The Heian-Era Goryō Tradition

Record summary

Goryō belief involved the veneration or appeasement of the angry spirits of people thought to have died unjustly, especially politically displaced or condemned figures. The tradition is associated with epidemics, disasters, court anxiety, and the establishment of shrines, including the cult of Sugawara no Michizane as Tenjin. It offers a comparison with restless-dead traditions and political memory. The causes assigned to particular calamities are difficult to separate from later shrine narratives and court historiography. Researchers should distinguish ritual practice from claims that spirits objectively caused events.