心霊としての「幽霊」 : 近代日本における「霊」言説の変容をめぐって(年間テーマ・テーマシンポジウム論文,<特集>〈古典(学/知/教育)〉2)

抄録

In contemplating over how the recently established vindictive impression of "yuurei" (ghost) has changed during post-modern times, we shall attempt to heed to the notion of "shinrei" (spirit) as a medium. "Shinrei" was started to be applied in the context of spiritualism which was tinged by psychological and religious traces of the New Age during the "hanmon no jidai" (years of anguish/agony) in the mid thirty years of the Meiji Period. In respect of "reikon" (soul spirit) and "tamashii" (soul) that are deeply intertwined with the religious beliefs of the previous era, "shinrei"? was accepted as a new concept that wiped out earlier (former) images, in addition to being regarded as a key item concerning the debate over the actual existence of a "shinrei" from a scientific perspective. Thus, "shinrei" became the newly defined term in modern place. The main discourse in this study reflects over the expressions "shinrei" and "yuurei", especially employed from the late-Meiji era to the beginning of the Taisho period.