“Bushido”, spirit of samurai, revenge is an underlying theme in Japanese society. The alleged murder of Haruna Yukawa has kindled this spirit with many calling for his murder to be avenged!
Japanese officials, particularly in the military are reacting to the slaughter of one of its citizens Haruna Yukawa outwardly in a manner of quite reserve, but inwardly they are raging inside!
In Japan’s feudal past, the Samurai class upheld the honor of their family, clan, nation or lord through the practice of revenge killings (敵討ち katakiuchi).
These killings could also involve the relatives of an offender. Today, katakiuchi is most often pursued by peaceful means, but revenge remains an important part of Japanese culture.
Its a concept that is, in many ways engrained within Japanese society, particularly its culture and art. It is a concept which is very much alive in Japan today.
In speaking about this situation of the murder of Yukara, one Japanese military officer I chatted with online, who asked not to be identified in this report indicated “this is by no means over with.” Another problem he says is the fact that “this act was done with no honor or respect for the dead.”
“Yukawa was not afforded proper funerary rite “, this officer indicated. “His soul is at risk, so is everyone even remotely associated with his murder” he added.
According to Japanese legends and beliefs, the ghosts of people who are wronged roam the world of the living as restless spirits, or “vengeful ghosts” – seeking to have their grievances redressed, and return to the world of the dead after justice is done, but in some cases the entities remain unappeased afterwards. The Japanese word for this is Onryō: Vengeful ghosts – are those who come back from purgatory for a wrong done to them during their lifetime.
They are sometimes called: 亡霊 (Bōrei) meaning “ruined or departed spirit” or alternatively , 死霊 (Shiryō) meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing 妖怪 (Yōkai) or お化け (Obake).
For example if the person dies in a sudden or violent manner such as murder or suicide, if the proper funerary 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 in the physical realm 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 for generations to come.”
“Yūrei do not wander at random, but generally stay near a specific location, such as where they were killed or where their body lies, or follow a specific person, such as their murderer, or a beloved.”
Such spirits or ghosts usually appear, he said between 2 and 3 a.m ( the witching hour for Japan) when the veils between the world of the dead and the world of the living are at their thinnest.
Yūrei will often continue to haunt that particular person or place until “their purpose is fulfilled, and they can move on to the afterlife.” However, some particularly strong yūrei, specifically onryō who are consumed by vengeance, continue to haunt long after their killers have been brought to justice, visiting their revenge on the 2 and sometime 3rd generation…
The only way to exorcise a yūrei is to help it “fulfill its purpose.”
When the reason for the strong emotion binding the spirit to Earth is gone, the yūrei is satisfied and can move on. Traditionally, this is accomplished by family members enacting revenge upon the yūrei’s slayer. “In the case of Haruna Yukawa this must be done, or there will be consequences!”, the officer warned.
“In this particular case all the elements are there! And ISIS may have bitten off more than it can crew”, he explained.
He went on to warn that “malicious yūrei are repelled only by ofuda (御札?), holy Shinto writings containing the name of a kami.”
“Whether or not you believe all this stuff isn’t really material, millions do and that effects reality as we know it at the quantum level”, he went on to say.
“Older Japanese, especially take all this very seriously”, the officer explained. I should add that this officer is a career military man in the Japanese Defense Force.
When asked if Japan would go to war over something like this, the officer explained that “it is entirely possible Prime Minister Abe may not have a choice.It will depend on how the Japanese public react to all this…”
“Japan is however bound by formal agreement never to field an offensive military because of its heinous war crimes during WWII. Even today the Japanese military is called the Japanese Self Defense force for a reason. This is not to say that Japan won’t take action against ISIS behind the scenes”, he cautioned.
See related video:イスラム国日本人を人質、身代金２５３億円！Islamic State Threatens To Kill Japanese Hostages Unless $200 Million https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG262I-jSXg
See video: Japan seeks to amend its collective self-defense strategy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsKxhRiwbfI
See video: Japan Has Quietly Re-Asserted Its Military Power – entire world on edge! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I817cuW3keQ
Note: Despite what people may think about the tiny Island nation of Japan it is a superpower – one that rivals Japan is everything but nuclear weapons – see video: Chinese Military vs The Japan Self Defense Forces https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAZLZJ9bYvk