Oni Folklore
Oni Kyoto: full of demon legends
There are three demon legends in the Oeyama mountain range, the largest mountain area in the area that straddles Fukuchiyama City, Maizuru City, Miyazu City, and Yosano Town in the Kyoto area of the sea. When you hear the word demon, many people think of youkai and monsters. However, as you read the legend of demons based on the tradition of Oeyama, you can see real demons that are not youkai or demons. I hope you enjoy reading the mysterious demons you imagine and the real demons in the folklore.
One of the legends of the demons of Oeyama is the legend of Tsuchigumo extermination of Hikoimasu, the younger brother of Emperor Sujin. The other is the legend of the demon extermination of Emperor Yōmei's third prince, Maroko, and the other is the legend of the demon extermination of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, known as Otogi-zoshi "Shuten-doji". Many folklore sites related to these legends are scattered in the Kyoto area of the sea. Introducing the demon legend that transcends time and space and the demon spot "Oni no Kyoto" in the sea related to demons.
Kyoto by the Sea is the origin of many oni legends
Mikasa Kugami
This legend dates back to the Kofun period of Japan’s history. The infamous Mikasa Kugami, led by a demon called Tsuchigumo (with a monstrous spider form) was terrorizing the Aoba mountain range that straddles Kyoto and Fukui Prefectures. This was during the reign of Emperor Suijin, the 10th emperor of Japan. He decreed that his younger brother, Hikoimasu, should exterminate the demons. Hikoimasu caught up with the demons and chased them down the Yura River, but they managed to evade his grasp. Hikoimasu used a stone to divine where the Mikasa Kugami had fled, and followed them to the Oeyama mountain range in what is now Fukuchiyama City. There are many place names today that reflect the long and arduous battle that ensued between Hikoimasu and the Mikasa Kugami.
The legend of Shuten-doji
The story of Shuten-doji, one of the fiercest oni in Japan, is captured in Oeyama pictograms written between the late Nanbokucho period and early Muromachi period. The story is also recorded in the Otogi-zoshi, which was written in the Edo period.
Shuten-doji was a demon among demons, the king of demons in fact, and believed to be the strongest. There are stories about his youth as well. Some say he was born in Niigata prefecture, remained in his mother's stomach for twelve months before being born with teeth and hair, already able to speak and walk. As a child he was called Gaidomaru, and by the time he was four he was already as intelligent and strong as a sixteen-year-old. There are equally fabulous stories about how he came to be an oni, but the legend regarding his death is quite similar across accounts.
Around the year 1,000, when Kyoto was the capital of Japan, people began going missing around the capital. Emperor Ichijo commanded the general Minamoto no Yoromitsu (also called Raiko) to get to the bottom of the disappearances. It was divined that a demon king living in Oeyama was responsible. Raiko had his four lieutenants accompany him to the mountains where, on the way, the encountered four deities who were disguised as mortals. These deities offered the general and his party a special poisoned sake, and a special helmet of protection. They also advised the group to enter the demon’s camp dressed as yamabushi (mountain priests).
As the group got closer they came upon a kidnapped woman doing laundry down by a river, who explained that the demons had kidnapped many women and were keeping them as slaves, as well as wantonly eating them and drinking their blood.
The warriors, pretending to be priests, convinced the oni-king to give them lodging. Shuten Doji treated the men to dinner and gave them lodging, explaining as he drank that his name even meant he was someone who loved to drink sake. General Raiko then offered Shuten Doji the sake given to him by the gods, which incapacitated the oni. This gave the warriors time to get their armor and weapons and cut off the demon’s head. Though when they severed the head, it flew up at Raiko’s head, snapping its jaws around the second helmet he was offered by the gods for protection. The warriors, triumphant, returned to Kyoto with the head.
Places to visit: all things oni
Japan Oni Cultural Museum
Hiking Oeyama
The region has excellent hiking with friendly oni statues leading the way. Below are accommodation recommendations to use as hubs for your journey.
*Green Lodge’s website is only in Japanese but we are more than happy to assist with booking (for any accommodations in the area).
Motoise Naigu Shrine
On the approach to this shrine dedicated to the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, you will find an ancient tree that was handplanted by Prince Shotoku’s younger brother, Maroko. It is believed that he prayed here to defeat three notorious demons and planted three cedar trees, two of which have been struck by lightning in the thousand-plus years since they were planted.
Oni Alcohol
Doburoku is an unrefined sake. "Oni Baba" is a doburoku made using high-quality Koshihikari rice grown in the local rice terraces of Kehara, a beautiful village in the Oe district of Fukuchiyama. "Doburoku" is made using clear water and fresh malted rice. “Oni Baba” brand doburoku is faithful to the traditional methods of brewing and has won prizes in the national doburoku contest for two consecutive years.
Oni and Soba
The association of oni and soba may have started because drinking soup stock conjures images of oni burying their faces in oversized bottles of alcohol. For Fukuchiyama, there is a special connection, as the noodles made in the region grind the outer part of the buckwheat shell, giving the noodles a black color. The fragrance is powerful and it’s very nutritious.
Oni ga Soba
A unique location that’s hidden away on a dead-end street, this restaurant is charming. Riverfish and wishbone chicken cook in front of you over charcoal irori, while you await your handmade soba.
For up-to-date hours and location, check the map!
Oeyama Sobaya
The iconic black noodles at Sobaya are extra-nutritious. Served with locally foraged veggies in an oversized red dish to give one the feeling of being an oni drinking their fill.
For up-to-date hours and location, check the map!
Haven’t gotten your fill yet?
There are still more Oni-related spots in the Kyoto by the Sea area!
Tateiwa
The previous oni legend of Tsuchigumo, the monstrous spider-demon, continued into the 5th, 6th century, when Prince Maroko is said to have chased the oni from the Oeyama mountains, north across the land until they reached the Sea of Japan, where Tsuchigumi had nowhere else to go. This location contains Tateiwa, a rare volcanic rock formation rising out of the sea. And Prince Maroko used Tateiwa and trapped the demon inside so he could never escape. And even now, on windy nights where the waves pound the rock, you can hear the demon wail from within his prison, or so they they.
Oni burial mounds
Near Tateiwa in Tango, there is an ancient shrine (Takano Shrine) and the Shinmeiyama burial mound, a Kofun era burial mound. In the tiny village of Makinoya behind Shinmeiyama, there is a much stranger burial mound, and in front of it, rounded stones signifying the presence of oni. The stones are engraved with the phrase, Onikamizuka, signifying the area as the burial mound for the oni that were vanquished by King Maroko. . On the Day of the Ox in mid-winter, people hold a Shinto ritual and a strange festival that has been handed down and preserved to this day at Takano Shrine, a memorial service for oni.
The Iwakura at Kamitani Shrine looks just like the rock cut by Kanjiro with the blade of demons.
An iwakura is known as the dwelling place of a god. And this large split rock has become popular with fans of Kimetsu no Yaiba, because it looks exactly like the rock that Tanjiro Kamado, the main character of the series, cut during the culmination of his training. In addition to this resemblance, the shrine itself is venerable in the Kinki region, and is the only one that enshrines one of the four shido shogun (Shoguns of the Four Provinces), Tamba no Michinushi (also known as Taniwa no Michinushi no Mikoto), who also happens to be the son of Hikoimasu. Hikoimasu, you may remember from earlier in this article, was the one who chased demons into the Oeyama Mountain range. The shrine is also referred to as Kamitani Tachinomiya because is enshrines the treasured sword, Kunimi, which was often seen at the side of Tamba no Michinushi.
It is also believed that ancient people used the rock to tell time for farming, due to the way the sunlight shone through the boulder during the summer solstice. Naturally, this is also a spiritual spot for sun worship.