The Eight Goryo Spirits (Hasshin Goryo) are a group of vengeful spirits venerated in Japanese tradition, believed to be the aggrieved souls of nobles and political figures who died unjustly and thereafter caused plagues, disasters, or misfortune among the living. Rituals of purification and exorcism, most notably the Goryo-e ceremonies established in the Heian period, were performed to appease these spirits and avert calamity. Over time, their veneration became linked to broader practices of ritual purification intended to protect communities from illness and disorder attributed to unsettled spirits.