January 8, 2010 on TBS.

<i>Spirit Camera</i> 2012 video game

Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir is a spin-off game in the Fatal Frame series, co-developed by Tecmo Koei and Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The game comes with an "AR notebook", the titular Diary of Faces, which the player uses in conjunction with the game. It was released in 2012 for Japan on January 12, in North America on April 13, and in Europe on June 29.

<i>Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water</i> 2014 video game

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a survival horror video game developed by Koei Tecmo. The fifth main entry in the Fatal Frame series, it was originally published by Nintendo for the Wii U in Japan in September 2014 and worldwide in October 2015. A remaster for eighth and ninth generation consoles and Windows, this time published by Koei Tecmo, was released worldwide in October 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yume no seirei</span> Yōkai in Japanese mythology

Yume no seirei, is a mysterious yōkai in Japanese mythology believed to cause nightmares.

References

  1. Reider, Noriko T. (April 2005). "Spirited Away: Film of the Fantastic and Evolving Japanese Folk Symbols". Film Criticism. 23 (3): 4–27, 79. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  2. 2 Kings 2:11
  3. Ebert, Roger (20 September 2002). "Spirited Away (review)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  4. "Spirited Away: Plot Overview". SparkNotes. SparkNotes LLC. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  5. Henley, James (8 September 2009). "Anime Reviews: Higurashi: When They Cry". The Escapist. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  6. "Higurashi WHEN THEY CRY". Yen Press. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  7. Fatal Frame (instruction manual) (NTSC, PS2 ed.). Tecmo. 2002. Nine days have passed since Mafuyu, brother of Miku Hinasaki, had disappeared.
  8. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly (instruction manual) (NTSC, PS2 ed.). Tecmo. 2003. Many also say that, if you should happen to get lost in this forest, you will be spirited away to this lost village.
  9. Brown, Andrew. "Scary Nintendo Memories: Fatal Frame". Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  10. Irving, Washington (25 June 2008). The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 6 April 2020. The old country wives, however, who are the best judges of these matters, maintain to this day that Ichabod was spirited away by supernatural means...