#Ancestor

An unpaid guardian that continues operating as a family’s posthumous surveillance system. An unpaid dealer trading blessings or curses in exchange for formal offerings and rituals. A push notification of tradition sent over the spiritual network from the grave. A silent evaluator who critiques the family head’s decisions without uttering a word. A zero-salary household advisor working intensively during Obon and higan. An intangible energy source fueled by descendants’ guilt. A spiritual creditor who refuses absence for fear of decapitation by oblivion. A persistent data bank preserving memories centered around the household. A stubborn archaic belief system surviving the tides of modern rationality. A stalker that publicly discloses family lineage without any regard for privacy.