GORYO

in Japanese religion, vengeful spirits of the dead. In the Heian period (ad 794-857) goryo were generally considered to be spirits of nobility who had died as a result of political intrigue and who because of their ill will for the living brought about natural disasters, diseases, and wars. The identities of the goryo were determined by divination or necromancy. Many were appeased by being granted the status of gods (Japanese goryo-shin, "goryo deities"). A notable example is Sugawara Michizane, a 9th-century minister who died in exile and came to be venerated as the god Tenjin. Later the belief arose that anyone could become a goryo by so willing at the moment of his death or by meeting with accidental death under unusual circumstances. Various magical practices developed in the 9th-10th century to ward off the consequences of evil spirits, such as the Buddhist recitation of nembutsu (invoking the name of the Buddha Amida) to send off angry spirits to Amida's paradise; the exorcising of spirits by Shugen-do (mountain ascetic) rites; and the use of in-yo magic, derived from Shinto and Taoism. Belief in the power of goryo has survived, particularly among the rural population of Japan, and special memorial services continue to be performed to appease victims of untimely death.