Although it is more common in modern times to refer to scary stories about apparitions and vengeful ghosts as "ghost stories," they originally referred to legends of uncanny occurrences caused by youkais, onis, ghosts, kitsunes, tanukis, and other such creatures.
The "Records of Ancient Matters" and the "Chronicles of Japan" describe the famous tale of the extermination of Yamata-no-Orochi, furthermore, the "Collection of Times Now Past", which was completed in the 12th century, contains many tales of youkais and monsters, suggesting that the origins of these stories date back to a time before the existence of literature.
The same can be said for apparitions and vengeful spirits, which can be found in many forms from rituals to literature, such as the Heian-period Onryou Creed, where vengeful spirits were worshipped as gods to quell their hauntings, and the story of Rokujou no Miyasudokoro in "The Tale of Genji", who became a vengeful spirit and brought about his love rival's death because of his jealousy.
However, it was not until the mid-Edo period that ghost stories began to take the form they have today.
After the Tokugawa Shogunate was established, the city of Edo rapidly transformed into a metropolis, and many people from all over Japan visited the city. The mixing of their tales led to the emergence of many popular ghost stories.
In addition, ghost stories were actively collected in various places, for example, the frequently held late at night "Gathering of One Hundred Supernatural Tales," where one hundred candles were lit, and one candle would be extinguished for each ghost story told.
Numerous collections of ghost stories such as "One Hundred Tales of the Many Provinces" were published, and paintings of ghosts and youkai, such as "The Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons" by Toriyama Sekien, became popular.
However, as the size of cities grew and the space surrounding people shifted from natural to man-made objects, people's focus moved from the natural world to human relationships, and their interest turned from yokai to ghosts.
In the world of literature and entertainment, "Ghost Story of Yotsuya in Toukaidou," "The Dish Mansion at Banchou," and "The Peony Lantern" were produced and gained popularity.
Thus, in the modern age, where youkai are no longer believed to exist, the image of ghost stories has become completely defined as stories about ghosts.
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