The Dead Who Would Not Be Ignored

Japanese Name	御霊
Romanization	Goryō
Classification	Vengeful Spirit
Expedition	Expedition X — Spirits of Death
Threat Level	■■■■□ (Level IV – Severe)
First Recorded	Heian Period — 9th Century CE

Goryō are feared spiritual beings historically associated with epidemic, calamity, and social disturbance. The category included the spirits of people who had lost power or status as well as certain epidemic-associated kami. From the medieval period onward, the term increasingly came to refer to angry spirits of the dead. Rather than simply destroying them, communities could attempt to appease, send away, or permanently enshrine these spirits, transforming dangerous spiritual power into protection.