Ghost Stories from the Asian Reading Room

(The following is a collaborative post with contributions from Elli Kim, Korean Reference Librarian; Joshua Kueh, Southeast Asian Reference Librarian; Cameron Penwell, Japanese Reference Librarian; and Ryan Wolfson-Ford, Southeast Asian Reference Librarian)

With Halloween now upon us, we thought it would be interesting to learn more about ghosts, ghouls, and things that go bump in the night at the Library of Congress. While the Library’s stacks may not be haunted, adventurous readers seeking out tales of the macabre and supernatural from across Asia will find plenty of material to satisfy their curiosity. Below, Asian Reading Room reference librarians introduce famous ghost stories and other highlights from their geographic areas of specialty.

Would you dare to listen if two female ghosts in white mourning robes appeared at midnight, asking for help to release their han 恨 (unresolved grievances)? This chilling scene comes from one of Korea’s most famous ghost stories, “The Tale of Changhwa Hongnyŏn.” It tells the tragic story of two young sisters, Changhwa and Hongnyŏn, who were killed due to their stepmother’s evil schemes and later return as resentful spirits seeking justice from the village magistrate.

The origin of this tale is based on a real incident from 1656. Chŏn Tong-hŭl, while serving as magistrate of Chŏlsan in Pyŏngan province, was tasked with handling the case of two young sisters who died unjustly due to the cruelty of their stepmother. The incident was later recorded in the 19th century by Chŏn’s descendants, in such works as “Kajaesa sillok” (True records of Kajae), which was composed in literary Chinese. Over time, the tale evolved into different versions, including those written in Hanʼgŭl, the Korean vernacular script. The Library holds one of the earliest Hanʼgŭl versions of this haunting story under the title of “Chyanghwa Hongnyŏn chyŏn” 쟝화홍년젼. Also, those seeking a truly hair-raising horror movie this Halloween may wish to view one of the film versions of this story, such as the 2003 South Korean production, “The Tale of Two Sisters,” which reimagines this ghostly and sorrowful family tale in a modern setting.

Turning to Southeast Asia, one of the most famous ghost stories in Thailand is “Mǣ Nāk Phrakhanōng,” a tale about a husband, Māk, and wife, Mǣ Nāk, who love each other dearly. Māk is called away to war in the 1850s and must leave his pregnant wife behind, unable to return for some years. Once home, he is overjoyed to see his wife and child. Tragically, though, he does not know that his wife actually died during childbirth and the being in his house is her ghost, or phī ผี. The word phī means “ghost” in both Thai and Lao (written as ຜີ in Lao). After a series of bizarre occurrences, Māk realizes the supernatural connection and must find a way to placate and free his dead wife’s spirit.

The story has since been retold many times in Thailand. It has not only served as an object of scholarly study but also been made into many blockbuster and critically acclaimed films. There is even a shrine to Mǣ Nāk in Bangkok where people can go to pray for protection. It’s worth remembering that in Thai and Lao, phī are not always scary ghosts. In this tradition, there are many different kinds of phī, including ones that are beneficial.

You can find numerous works in Thai at the Asian Reading Room that recount this story in new formats or analyze the tale and its history from different academic perspectives. The image here shows just a few examples of such works.

Did you know the Library of Congress also holds a variety of publications about Malaysian and Indonesian ghosts? These books range from academic studies of the pontianak, a vampire-like ghost attracted to childbirth that often appears as a beautiful woman, to comics, novels, and light-hearted compendiums of hantu (Malay/Indonesian for “ghost”) that feature a cast of spooky figures. These include the toyol, an undead infant fed with a blood charm and often used by its owner to steal, and the mawang, a big jungle spirit with long hair and nails that preys on livestock. Examples of such titles are pictured below.

The Japanese collection is also home to its share of ghost, goblins, and yōkai, a term that can refer to all manner of monsters and spirits from Japanese folklore. Here we look specifically at an intriguing set of prints by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). Although best known internationally for his iconic woodblock print “The Great Wave,” the work of Hokusai spans many genres, including the macabre, such as a series ambitiously titled “One Hundred Ghost Tales.” Despite its name, however, only five woodblock prints seem to have been realized. The Japanese Rare Book Collection contains copies of all five, which have been gathered in a lavish album adorned with a silk brocade cover and featuring exquisite gold paper inside. The album, prints, and accompanying handwritten notes in English have all been digitized and can be viewed online under the title “Hokusai hyaku monogatari no uchi gomai” 北齋百物語之内五枚 (Five of Hokusai’s One Hundred Ghost Tales).

Let us briefly introduce a few of the tales from this series. The print on the left portrays the vengeful female ghost Oiwa in the guise of a paper lantern. The tragic and terrifying tale of Oiwa, who exacts revenge on her sadistic and unfaithful husband, Iyemon, from beyond the grave, originates in a kabuki play titled “Yotsuya kaidan” 四谷怪談 (Ghost story of Yotsuya) and first performed in 1825. Since then, it has inspired countless adaptions in a variety of art forms.

The ghastly skeleton that appears on the print in the middle is “Kohada Koheiji,” the protagonist in a popular 18th-century legend. Kohada, a kabuki actor who became typecast into playing ghosts due to his gaunt appearance, is killed by his wife and her illicit lover. In this scene, the zombie-like specter of Kohada returns to haunt them and seek his revenge.

The print on the right depicts a scene from a Japanese ghost story known as “Banchō Sarayashiki” (Plate mansion at Banchō). There are multiple versions of this tale, but it generally recounts the tragic story of a maid named Okiku, who was thrown down a well by her cruel master after she broke an expensive porcelain plate. She later sought revenge, haunting him in the form of ghostly floating plates.

Finally, we turn to “Liao zhai zhi yi” 聊齋誌異 (Strange Tales from Liaozhai), a collection of short stories in classical Chinese from the early Qing period (1644-1912) that was compiled by Pu Songling 蒲松齡 (1640-1715) over several decades from the late 17th into the early 18th century. It consists of 491 tales in 16 volumes, mostly stories about fox-fairies, flower-spirits, ghosts, and goblins, which are the dominant theme of the entire collection. One of the best-known entries in this collection, “The Story of Huapi,” tells of a young intellectual who is seduced by a demon disguised as a beautiful young maiden. They develop a romantic relationship, which goes awry after he discovers her true identity. A Daoist priest is then asked to exorcise the young intellectual of evil spirts.

Numerous editions of this work can be accessed in the Asian Reading Room, including this 1886 illustrated version, while a mid-19th century annotated edition can be viewed online through the Chinese Rare Book Digital Collection. One can even find bilingual editions in Chinese and Manchu, the official language of the Qing court. In a testament to the work’s appeal across East Asia, versions of this work are available in other languages, as well. The Library holds several translations into Japanese, including this edition that has been digitized as part of the Japanese Censorship Collection. Other translations can be found in Korean and Mongolian. To learn more about this fascinating work, check out one of our past posts that explores “Strange Tales from Liaozhai” in greater detail.

We hope you have enjoyed this tour through some of the ghost tale traditions across Asia. We have only scratched the surface, though, so if you are interested in learning more about any of the topics or materials discussed above, please reach out to Asian Reading Room reference librarians through Ask a Librarian.

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