IN FOLKLORE traditions from around the world, ghost stories serve not only to frighten but also to relay ideas about the human condition. An important component of Japanese mythology, yurei are spirits unable to transition to the afterlife. Trapped in the world of the living, often due to some conflict or trauma that prevented easy passage into the hereafter, tales of yurei have long served as a metaphor for other contemporary concerns.
A fascinating new exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, “Staging the Supernatural: Ghosts and the Theater in Japanese Prints” (March 23–October 6, 2024), looks closely at the depiction of u in Edo
