Welcome to the Nightwalks…

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Since the dawn of civilisation in Japan, there have been spirits and deities known as kami, which became part of the ancient Shinto religion. There are thousands of different types of kami, categorised in different ways.

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The Japanese kami (or kamigami in the plural) are not only gods, goddesses, and ghosts. They can be personifications of elements in the landscape (mountains, rivers, lakes) or forces of nature (e.g. earthquakes, typhoons, floods, volcanic eruptions) or the spirits of revered dead people – or even the spirits of family ancestors. Traditionally, leaders like the Emperor could become kami after they died.

Some kami are thought of as the ancient forebears of entire clans. Some kamigami can be yokai as well (for example, the tengu, which I did some research on a few weeks ago), though the yokai are something a little bit different to kami.

Hidden from human eyes in the world known as shinkai, kami possess both good and evil qualities. They are manifestations of musubi or the energy of the cosmos. They’re in charge of the awesome aspects of nature and are sequestered in sacred places, natural phenomena, or the people during rituals that ask for their blessing. Kami never stay in one place of worship, but are always moving from place to place. Like the gods of ancient Greece  or the Norse gods, kami have flaws and aren’t always omniscient or omnipotent. They are incapable of ignoble actions though.

The Shinto religion has no known founder, main doctrine, or religious texts. The Records of Ancient Matters, written in 712 AD, contains some of the earliest records of creation myth, and also describes kami.

Being capable of both extreme good and extreme evil, kami have two minds or two souls – a nurturing, loving mindset or nigi-mitama if respected and paid attention to, and a destructive mindset or ara-mitama if they are disrespected or ignored.

In Yamakage Shinto, kami have an extra two souls on top of the first couple – happy (saki-mitama) and mysterious (kushi-mitama).

The Records of Ancient Matters list 300 different classes of kami, all with different functions, e.g. the kami of winds, the kami of roads, and so on. This book and the Chronicles of Japan in 720 AD recorded ancient myths and laid out genealogies for the main kami, especially those thought to be related to the Imperial Family. These books also describe how the kami shaped the world and human society.

In return for humans keeping them content, the kami have a duty to enact the function of the place, object, or idea they reside in. The number of kami has grown throughout the centuries since the Record of Ancient Matters was written – in contemporary times, there are over 2,446000 kami enshrined in Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine alone.

Various kami have had their roles change over time as well. The kami originally in charge of smallpox became responsible for all contagious illnesses, and the kami of boils and growths became responsible for cancers and cancer treatments.

History

In the early Shinto or Koshinto animistic beliefs that occurred before Buddhism arrived (during the Jomon period, 10,000 BC – 300 BC) kami were earth spirits assisting the hunter-gatherers in daily life. They were gods of the mountains and sea, ghosts, the sun, waterfalls, boulders, animals, trees, grasses, thunder, echoes, foxes or fox spirits, or Asian dragons.

As the growing of rice became more widespread in Japan, the kami were held responsible for things needed for growing crops and sustenance, such as rain, rice, and earth. Ceremonies were conducted to persuade the kami to help grow and protect the harvest, and these rituals were a symbol of strength and power for the Emperors.

There is one early story of the first Emperor being the grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu. The goddess sent him down to Earth with five grains of rice from the fields of heaven, which he used to cultivate the wilderness.

The sacred spirit kami or Goryo came along a bit later, after social and political strife. The Goryo were angry spirits of the dead whose lives ended too soon, but the worship from followers of Shinto quelled them. Nowadays, they are believed to punish the people who disrespect the kami.

As time went on, the worship of Kami incorporated elements from Buddhism and other foreign religions. Dead heroes, emperors, and scholars became enshrined and expanded the roster of divine beings.

The ancestral spirits who are kami include ancestors of the Imperial House of Japan, ancestors of noble families, as well as the ancestors of all people. Other spirits who are kami are spirits of the land, skills, and occupations, spirits of heroes or of those who have done great deeds or shown great virtue, or who have helped human welfare, culture or civilisation in some way, those who have died for the community, and the “pitiable dead.” (Spirits that are weaker than humans are also considered kami, not just spirits superior to humans.)

There are three main types of kami: Amatsukami, (the heavenly deities), Kunitsukami (the earthly gods), and Magatsukami (the destructive or evil kami). Deceased humans who become kami are classified as Hitogami (human kami). These types aren’t rigidly set in stone because kami have flexible and constantly evolving natures.

Examples of Kami

• The sun goddess and chief goddess of Shinto, Amaterasu Omikami
• Ebisu (one of the seven gods of fortune)
• Fujin (god of the wind, half-human, half-demon. Brother of Raijin / Raiden)
• Hachiman (god of war, was originally god of fishing and agriculture)
• Inari Okami (goddess of agriculture and rice, business, fertility, and the protection of women. Associated with foxes or the kitsune, the many-tailed fox messenger)
• Izanagi-no-Mikoto (the first human male)
• Izanami-no-Mikoto (the first human female)
• Kotoamatsukami (the primary kami trinity, progenitors that appeared from nothing, created the world)
• Omoikane (god of wisdom)
• Raijin / Raiden (god of thunder, lightning, and storms)
• Ryujin (dragon god of the sea and storms, the ancestor of Jinmu, the first Emperor of Japan in the myths)
• Susanoo-no-Mikoto (god of the sea and storms, also a trickster god)
• Sarutahiko Okami (the kami of earth)
• Tenjin (god of poetry and scholarship)
• Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto (the moon god)
• Suijin (kami of water. Associated with dragons, snakes, and Kappa)

More major and minor kami are listed here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Japanese_deities

Appearances and Powers

Kami don’t have fixed anthropomorphic forms like the gods of Western religions. Unseen, they are perceived through their effects or symbolised by objects or places.

For example, the sun goddess Amaterasu is symbolised by mirrors or the red circle on the Japanese flag. Hachiman is symbolised by a pigeon. Tenjin is represented by an ox.

The huge cedars on Yakushima Island are treated as living kami, embodying the spirit of the Earth. They are an example of yorishiro, temporary vessels kami are called to descend into to worship them. Other such vessels can be mirrors, stones, mountains…

However, in art and myth, some kami are shown with humanoid shapes or animal traits like the fox messengers of Inari.

As well as controlling events in nature, kami are believed to give good luck, health, protection, or inspire creativity or bravery.

Kami have been included in animes like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. They have inspired mangas, video games, and traditional art.

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Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kami

What Is Kami? Shinto Gods & Sacred Spirits in Japan Explained

https://www.kanpai-japan.com/religion-and-spirituality-in-japan/the-main-shinto-gods

https://japaneserituals.com/kami/

https://japan-avenue.com/blogs/japan/kami

Kami

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From August the 12th / 13th until September the 10th this year, it’s Ghost Month or Hungry Ghost Month in China, with the Hungry Ghost Festival on August the 26th / 27th. But what does this all involve, and what led to its customs and traditions?

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Since ancient times, China has worshipped the dead in the seventh lunar month of the year. It is said that on the first day of that month, the gate to the underworld opens wide and for 28 days after that, ghosts are out and about until the gate closes again. Sacrifices and prayers are made to the gods to ensure safety during this time, and certain amulets are carried to repel evil or bad luck.

According to ancient Chinese beliefs, those who died in a normal way could reincarnate, but anyone who died guilty or who died by accident would wander the mortal realm as ghosts. Evil spirits could take the chance to cause disasters and accidents that cause more living people to die. Anyone who unexpectedly dies during Ghost Month is said to have been “taken away by ghosts”.

The spirits of ancestors are also thought to pay a visit to their families. But it’s the ghosts who wander without living descendants who need appeasing.

On the first day of Ghost Month, households either put on a feast or prepare fruits and desserts to show respect. The idea behind this is that whatever accepts your food cannot bring you trouble. People light incense at their doorways and offer such things as rice and tea as well, and clean their homes.

On the second day, public places such as shops and offices offer a food sacrifice.

The Hungry Ghost Festival or Zhongyuan Festival falls on the fifteenth day, when there is a full moon. During the night and early hours of that morning, ghosts gather and evil spirits amass. During the Festival, individuals burn joss paper or paper money by the side of the road and invoke their ancestors or ghosts with sacrifice. On the sixteenth day, public places follow suit.

The sacrifices are put on altars that are on the ground and not raised above it, because it is thought that hungry ghosts are too restless to approach high-up spaces.

During the Festival, theatrical troupes would often be invited to perform for the gods and entertain the guests at outdoor banquets. These days, China encourages more frugality so the sacrifice event is usually simpler, though Chinese opera and puppet shows are still held for the entertainment of the living and the dead.

Later on, some communities float lanterns on rivers to help guide the spirits. This happens at the start of the final week.

On the final day of Ghost Month, the ghosts return to the underworld and the gate is closed. People give sacrifices on this day to ask for safety during the rest of the year, and clean their homes again.

Some people distribute rice and other foods to the poor during the month.

There are various rules for Ghost Month to ensure good luck and to avoid being attacked or “taken by the ghosts.”

Children, the elderly, and other sensitive people avoid going outside at night during that month.

People avoid going into the sea or other bodies of water. It is thought that spirits in the water are looking for bodies to reincarnate in and will try to drown those who go swimming.

People avoid playing any sort of supernatural game.

Understandably, people avoid having elective surgeries during Ghost Month as well.

Other things avoided include moving house, launching businesses, holding any weddings, crying or shedding tears at midnight (crying in daylight is fine, but tears shed at midnight can call the ghosts to you), and tapping someone on the shoulder.

There is a Chinese belief that the human body has three fires – one on the head and one on each shoulder. Tapping someone on the shoulder is thought to briefly extinguish the fire there and create a weakness towards the ghosts, especially if the person tapped is in bad health.

Other taboos during Ghost Month:

• Calling someone by their name (ghosts can take three souls and the six senses of those you call by name)
• Glancing behind you when out walking in the countryside or somewhere sparsely populated, especially if you think someone is calling after you
• Talking about ghosts outside during the night. Speaking positive words doesn’t matter, but if you say anything criticising ghosts or the dead, watch out. Something unfortunate could happen to you!
• Hanging clothes outside at night. Ghosts like living people’s clothes and will touch them or borrow them, which is not good for you.
• Sitting in the front row of the audience during the performances. The seats at the front are reserved for the ghosts. Something bad may happen to you if you take one of their seats.
• Opening umbrellas inside the house. This may attract evil spirits because they don’t like exposure to the light.
• Taking the last bus or the last train. These are thought to be used by the ghosts, so if you board the last one you’re basically sitting surrounded by spirits.
• Whistling. Ghosts hear whistling as a call for attention from them.
• Hammering at midnight.
• Picking up money from the side of the road. This is seen as money belonging to the dead, or might have been used in a marriage ceremony for people already dead. Take it and risk being haunted. (This also applies to picking up random objects from the roadside.)
• Leaning against walls. Spirits travel along walls, and you could be blocking their path.
• Renovating or otherwise disturbing the ground. This would annoy earth spirits.
• Staying up late at night. This gets you haunted.
• Plunging chopsticks into a plate of food. This is like putting incense into a burner and is seen by the ghosts as you inviting them to eat with you.
• Eating sacrifices. Do this and you will be competing with the ghosts for food, bringing yourself bad luck.
• Celebrating your birthday at night (during the day is fine).
• Leaving slippers pointing towards the bed. This encourages ghosts to get in the bed with you.
• Having a banyan tree outside your gate. Ghosts like to gather around these trees and it can lead to having a haunted house.
• Hanging a windchime near the bed. This invites ghosts to haunt your sleep.
• Taking photos at night. The ghosts might appear in the resulting pictures.
• Shining a torch over a tree. This could wake up any spirits inside the tree.

Amulets and good-luck talismans are carried around, which include prayer beads, coarse salt, glutinous rice, crosses, and lodestones.

Actions encouraged during Ghost Month include honouring your ancestors, doing charitable work, meditating or self-reflecting, deep cleaning and decluttering, planning and preparing for new ventures (but not starting anything new), and practicing gratitude.

Ghost Month is observed not just in mainland China but in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Origins & History

The Ghost Month combines practices from both Daoist and Buddhist traditions.

In Daoism, the 15th of the 7th lunar month is the birthday of the Earth Official (Di Guan) who is one of three officials believed to judge humanity’s actions. On this day the balance between yin and yang changes, making the boundary between realms weaker.

In Buddhism, this time was Ullambana Sutra, when the disciple Maudgalyayana attempted to rescue his mother from her suffering in the world of hungry ghosts. The Buddha advised him to make offerings to monks on the 15th of the seventh month, which gave rise to the idea of the Ghost Festival.

Over the centuries, these merged with local folk customs to create the Ghost Month as we know it today.

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Sources

https://www.yourchineseastrology.com/calendar/ghost-month.htm

https://www.yourchineseastrology.com/calendar/ghost-month-taboos.htm

https://www.fengshuiwithjackson.com/article-august-ghost-month.html

Chinese Ghost Month 2026: Traditions, Taboos, and Meaning

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One of the earliest appearances of ghouls is in The Arabian Nights, or One Thousand and One Nights, portrayed as dangerous, flesh-eating demons. But how have they changed over time?

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The Mesopotamians had gallu demons in their mythology, which had very similar traits to ghouls. It may be that the Arabian nomads swapped tales with the Mesopotamians. The gallu lived in the Underworld and carried their victims into the land of the dead to eat them.

In ancient, pre-Islamic Arabic folklore, ghouls or ghūls were a class of djinn or spirits that were the children of the Islamic prince of darkness, Iblis (or Satan). They constantly shapeshifted, but they always had the hooves of a donkey. They had an extreme hunger for human flesh. Djinn were spirits capable of possessing humans or animals.

According to the ancients, ghūls were always female (sexism much?) and were sometimes confused with the si’la or witchlike species of djinn that were totally unable to change shape.

These original ghūls would stalk the desert or lurk in graveyards, ruins, and battlefields in the form of attractive women, trying to distract travellers, then killing and eating them. According to the ancients, ghūls had to be struck dead with a sword, decapitating them with one blow – a second blow would bring them back to life. They would sometimes eat dead bodies but preferred to feast on the living.

In modern Arabic tradition, ghūls are human or demonic cannibals, male or female, frequently used to frighten children into behaving. The word ghūl comes from the Arabic ghāla, which means “to seize.”

Male ghouls are called ghūl and female ghouls are called ghulah. The female ghoul is often called Mother Ghoul or Our Aunt Ghoul in stories told to girls or young women. In these stories, the ghoul appears to men as a long-lost female relative or harmless old woman, and she convinces the men (usually husbands or fathers) to enter her home, where she can ingest them. The male character’s female relatives are often able to see through the Ghoul’s disguise, and the men survive if they listen to the women (or get eaten if they don’t).

The Ghoul is also believed to drink blood and steal coins, and also to assume the form of the person they have most recently eaten. Early ghouls were believed to carry diseases on their skin from the places they inhabited.

There were tales of one ghoul named Ghul-e Biyaban, who inhabited the wildernesses of Iran and Afghanistan.

In 1667, a hyena who attacked a woman in Mecca was called a ghul, possibly because of a perceived similarity to ghouls in early Arabic folklore. Originally, ghūls were hairy and canine, and would often shapeshift into hyenas to lure people into the desert. They were also humanoid, with hooves for feet.

Antoine Galland introduced the character of the ghoul into European society when he translated The Arabian Nights (or The Thousand and One Nights) into French, though he interpreted it rather loosely, adding in characters and stories that weren’t part of the original work. He added the character Amina (a woman who enjoyed hanging out with ghouls in a graveyard rather than with her husband) which led to the idea of ghouls preferring to eat dead bodies.

Ghūls became ghouls in the English Gothic horror tradition in the 18th and 19th centuries, and they were seen as grave-robbing creatures that fed on dead bodies and children. They are still shapeshifters, with the poet Edgar Allen Poe saying that they are “neither man nor woman… neither brute nor human”.

The first usage of the word “ghoul” was in William Beckford’s Orientalist novel, Vathek, in 1786.

Ghouls gained popularity in European stories from writing by the likes of Horace Walpole, Lord Byron, and especially H P Lovecraft.

Ghouls are believed to ride on dogs and hares and light fires at night to lead travellers astray. In their original form, they are thought to resemble hideous, hunched, corpse-like beings: skeletal frames, glowing eyes, rotting flesh, but with more intelligence than zombies, able to walk on two legs but preferring to crawl or run on all fours. Nowadays, they are believed to transform into human shape, animal shape, or the form of someone recently deceased to lure travellers or gravediggers into their dens to eat them. In some tales, they hide in underground tunnels or crypts then emerge to hunt at night.

In their later forms, ghouls are still believed to be somewhat canine and with hooves, but instead of being hairy they have pale, rubbery skin. They have an even greater shapeshifting ability, and can even absorb the memories of their victims once they eat their brain, so they can blend into society. There are even tales of ghoul changelings (e.g. Pickman’s Model by H. P. Lovecraft).

In some stories, they are weak against sunlight, holy symbols, spells, or weapons imbued with divine power.

Recent stories of ghouls suggest that they are in basements and cellars of abandoned buildings, and could have an underground network of tunnels to travel through. They may even have access to the subway and are thought to eat the remains of subway crash casualties before emergency services manage to get there.

Later stories of ghouls hold that the creatures can also be killed using fire, electrocution, and concentrated acids.

According to the story “The Nameless Offspring” by Clark Ashton Smith, ghouls procreate by mating with humans who have been mistakenly buried (ergh…). Other stories say a ghoul is a former human who lived such an evil life, they changed into one (or transformed into one after death) or is a human who once cannibalised another human. Others believe that ghouls are created through the spread of an infectious disease, transmitted by the ghoul’s bite or contact with other bodily fluids.

It so happens that I redefined the meaning of what a ghoul is for the flash fiction “Deathwalk” which you can read for free in GossamerWight’s Uncanny Regimes anthology:

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Sources

https://www.britannica.com/topic/ghoul

Ghouls

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoul

https://mythology.net/monsters/ghoul/