The Ghost in the Machine

In the complex world of Japanese writing, composed of countless hiragana, katakana, and kanji characters, there exists a unique subset known as "yurei moji" or "ghost characters." These characters are unconventional, frequently appearing in rare documents, old manuscripts, and sometimes as typographical errors in contemporary texts. But what exactly are yurei moji, and how did they develop?

The term "yurei" (幽霊) means "ghost" or "phantom," while "moji" (文字) refers to "character" or "letter." Thus, yurei moji are ghost characters—figures that linger on the periphery of the Japanese writing system. Typically, these are kanji that have become obsolete, are incorrectly written, or have ambiguous origins. They rarely feature in modern dictionaries and often result from historical inaccuracies, copying errors, or regional differences.

Yurei moji frequently originate from the Edo period (1603–1868) or earlier. During these times, the absence of standardized education and printing techniques meant characters could be easily miswritten or altered over time. The primary causes of yurei moji include:

1. Copying Errors: Before modern printing, texts were hand-copied. Mistakes made by scribes could introduce incorrect characters.

2. Regional Variations: Different regions sometimes developed unique ways of writing certain characters, creating local variants that never became standardized.

3. Typographical Errors: With the rise of movable type and printing presses, typesetting errors could create ghost characters.

4. Obsolete Characters: As language evolved, some characters fell out of use, becoming ghosts of their former identities.

A well-known example of a yurei moji is "??," a character seldom used in modern Japanese and absent from standard kanji dictionaries. It is a variant of "井" (well) that fell out of use due to its complexity. Another example is "??," a character that once meant "scolding" but was replaced by the simpler "叱" in contemporary usage.

In 1978, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) established JIS C 6226 (later known as JIS X 0208), which specified 6,349 characters as the so-called JIS Level 1 and Level 2 kanji. This set of kanji is called the "JIS Basic Kanji." The kanji included in the following four tables were used as the basis:

1. Standard Code Kanji Table (Draft): Information Processing Society of Japan Kanji Code Committee (1971)

2. Comprehensive List of Administrative Divisions of Japan: Geospatial Information Association (1972)

3. Nippon Life Insurance Company Name in Kanji: Nippon Life Insurance Company (1973, no longer in use)

4. Basic Kanji for Administrative Information Processing: Administrative Management Agency (1975)

When the standards were established, the source of each character was not specified, leading to the inclusion of characters whose pronunciation and usage were unknown. These characters came to be called "ghost characters," a play on the term "ghost language," referring to words in dictionaries with no practical examples. Typical examples include "妛" and "彁," not in comprehensive ancient collections like the Kangxi Dictionary or the Daikanwa Jiten.

In 1997, a committee led by Shibano Koji and Sasahara Hiroyuki investigated the documents referenced when the original standard was created in 1978. They found that many characters considered ghost characters were actually used in place names and other contexts. The Administrative Management Agency had compiled eight kanji lists in 1974, and during the selection of JIS basic kanji, the correspondence analysis results were referenced instead of the original sources. It was found that lists like the "Nippon Life Insurance Company's Name Kanji" contained many ghost characters, and the original source no longer existed by the time of the first draft standard.

Despite thorough investigations, the origins of 12 characters remain unknown, with some suggesting they may have been copied incorrectly. Characters like "彁" still elude identification. Ghost characters have been adopted into international standards such as Unicode, making changes to these standards difficult and ensuring these ghostly figures remain in the digital realm.

Yurei moji are more than typographical curiosities; they reflect the dynamic and evolving nature of the Japanese language. They remind us of the human element in writing—the errors, adaptations, and regional variations that enrich a language.

In a broader sense, yurei moji symbolize the transient nature of all things, a concept deeply rooted in Japanese culture through philosophies like mono no aware (the awareness of the impermanence of things). Just as ghost characters fade in and out of usage, many aspects of life leave behind traces of their existence.

Yurei moji, the ghost characters of Japanese writing, offer a fascinating glimpse into the language's history and evolution. They are remnants of a time when writing was more fluid and less standardized, carrying stories of scribes, regional dialects, and typographical errors. As we continue to digitize and explore ancient texts, these ghostly characters will likely continue to haunt the edges of Japanese script, reminding us of the rich tapestry of human communication.