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are figures in Japanese folklore, analogous to Western legends of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, 幽 (''yū''), meaning "faint" or "dim" and 霊 (''rei''), meaning "soul" or "spirit." Alternative names include 亡霊 (Bōrei) meaning ruined or departed spirit, 死霊 (Shiryō) meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing 妖怪 (Yōkai) or お化け (Obake). Like their Chinese and Western counterparts, they are thought to be spirits kept from a peaceful afterlife. ==Japanese afterlife== According to traditional Japanese beliefs, all humans have a spirit or soul called a 霊魂 (''reikon''). When a person dies, the ''reikon'' leaves the body and enters a form of purgatory, where it waits for the proper funeral and post-funeral rites to be performed, so that it may join its ancestors. If this is done correctly, the ''reikon'' is believed to be a protector of the living family and to return yearly in August during the Obon Festival to receive thanks. However, if the person dies in a sudden or violent manner such as murder or suicide, if the proper rites have not been performed, or if they are influenced by powerful emotions such as a desire for revenge, love, jealousy, hatred or sorrow, the ''reikon'' is thought to transform into a ''yūrei'', which can then bridge the gap back to the physical world. The ''yūrei'' then exists on Earth until it can be laid to rest, either by performing the missing rituals, or resolving the emotional conflict that still ties it to the physical plane. If the rituals are not completed or the conflict left unresolved, the ''yūrei'' will persist in its haunting. Oftentimes the lower the social rank of the person who died violently, or who was treated harshly during life, the more powerful as a ''yūrei'' they would return. This is illustrated in the fate of Oiwa in the story ''Yotsuya Kaidan'', or the servant Okiku in ''Banchō Sarayashiki''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Yūrei」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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