Many Japanese people don’t use the word “Shinto” to refer to their native beliefs. When distinguishing these beliefs from Buddhism, the term “kami no michi” is more commonly used. While this phrase means the exact same thing as Shinto (“the way of the gods”), it better reflects the fluid and personal nature of kami faith in Japanese culture. Although there is an official and codified version of Shinto, the faith has meant vastly different things to different communities across the country for millennia. One variety, mostly forgotten but still surviving in some forms — from rural areas to the spiritual centers of Japan — is called Goryo Shinko, the Japanese cult of vengeful spirits.
Who Ya Gonna Call? Ghost Soothers!
Tokyo was possibly built atop the head of a decapitated god of wrath. Taira no Masakado started out as a 10th-century rebel against the imperial court, then became a ghost of misfortune, and eventually was elevated to godhood after being credited with enough kills from beyond the grave. This idea of granting divinity to “evil” entities is the basis of Goryo Shinko, a religion based on spirit pacification. For thousands of years, Japan believed that if a person died in a state of intense anger, they could become an onryo, or “vengeful ghost.” In modern Japanese culture like kabuki theater, onryo are typically female, but during the Heian Period (794 – 1185), when Goryo Shinko was going strong, these spirits were almost exclusively male nobles.
People like Taira no Masakado (executed for rebellion), Sugawara no Michizane (banished due to politics) and Prince Sawara (who starved himself and died on the way to his exile) were thought to have the power to cause natural disasters, plagues, crop failures and other calamities because of the powerful emotions they experienced at death. They would also not be appeased with a simple apology over their graves. Instead, they needed elaborate religious ceremonies to be soothed into goryo, meaning “august spirits.” The easiest way was to start worshipping them as gods. The term goryo is the origin of the name for this Shinto belief system, and as for the religion itself, it may have roots in what was essentially demon worship.
“Susanoo slaying the Yamata-no-Orochi”, Chikanobu Toyohara
From an Ancient Demon Cult
If native Japanese beliefs are about one thing, it’s the power of redemption. The god Susanoo, for example, starts out in a very antagonistic role in Japanese mythology before turning things around and becoming one of the most important deities in the Shinto pantheon (as well as a possible inspiration for Godzilla.) Even oni — demons, ogres and devils known for their proverbial ability to swallow people whole and torturing sinners in hell for all eternity — have found people willing to worship them, hoping that they catch them on a good day and get something nice in return. This folk belief, where people thought it didn’t hurt to ask all available supernatural beings for help — was once more widespread in Japan and, at one point, essentially rose to the level of a demon cult.
Terrifying creatures like Yamata no Orochi — a monstrous eight-headed serpent who devoured young maidens before being slain by Susanoo — were once worshipped as tatarigami, or gods of destruction. Fortunately, as far as we know, no human sacrifices or anything like that were made in their name. The goal of tatarigami worship was to sanctify these wrathful deities and convince them to do good. These beliefs laid down the foundation for Goryo Shinko, which eventually became a full-fledged religion focused on human gods of destruction, or onryo. Humanity really is central here as it takes human effort to transform onryo into goryo.
The Tinkerbell Effect
The key to changing an evil spirit to an august one is sincere, deep belief. That’s why Goryo Shinko ceremonies were often community spectacles featuring acrobatics, horseback archery and even sumo matches. The point of these “rites” was to draw a large crowd whose laughter, energy and faith would help bring a wrathful being to the side of the angels. Goryo Shinko is all about the power of the human spirit and it believes in strength in numbers. The Goryo Shinko exorcism must come from the heart, which is best achieved by organizing a big festival where everyone lets loose and has some fun.
Most places in Japan have today abandoned Goryo Shinko, which was mostly pushed out by Buddhism. However, some of it still remains. Kyoto’s famous Gion Festival, for example, has roots in Goryo Shinko. Though diminished, modern Japanese beliefs still carry within them traces of an ancient worship of vengeful spirits descended from a demon cult: One based on the idea that, in times of need, you don’t get to be picky and instead get help from anyone willing to offer it. There’s something beautifully human about that.
