At Japanese Tales we are continuing our look at Japanese Yokai, today we will take a look at the Oni.
The Japanese Oni is translated as demons, devils, ogres or trolls.
Appearance
The description of the Oni differs, but they are usually described as hideous, gigantic ogre-like creatures with sharp claws, wild hair and two horns protruding from their heads. Sometimes they have different numbers of horns, eyes, or fingers and toes.
They are described mostly to have red or blue skin. They wear loincloths made from huge beasts and quite commonly their loincloth is made from tiger skin.
There favored weapon of choice is an iron club called a Kanabo.
All Oni possess extreme strength and follow a body of fundamental principles, and many are competent at sorcery.
Behavior
It seems unlikely from the above description but Oni originally are human, Oni’s are created when truly evil humans die and end up in one of the many Buddhist Hells and are transformed into an Oni.
They are the brutal and obedient servant of Great Lord Enma, ruler of Hell. An Oni’s job is to torture by the way of punishments such as peeling off the skin, crushing bones and many other acts of torture to the evil people who have been sent to hell but aren’t that evil to become an Oni.
In certain circumstances when a human is so evil and done so many wicked deeds, they are transformed during life and remain on the Earth to terrorize the living. These types of Oni are mostly described in legends and tales.
Traditional Culture
The Oni is still part of modern Japan, through its traditions.
Every 3rd February the Japanese celebrate Setsubun (seasonal division) which is traditionally the day before the beginning of Spring. On this occasion roasted soybeans (called fortune beans – fuku mame) are thrown either out the door or at a member of the family wearing an Oni mask, while the people shout ‘Demons out! Luck in! (Oni wa sato, fukuwa uchi) and slam the door.
Also, Oni’s are featured in very popular Japanese children’s stories such as Momotaro (Peach Boy), Issun-boshi and Kobutori.
In recent times the evil image of the Oni has somewhat softened and more of a protective image has emerged, for example, men in Oni costumes often lead Japanese parades to get rid of any bad luck.
Japanese buildings sometimes include Oni-faced roof tiles called Onigawara, which ward off bad luck, much like gargoyles in the Western tradition.
So The Oni lives on and still has a place in modern Japan.
Check out our article on the Kappa – https://japanesetales.com/kappa/
