Hitodama, the Soul Fires
In Japanese folklore, balls of bluish fire floating at night are the souls of the newly dead.
What was reported
Hitodama, 'human souls', are glowing balls of fire in Japanese folklore, usually pale blue or white with a short tail, seen floating gently through the air at night, especially near graveyards and around the summer festival of Obon.
They were said to be souls leaving the body just before or after death. Similar lights, called kitsunebi or fox fires, were blamed on foxes.
Explanations offered
Suggested explanations include burning gases from decay, ball lightning and glowing insects. Japanese researchers have produced similar flames in experiments with gas. Hitodama are a standard part of the imagery of Japanese ghost stories.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Nagano, Japan
- Witnesses
- Japanese tradition
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.