Avenging Spirits in Japanese Horror

I've been watching Japanese Horror recently and most of these consisted of avenging ghosts, particularly women, unlike western horror.
I was wondering why that is. Does it reflect Japanese culture, the use of avenging spirits?

OK, it's not just Japanese movies, it's also Korean and Chinese. korean horror in particular is very effective, with plenty of young female ghosts, complete with gallons of blood and cracking limbs. My guess is that in male dominated societies, it is scarier to have a powerful female figure. I think my wife would suggest that women also have more to be vengeful about! The concept of avenging spirits isnt uncommon outside of Japan, though, generally in all ghost stories there is some redress sought, it is just that the asian ones seem to be more "honour" based.

LottieP,

It's just because that's what you happen to be getting. Or I suppose we can say that that is what your country's market tends to prefer.

Because in Japan, there are plenty of ghosts that aren't avenging, or avenging ghosts that are male, or avenging ghosts you can't even guess the gender of. And you have to keep in mind that, in Japan, the things you wear when you're dead are unisex, and in ancient times both men and women had long hair and no beard.

This is just for reference.
http://www.google.co.jp/images?q=%E5%A6%96%E6%80%AA&rls=com.microsoft:...

I think it comes to some old stories.. Dunno if either of you know about them.. but there's lots of evil female type spirits.. A lot of them are dishonored suicide things.. That's why there's a lot of imagery of pale dead skin and long flowing hair..

Buuuut, these women exist in European stories as well, like banshees... There are also similar women in Mexican story ( La Llorona)... And other Asian cultures!

So vengeful or sad or badly ended women aren't an uncommon theme.. I think the Japanese just did a scary job of it by bringing the 'grudge' to our attention..

I think those could be considered 'ghosts' but they are more like supernatural creatures in a way? Or considered Japanese mythology? Sometime they get translated to 'ghost.' But I think stuff like Tengu or the one eyed umbrella or the Tanuki are more substantial than ghosts. They are more equivalent to fair folk in some European mythology ( like the horse that drags people into the lake, or water sprites called naiads...).

Often or not, they can be scary or not.. I've watched plenty of Japanese film where those mythological/supernatural beings are heros or being forgotten and people save them by remembering them.. It's kinda like a reminder to young Japanese not to forget their roots and the old stories...

Those scary women are really ghost things though.. Like the La Llorona who died in tragedy..or banshees that are harbringers of death.

Though I gotta say that the Kitsune gets around because there was a older Korean woman and she was deathly afraid of Kitsune!

Anyways it's one of those interesting philosophical and mythological questions that can be traced to more than just Japanese culture or even Asian culture!

This is just for reference, too.
http://www.google.co.jp/images?q=%E7%94%B7%E3%81%AE%E5%B9%BD%E9%9C%8A&...