Impurities (ケガレ, Kegare?) are entities similar to ghosts or spirits of people who have died.[2] They collect in places where humans live, although they typically do not show themselves to most humans.[1]
Description[]
Kurebayashi's husband returns as an impurity.
Impurities are an accumulation of the souls of the dead and the strong emotions of the living, which have mixed together within The Other Side and were then reborn back into our world. It is noted by Kurebayashi that the souls of the dead are still preserved enough to recognize them within the impurity.[2]
For example, when Kurebayashi's husband died, his soul returned as an impurity likely due to her strong desire for him to return.[3] This process is also referred to as the cycle of Samsara, the cycle of reincarnation, or the cycle of death and rebirth.[4] Therefore, That World is not considered "evil" and This World is not considered "good". Although some impurities can be frightening or cause damage to human beings,[1][5] this is not always the case and not all impurities are dangerous.[2] This was demonstrated when an impurity warned Asako of an incoming car, saving Yuuki's life in the process.[4] Impurities are also able to become guardian deities for a person or family.[6]
Some impurities have a strong liking for Gold Silkworms.[7]
Effects on Humans[]
Impurities are drawn to human souls in a similar way that humans who feel cold are drawn to the warmth of a fire.[6] "Hikaru" also describes impurities as lonely beings, so they try sticking to or entering humans that look at them,[8] and will tend to gather around to people who are kind.[1] By entering a human, impurities can influence them into violent or abnormal behavior that they would not normally partake in. In one case, a man ran naked in the courtyard of Kibogayama High and slit his own throat when stopped by faculty.[5]
Yoshiki hallucinates due to an impurity.
This appears to be due to the hallucinations that the impurities induce. For example, when an impurity found in Yoshiki's bathroom entered him, he began seeing hallucinations of large, brain-like creatures that surrounded and harassed him. The hallucination then invoked an old memory of himself arguing with Indou Hikaru and tackling him. In real life, Yoshiki tackled "Hikaru" in the same manner, resulting in Yoshiki beginning to drown "Hikaru" in the bathtub.[1] He only came to his senses and stopped after "Hikaru" forced the impurity out of Yoshiki's body and consumed it.[9]
Additionally, encounters with strong impurities can result in some form of impairment on the human. For example, Tanaka is completely blind due to a spiritual impairment from many years in the past. Even when examined by doctors, there is no physiological cause for his blindness.[10] Similarly, Maki's leg grows a rash that hinders his walking ability, but is completely fine after "Hikaru" consumes the impurity.[6]
Being injured by an impurity or interacting with one for an extended period of time can also lead to a person becoming "mixed," which means they touch the boundary between the world of the living and The Other Side.[11][9]
Kurebayashi and Tanaka also imply that it is somehow unsafe for humans to look directly at impurities. This applies even to humans that lack the ability to see the impurities on a perceptual level, as Tanaka shielded Asako from looking.[7][12]
Sensing Impurities[]
The average person is completely unable to sense impurities, except for in situations where the impurity is initiating contact with them.[13]
Asako can hear spirits without seeing them.
However, some humans are naturally able to sense and interact with impurities, although this ability exists on a spectrum. In the case of Asako, she can hear and speak to impurities, but cannot see them; whereas other members of her family can see but not hear them.[4] Asako,[5] Old Lady Matsuura,[14] and Kurebayashi[3] also describe having a general feeling or intuition that an impurity or bad energy is present, or that a person has been entered by an impurity. Because spiritual sense is inherited, it is possible that everyone who can naturally sense them are descendants of the same ancestor.[13]
According to Tanaka, by looking at impurities, one becomes more likely to be found by them.[10] This is affirmed by Yoshiki's experience on the Forest Path – when Yoshiki looked into the forest and saw an impurity, it immediately looked back and attempted to enter him.[8] More specifically, when a human looks at an impurity, a tie (
Looking at an impurity causes it to look back at you.
Tanaka also states that fearing impurities makes a person more of a target to them. The reverse is demonstrated by Asako – she does not see impurities as evil, she does not appear to be especially afraid of them, and she believes it to be normal to communicate with them. As a result, she is strong enough to withstand a spiritual attack from "Hikaru".[4] Even though he intended to kill her, she survived with only hearing loss in her right ear.[16] Furthermore, since fear makes a person more vulnerable to impurities, it may be possible to "train" oneself to tolerate them better – in theory, repeated exposure to impurities will reduce fear and vulnerability as the person becomes more accustomed to their presence. "Hikaru" and Yoshiki try this method,[17] and according to "Hikaru" it has been somewhat effective in building Yoshiki's resistance.[9]
Using Impurities[]
Curses[]
Humans can create a curse that makes use of an impurity that is likened to a Hunting Dog. The ritual for doing so appears to involve digging up an old grave. When the Hunting Dog returns to the person who cast the curse, that person obtains the memories it gained while seeking out its target.[2]
Guardian Deities[]
Humans can enshrine an impurity, and doing so will cause them to go up in rank to a guardian deity. The guardian will act as a protector to the humans who maintain the shrine, following them and warding off dangerous impurities. Failing to keep the shrine clean and orderly will cause the guardian to temporarily disappear until its shrine is properly maintained again. In the case of the Maki family, they have enshrined a serow for four generations.[6] As a result, Maki is protected from seeing the "ku" impurity on the forest path between Kibogayama and Ashidori.[8] However, in exchange for protection, the deity absorbs some of the life force of the humans it guards.[18]
Trivia[]
- Impurity is written in-series using katakana, ケガレ kegare.[1][19] In Shinto, kegare (穢れ・汚れ?) describes a state of defilement or pollution. It can result from deliberate acts such as criminal violence, or it can result passively when one encounters death, childbirth, or illness. Kegare can cause negative outcomes for both the defiled person and the community they belong to.[20]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Chapter 11 (Vol. 2)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Chapter 20 (Vol. 4)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chapter 5 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Chapter 15 (Vol. 3)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Chapter 19 (Vol. 4)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Chapter 29 (Vol. 6)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chapter 34 (Vol. 7)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Chapter 3 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Chapter 12 (Vol. 3)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Chapter 22 (Vol. 5)
- ↑ Chapter 6 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ Chapter 35 (Vol. 7)
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Mokumokuren, Bluesky @mokmok-len.bsky.social (January 20, 2025). 「光が死んだ夏」第３３話-２. Retrieved on June 26, 2025.
- ↑ Chapter 2 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ Chapter 32 (Vol. 7)
- ↑ Chapter 17 (Vol. 4)
- ↑ Chapter 4 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ Mokumokuren, Twitter @mokmok_len (August 5, 2024). 「光が死んだ夏」第２９話-２. Retrieved on December 15, 2024.
- ↑ Chapter 13 (Vol. 3)
- ↑ Wikipedia: Kegare
[]
| Ashidori • Kibogayama • Kibogayama High • Kubitachi • The Other Side • Udekari | |
| Historical Timeline • Map of Villages | |
| Miscellaneous | Gold Silkworm • Hichi-san • Holes • Hunting Dog • Illegitimate • Impurity • Master x Master |