Vengeful Spirits or Loving Spiritual Companions? Changing Views of Animal Spirits in Contemporary Japan

Pet memorial rites gained currency in Japan in the late twentieth century. Beginning in the 1970s, Japan experienced an "occult boom," which was marked by increasing interest in paranormal phenomena, divination, and vengeful spirits. At the same time, Japanese society underwent dramatic demographic changes and a marked increase in pet ownership. Pet memorial rituals became popular in this environment. However, the rationale behind these rituals is shifting in the aftermath of the Aum Shinrikyo incident and through the growing influence of a global pet loss literature. Once regarded as threatening, vengeful spirits, pet spirits have emerged as loving, faithful spiritual companions. This article traces these changes at Buddhist pet cemeteries and in the writings of popular spiritualists from Gibo Aiko to Ehara Hiroyuki.