Hearing the phrase: "dead wet girl with long black hair", the Japanese horror films "The Ring" and "The Curse" immediately come to mind. Even those who have forgotten these masterpieces of cinema remember Samara Morgan, crawling out of the TV screen. But what do dead girls mean in Japanese mysticism? Why are girls and why are they wet? Let's figure it out.
The dead
Everything is clear here, death and ghosts are an integral part of any mystical thriller. However, Japanese ghosts go beyond the standard understanding for the inhabitants of Europe and America. In our culture, spirits are recognizable, there is a clear distinction between the dead and the living. In Asian traditions, one can find a ghost who, for example, fell in love with a living person, and it does not even think to admit that it is far away, or rather, for a long time, not a person. Japanese ghosts smoothly balance between the real world and the afterlife, they can love and kill.
Wet
In Japanese mysticism, water is very often traced. Think of The Ring with its wet green hues. In fact, there is nothing to be surprised at. Japan is a state located on several islands, completely surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. The culture of the Japanese is closely related to water, this also applies to mysticism.
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Girls
Here we should take into account the ancient traditions of the Japanese, who left their mark on women in the Land of the Rising Sun. Therefore, it is not surprising that most Japanese ghosts are girls and young women. Expressing their sexuality and pursuing any personal interests that were not available in real life, due to traditional responsibilities, is a work in progress for women in Japan. Remember the unfaithful Kayako who was beaten to death by her husband?
Long hair
There is probably not a single Japanese mystical thriller, without heavy, long and black hair. In the era of feudal Japan, women were required to wear their hair pulled up or tied in a ponytail. Loose hair was considered a sexual provocation. At best, these women were considered insane.
For the inhabitants of the Western world, Japan will forever remain a mystery. No matter how well we are familiar with the traditions of this country, for us, the Land of the Rising Sun will always be something hidden and incomprehensible … In Japan there is a Ryoanji garden, in which there are 15 holy stones, but from which side a foreigner would not look, he sees only 14.