Oni yokai

Interest in Japanese yokai culture has exploded in recent years. Painting and prints of shape-shifting animals, water-spirits and city ghouls are emerging at exhibitions all around Japan, and across the world. The eerie and strange has long influenced Oni yokai art.

Oni are a type of yokai that can be in the form of demons, devils, ogres, or trolls. Oni are generally thought of as evil beings. All oni possess extreme strength and constitution, and many of them are also accomplished sorcerers. They are ferocious demons, bringers of disaster, spreaders of disease, and publishers of the damned in Hell. They are usually depicted with red, blue, brown or black skin with red and blue being the most common , two horns on its head, a wide mouth filled with fangs, and wearing nothing but a tiger skin loincloth. They are humanoid for the most part, but occasionally, they are shown with unnatural features such as odd numbers of eyes or extra fingers and toes. They often carry an iron kanabo similar to a club or a giant sword.

Oni yokai

Born in Specializes in Japanese religious history. Completed her doctorate in history and anthropology at Tsukuba University in While many researchers in Japan have studied ancient and medieval materials to write about the oni from the viewpoint of literature or folklore studies, scholar Koyama Satoko is the first to trace the image of the oni and its social background from a historical perspective. Tracing the oni lineage means peering into the psyche of the Japanese people. Gui were talked about as part of the world of folk religions, Confucianism, and Daoism, and also took influence from Buddhism, after it spread to China. Gui were also thought to spread disease. The concept spread to Japan no later than the seventh century, transforming to become more easily accepted. In the Heian period [—], mononoke [the spirits of unknown people] were sometimes called oni , but the Chinese idea of using the word for all the spirits of the dead was only partially adopted. In China, gui could be good or evil, but the word oni came to be used only for evil beings in Japan.

The descriptions of oni have changed dramatically over timeto the extent that scholars find it difficult to assess what constitutes as a oni yokai depiction of the creature.

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Their behavior can range from malevolent or mischievous to benevolent to humans. One's ancestors and particularly respected departed elders could also be deemed to be nigi-mitama , accruing status as protective spirits who brought fortune to those who worshipped them. Animals, objects and natural features or phenomena were also venerated as nigi-mitama or propitiated as ara-mitama depending on the area. Despite the existence of harmful spirits, rituals for converting ara-mitama into nigi-mitama were performed, aiming to quell maleficent spirits, prevent misfortune and alleviate the fear arising from phenomena and events that otherwise had no explanation. Literature such as the Kojiki , the Nihon Shoki , and various Fudoki expositioned on legends from the ancient past, and mentions of oni , orochi , among other kinds of mysterious phenomena can already be seen in them. In Buddhist paintings such as the Hell Scroll Nara National Museum , which came from the later Heian period, there are visual expressions of the idea of oni , but actual visual depictions would only come later in the Middle Ages, from the Kamakura period and beyond. It was in this era that the technology of the printing press and publication was first started to be widely used, that a publishing culture developed, and was frequently a subject of kibyoshi and other publications. With the Meiji Restoration , Western ideas and translated western publications began to make an impact, and western tales were particularly sought after.

Oni yokai

Ushi-oni generally appear on beaches and attack people who walk there. Ushi-oni have brutal, savage personalites. Their appearance varies, mainly based on geographical location. They usually have an ox 's head with sharp upward-curving horns, wicked fangs and a slender tongue. They spit poison and enjoy killing and eating humans. Their body is most commonly depicted as spider-like with six legs and long singular claws at the end of each appendage. In other descriptions, they have the head of an ox and an oni 's torso. Certain legends claim that they appear in front of temple gates in the mountains wearing human clothing, or flying with the wings of an insect. Other ushi-oni have a reverse appearance, with an oni's head and an ox's body.

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Often, these children were abandoned. At the same time, they had an unmatched importance in that everyone was born from women. Email Required Name Required Website. In modern day Japan, the Tatsu continues to be a revered yokai; they can be found on the grounds of temples and shrines. Kanezane himself was of the opinion that the oni were actually a group of foreigners. In some forms it is also capable of shape-shifting, such as the sea god Ryujin. They are the embodiment of a moment: a feeling of dread and bewilderment, or awe and wonder over an extraordinary event; or a strange sound or peculiar scent that demands an explanation; an ineffable phenomenon explained only by a supernatural entity. Like Loading It is no coincidence that their rise to the forefront of artistic culture began at a time when the printing press and publishing technology became widespread. It is fine to enjoy oni as interesting characters, but Koyama says we should not forget their negative history. What Are Some Famous Yokai? There was also a strong influence from esoteric Buddhism , which had incorporated the concept of godlike oni. They are usually depicted with red, blue, brown or black skin with red and blue being the most common , two horns on its head, a wide mouth filled with fangs, and wearing nothing but a tiger skin loincloth. Comment Reblog Subscribe Subscribed. ART March 31,

Ghosts and monsters are featured in some of the most popular urban legends around the world. Cultures from all corners of the globe all have their own versions of horror stories, some of which have been passed down from generations before. Yokai are Japanese demons that can come in many shapes and forms, from shape-shifting animals to demonic monsters.

They are usually depicted with red, blue, brown or black skin with red and blue being the most common , two horns on its head, a wide mouth filled with fangs, and wearing nothing but a tiger skin loincloth. He wrote that a provincial governor had submitted a report of the incident to the imperial court. Such births were regarded as ill omens, so they were seen as needing action by the state. Where Do Yokai Come From? Their facial expressions are no longer as brutish and they seem almost gimmicky with their over-pronounced noses and their bushy brows. Wild Kitsune, on the other hand, enjoy tricking humans and are even known to possess humans as well. The tengu is one of the best-known types of Japanese yokai, often intertwined with stories of mountain spirits and forest dwellers. And the fear toward disabled children and foreigners meant that they were also viewed as oni. Women too were increasingly linked to oni as they lost social status. Yuki Onna. Zashiki Warashi. In fact, the term tsuchigumo is used in historical documents composed during the warring states period to refer to rebel factions. Yokai is not simply the Japanese word for demon, as is sometimes believed. Sign me up.