Kwaidan

Kwaidan Response

Kwaidan is a collection of ghost stories rooted in Japanese folklore and tradition. Each one of the stories represent the way the people of Japan are not only connected with Nature but also the spirits of their ancestors from the feudal times. The spiritual forces represent the workings of nature and how the spirits of ancient times play into the culture of a lot of the people of Japan. There is always the idea that there is a force unknown to certain people. That is always preying on the minds of those who make the wrong choices. Even though at first it seems to be the right choice. In one story, a woodcutter witnesses a spirit murder his mentor and is forced by the spirit to remain silent about what he sees under the threat of death. He then later marries a woman who is the physical embodiment of said spirit.

Like a lot of the people in those stories, we often fear the unknown and sometimes depending on the path we take. Along with the choices big or small, it can come back to bite us. We often forget that ghosts used to one day be people, and that certain spirits are not ones to be crossed. We often like to be scared of ghosts because it makes us remind ourselves that we have to be careful throughout our daily lives. To always be decent towards those even outside our family and to always be respectful. By doing so we can learn to become better people and live a good life.