Ikire

In Japanese mythology, the soul of a still living person who has temporarily left his body and moves independently. It looks the same as its owner, from which it came out. Sometimes it appears as a translucent ghostly figure, and sometimes it is impossible to distinguish it from a living person. It appears during strong experiences or injuries, and its owner usually does not know about its existence.

Folk beliefs about ikira date back to prehistoric times. According to ancient superstitions, the soul can leave the body shortly before death and begin to wander around, making strange sounds and performing various actions independently of the body. According to legends, this happens especially often during the war, when the ikire of a soldier dying away from home (or even in another country) appears in front of his relatives to say the last goodbye.

Now there are several reasons for the appearance of ikire. It may be the approach of death, but also just a faint and even part of the curse. Quite often the reason is a strong feeling: love, lust or deep hatred.

A person whose soul, having been in the form of ikire, returned to the body, as a rule, does not remember what happened to him in the "astral form".

Buddhist literature describes ikire as a spirit that is particularly difficult to get rid of.