Yurei: The Japanese Ghost

&quot;I lived in a haunted apartment.&quot; Zack Davisson opens this definitive work on Japan's ghosts, or <i>yurei</i>, with a personal tale about the spirit world. Eerie red marks on the apartment's ceiling kept Zack and his wife on edge. The landlord warned them not to open a door in the apartment that led to nowhere. &quot;Our Japanese visitors had no problem putting a name to it . . . they would sense the vibes of the place, look around a bit and inevitably say '<i>Ahhh</i> . . . <i>yurei ga deteru</i>.' There is a <i>yurei</i> here.&quot;<br>Combining his lifelong interest in Japanese tradition and his personal experiences with these vengeful spirits, Davisson launches an investigation into the origin, popularization, and continued existence of <i>yurei</i> in Japan. Juxtaposing historical documents and legends against contemporary <i>yurei</i>-based horror films such as <i>The Ring</i>, Davisson explores the persistence of this paranormal phenomenon in modern day Japan and its continued spread throughout the West.