In the different stories presented in the "Kwaidan", there were several different tales about encounters with the supernatural. One of the aspects looked at in the stories was the type of supernatural being that each story includes. In order to better understand the supernatural beings, it is important to classify them as to which type class they belong to.
             The first story of a supernatural encounter was the story titled "Black Hair". In this story, the supernatural being is the first wife of a young samurai that leaves for a chance at escaping poverty. The spirit of the first wife showed a great deal of characteristics that are common among ghosts. The first characteristic was the fact that she chose who the person that she wanted to appear to. The only person that had any contact with this spirit is her ex-husband, the samurai. Another ghost-like characteristic portrayed by the spirit was the fact that she could appear any place. In this story, the spirit not only appeared in real life, but she also appeared within the samurai's mind and tormented him that way. However, when she appears to him in person, she appears late night, which is also a common feature in ghosts. The only characteristic that did not seemingly follow that of a ghost was the fact that her spirit did not seem threatening or ill-willed. However, there is a possibility of her having ill-will in an attempt to get revenge on her ex-husband for leaving her in a time of need. Overall, the spirit of the "Black Hair" would be classified as a ghost.
             The second story presented was the tale of the "Snow Woman." This story included a kami that was in the form of a beautiful young woman. This spirit appeared as though it would be classified as a bad kami. The woman spirit was unknown and nameless, which is a common characteristic among bad kami. Also, because of the fact that she appeared in the woods, i...