＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
The “Demon Slayer” anime film is currently hugely popular. Personally, I’m not crazy about “Demon Slayer” and am observing the boom quite calmly from a distance.
While some people are crazy about it, there are also those who find it completely unappealing, and the term “kimehara” (Demon Slayer harassment) has even been coined.
“Kimehara” refers to the following:
– Forcing someone to watch Demon Slayer by asking, “Have you not seen it yet?” or “Let’s watch it!”
– Dismissing someone’s preferences by saying, “There are people who don’t like Demon Slayer.”
– An atmosphere where people feel uncomfortable saying, “Demon Slayer is boring and I’m not interested.”
1. The Appeal of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”
According to columnist Kenichiro Horii, the appeal of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” is that it “directly depicts the life, death, and destiny of humans, conveying the sadness of life.”
This “sadness” is interpreted in various ways by different people, such as “strength,” “love,” “kindness toward all,” “cold-mindedness in watching those who perish,” and “enduring intense sadness.”
The author’s strong message, conveyed to us through the protagonist, Tanjiro Kamado, is to “have respect and compassion for all living things.”
I feel that we are living in an era where mysterious stories like “demon legends” and “supernatural tales,” which have been rejected and erased in modern, civilized society, are once again in the spotlight through anime, and are sought after by many people who are tired of civilized society.
Perhaps people are no longer satisfied with the gently moving, fairy-tale-like fantasy and are instead preferring more powerful, mysterious stories that pierce the heart.
2. Ancient Japanese Demon Legends
Today, I would like to introduce some ancient Japanese demon legends, inspired by the “oni” (demon) in “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.”
(1) What are demons?
Demons are legendary Japanese monsters, often appearing in folk tales and local beliefs, such as the story of Momotaro. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is also known as the Demon Slayer in English.
Literary critic Akiko Baba classifies demons into five types:
① Folklore demons: “ancestral spirits” and “earth spirits”
② Mountain religion demons and mountain ascetic demons: “tengu” and other demons
③ Buddhist demons: “evil demons,” “yakshas,” and “rakshasas”
④ Human-demon demons: “thieves” and “vicious outlaws”
Examples: Shuten-doji, Ibaraki-doji
⑤ Transformation-themed demons: demons transformed into demons by resentment or rage.
Examples: Sugawara no Michizane’s “Tenjin,” the “Wraith of Lady Rokujo” from The Tale of Genji, and “Kamado Nezuko” from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
(2) Legends Related to Demons
① The “Demon of Onigashima” from Momotaro
While the theory that Momotaro originated in Okayama Prefecture is now well-known, there are also other theories that link him to Aichi Prefecture or Kagawa Prefecture.
The story is not particularly old, dating from the late Muromachi period to the early Edo period.
The oldest prototype is the story of a couple praying to gods and Buddhas to have a child, followed by the story of a couple rejuvenating and having a child (kaishun-gata), and finally the story of Momotaro being born from a peach (kasei-gata).
② “Oni Hitokuchi” (Demon’s Bite) from the Tales of Ise (Akutagawa’s Oni)
The following story is found in the sixth chapter, “Akutagawa no Dan,” of the early Heian period song tale “The Tale of Ise”:
A man had been visiting a woman for many years, but due to their different social status they were unable to be together. One day, the man finally managed to steal the woman away, but as they fled late into the night he was hit by a thunderstorm, so he found an unlocked storehouse and let the woman inside, then stood guard in front of the storehouse with a bow and arrow, waiting for dawn. When dawn finally broke and he peeked inside the storehouse, the woman was nowhere to be seen. The woman was eaten alive in one bite by the demon that lived inside the storehouse, and her screams as she died were drowned out by the thunder.
However, this is actually the story of how the playboy Ariwara no Narihira stole (kidnapped) Fujiwara no Takako (later Emperor Seiwa’s consort), a secluded princess whom he had been in love with for many years, and fled to Akutagawa on his back, only to be recaptured by her brothers, Fujiwara no Mototsune and Fujiwara no Kunitsune. Fujiwara no Mototsune and Fujiwara no Kunitsune, who pursued him, are described as “demons.”
③ “Shuten-doji of Mt. Oe,” defeated by Minamoto no Yorimitsu
During the reign of Emperor Ichijo (980-1011, reigned 986-1011), a drunken demon leader (or bandit leader) known as “Shuten-doji” led a large number of demons (subordinates) around Mt. Oe in Tanba Province, committing crimes in various places.
When young people and princesses from Kyoto were being spirited away (kidnapped) one after another, the emperor had Abe no Seimei divine who determined that it was the work of Shuten-doji.
So the emperor sent the military commander Minamoto no Yorimitsu (948-1021) and his retainers, the “Four Heavenly Kings of Yorimitsu” (including Watanabe no Tsuna), to Mt. Oe to defeat Shuten-doji.
It is said that Minamoto no Yorimitsu defeated Shuten-doji by giving him poisoned sake to drink.
Shuten-doji is considered one of the “three great demons,” along with Tamamo-no-Mae and Otakemaru.
Works based on Shuten-doji include the Noh play “Oeyama,” the Kabuki play “Oeyama Shuten-doji,” the Takarazuka Revue play “Oeyama Kaden,” and the film “Oeyama Shuten-doji.”
Shuten-doji also appears in the manga “Teten-doji” (by Nagai Go and Dynamic Pro), “Silver Thorns” (by Kita Naoe), “The Demon-Wailing Girl: A Strange Tale of the Oeyama Demon Extermination” (by Maki Hayato), and the anime “Yo-kai Watch Shadowside.”
④ Ibaraki-doji, Shuten-doji’s right-hand man
Ibaraki-doji is a legendary demon who is said to be Shuten-doji’s right-hand man. There is also a theory that she was a female demon and Shuten-doji’s lover.
Ibaraki-doji ravaged the capital of Kyoto together with Shuten-doji, but was forced to struggle due to the machinations of Minamoto no Yorimitsu. He is said to be the only demon to survive.
Although his arm was cut off by Watanabe no Tsuna (953-1025), one of the “Four Heavenly Kings of Yorimitsu,” he managed to escape.
⑤ Kidōmaru, the son of Shuten-doji and a human
After Minamoto no Yorimitsu defeated Shuten-doji, the women who had been abducted by the demons were also freed. However, one of the women became mentally unstable and was unable to return to her hometown, so she gave birth to Shuten-doji’s child.
The child was born with all his teeth, and by the age of 7 or 8, he was throwing stones to kill and eat deer and wild boars.
Eventually, the child grew up to be called Kidomaru, and began to target Minamoto no Yorimitsu and his men as his father’s enemy, but was killed in return.
⑥ The late-night “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons”
During the Heian and Muromachi periods, it was believed that hordes of demons and monsters would roam around in groups late at night, and they were greatly feared by the people of the time.
There was a legend that anyone who witnessed a Hyakki Yagyo would die, so people refrained from going out late at night.
There are also stories of people who encountered a Hyakki Yagyo chanting sutras or being saved by the arrival of morning.
Stories featuring Hyakki Yagyo include “Konjaku Monogatarishu,” “Godansho,” “Uji Shui Monogatari,” and “Okagami.”
⑦ The Never-Ending Hell: “Gaki”
“Gaki” are demons that are said to be the result of humans who indulged in luxury and greed during their lifetime. It is said that any water or food a human touches turns to fire, and they suffer eternal hunger.
They are said to be as thin and emaciated as bones, with only their bellies distending in disfiguring ways.
⑧ “Zenki” and “Goki” – Servants of Humans
En no Ozunu (634? – 701?), the founder of Shugendo, possessed powerful spiritual powers and is said to have even been able to control demons.
En no Ozunu employed two demons, Zenki and Goki, who were a married couple, but when they committed mischief, En no Ozunu captured them using the secret techniques of Acala.
Zenki and Goki were vicious demons who would not hesitate to kill children, but when En no Ozunu hid their child, they are said to have realized the grief of a parent and reformed.
⑨ The Oni-hag of Kurozuka
One day, a monk from Kii Province was passing through Adachi Plain (present-day Fukushima Prefecture), and as it was getting dark, he called out to a house asking for a place to stay. A kindly old woman came out and warmly invited the monk into her home.
The old woman warned him, “I’m going to get firewood, so don’t look into the back room,” and left. However, curiosity got the better of him, and when he peeked into the back room, he saw a large number of human bones lying around.
Fearing that he would be eaten by the old woman, the monk panicked and escaped the house. However, when the old woman noticed he had escaped, she transformed into a terrifying onibaba and chased after him at incredible speed.
Preparing to die, the monk took out a statue of Kannon Bodhisattva and chanted sutras, at which point an arrow of light was fired from the Bodhisattva, piercing the onibaba. The monk built a tomb for the onibaba on this spot and buried her body. It is said that this land eventually came to be called Kurozuka.
⑩ “Akki”: the source of disaster
In Japan, it has long been believed that demons bring misfortune. The most representative of these is the “evil spirit.”
Epidemic outbreaks are believed to be the work of evil spirits, and when a major disease outbreak occurs, rituals to drive away demons are held all over the country. The Gion Festival is one such example. Incidentally, the demons that are driven away during the bean-throwing ceremony on Setsubun are also evil spirits.
⑪ The fortune teller “Amanojaku”
People who say the opposite of what they really think are called “Amanojaku,” and they are also a type of demon. It is said that Amanojaku can read people’s minds and use this knowledge to commit evil deeds.
Legends vary from place to place, and there are stories of an Amanojaku that only sounds and imitates people’s voices in the mountains, as well as an Amanojaku as huge as a mountain.
It is said that Amanojaku are the transformed souls of fortune tellers, and so they are said to have the ability to read people’s minds.
⑫ Kimon, the path of demons
In Onmyodo, the northeast direction is called the “kimon,” and it was believed to be the direction from which demons entered and exited. For this reason, the kimon is still considered an unlucky direction today, and it is said that it should be avoided when choosing a location.
The concept of the kimon was introduced from China, but the belief in it as an unlucky direction evolved uniquely in Japan. In old buildings, gates in the northeast direction can sometimes be oddly shaped to avoid them.
The northeast corner of the Tsukiji wall of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, known as “Sarugatsuji,” got its nickname from the wooden statue of a monkey that was installed there to ward off evil spirits.
⑬ The gigantic demon, “Tearai Oni” (hand-washing demon)
Shikoku is home to many legends of giant demons. This demon, known as “Terarai Oni,” is said to be so large that it could straddle mountains and wash its hands in the sea. There are also what are said to be footprints of the Terarai Oni on Mt. Iino in Kagawa Prefecture.
⑭ “Todomeki,” a demon with a hundred eyes
There is an anecdote about Fujiwara no Hidesato (891? – 958?), a military commander of the Heian period, and his encounter with a demon known as “Hyakume Oni.”
One day, on his way home from hunting, he heard a rumor that “a demon with a hundred eyes is haunting the vicinity.” He waited until nightfall to verify the rumor, and a large demon appeared, easily over 3 meters in length and with countless eyes on both arms.
He shot an arrow at the demon’s eye, which glowed most ominously, and it writhed in agony until it finally stopped moving. However, flames and poison rose from its body, making it impossible to approach.
When he returned to the same spot the next morning, all that was left was charred, blackened earth.
As an aside, it was Fujiwara no Hidesato who slayed Taira no Masakado, one of the “Three Great Vengeful Spirits of Japan” (Emperor Sutoku, Sugawara no Michizane, and Taira no Masakado).
⑮ The Four Demons, the Roots of Ninja
This is an anecdote from the “Taiheiki,” referring to four powerful demons that were kept in the service of Fujiwara no Chikata (dates of birth and death unknown), a Heian period aristocrat.
The “Four Demons” are the “Kinki” (Golden Demon) with a tough body that could repel any weapon, the “Fuki” (Wind Demon) who could blow away enemies with strong winds, the “Suiki” (Water Demon) who could cause floods to drown enemies in any location, and the “Ongyouki” (Hidden Demon) who could hide their presence and launch surprise attacks on enemies.
Was they actually more like powerful bodyguards? Legend has it that they had a great influence on the border between Ise and Iga provinces, and led a rebellion against the imperial court with the “Four Demons” under their command. Since they were from Iga province, they are perhaps said to be the roots of the ninja.
The Four Demons are also the subject of works such as “Tamuramaro’s Suzuka Battle,” which is performed in Bunraku, Joruri, and Kabuki, as well as the manga “Ninpou Hiwa” (Shirato Sanpei), “Kaze ga Gotoku” (Yonehara Hideyuki), and “Tokyo Ravens” (Azano Kohei).
The Four Demons also appear in games such as the “Warriors Orochi” series, “Megami Tensei” series, “Nobunaga’s Ambition Online,” and “Asaki, Yumemishi.”
This is likely because the presence of the Four Demons makes it easy to create stories about them.