The Origin of the "Ghost" (Chinese Masks and Rituals)

Author: [Japan] Ritsuko Hirota
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: This book documents the origins, development, and spread of Nuo culture. Through investigative reports from various parts of China, it introduces the rituals, beliefs, and performances involving spirits with so-called ghostly imagery, seeking clues for comparative studies of Japanese and Chinese deities. She points out that the Chinese ghosts in Nuo rituals (i.e., the masked performers who embody the spirits as objects of Nuo worship and the masked characters in Nuo theater) not only represent the dead and ancestors but are also categorized into malevolent ghosts and spirits who serve to expel disasters for the people. When these latter spirits are worshipped as deities, their appearances are depicted as fierce and terrifying to portray their ability to overcome calamities.