{"id":5107,"date":"2026-04-21T13:17:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T13:17:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/oni\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:31:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:31:30","slug":"oni","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/oni\/","title":{"rendered":"Oni"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"5107\" class=\"elementor elementor-5107 elementor-1325\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Oni, Demon of Japanese Tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Oni is a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effects are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demon<\/span> of Japanese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>.<\/p><p>Large, horned ogres of Japanese folk and hell tradition.<\/p><h2 id=\"dif-oni\">The Oni&#8217;s Setsubun <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span><\/h2><p>Oni are the <strong>large horned <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demons<\/span><\/strong> of Japanese Buddhist folk <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religion<\/span>. Iconographically: red or blue skin, one or two <strong>bull horns<\/strong>, fangs, a loincloth of tiger fur, and an iron club (<em>kanab\u014d<\/em>).<\/p><p>During the <strong>Setsubun festival<\/strong> (3 February, the start of spring according to the old lunar calendar), families throw roasted soybeans out of the windows and call out: <em>Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi<\/em> (\u201cOni out, fortune in\u201d).<\/p><p>The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down action regularly repeated within a community.\" tabindex=\"0\">custom<\/span> purifies the house for the new year. Their function in the Buddhist hell <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the gods of a religion or culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">pantheon<\/span>: as <strong>guardians of Naraka<\/strong> in Yama\u2019s realm of hell, they punish the damned with club and sawmill.<\/p><p>As fixed figures, oni serve as gate guardians at the entrances of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span>: <em>Aka-oni<\/em> (red, desire), <em>Ao-oni<\/em> (blue, hatred). Related folk traditions: Setsubun dances, oni pantomime, and the Namahage <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> on the Oga Peninsula (Akita) at New Year.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Demon: A supernatural being with mostly harmful or ambivalent effects. It stands between gods and humans, causes illness, temptation or misfortune, and is warded off through invocation, apotropaic objects and rituals.\">Demon<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/japan\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Japanese Shinto kami and Buddhist yokai worlds.\">Japan<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_japan_oni-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-4564\" alt=\"Oni - demons from the Japanese tradition, historical-illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_japan_oni-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_japan_oni-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_japan_oni-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_japan_oni.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Oni<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11758e7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"11758e7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Oni (\u9b3c) are among the best-known figures of Japanese demonology. In their typical depiction they are tall, muscular, with horns, fangs and red or blue skin. They often wear a tiger-fur loincloth and carry a club-like iron rod (<em>kanab\u014d<\/em>).<\/p><p>The term unites two distinct strands of tradition: an older <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Religious ideas and customs that are widespread in everyday life.\" tabindex=\"0\">folk belief<\/span> close to Shint\u014d, in which oni appear as sinister mountain beings and guardians of the dead, and a Buddhist line in which oni are the wardens of the Naraka hells under the judge of the dead, Enma-\u014d.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Brief Profile: Oni<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> ogre, hell warden, mountain <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span><br>Origin: <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Religious ideas and customs that are widespread in everyday life.\" tabindex=\"0\">folk belief<\/span> and Buddhist <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A conception of the structure and order of the world within a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">cosmology<\/span><br>Texts: Konjaku Monogatarish\u016b, \u014ce no Masafusa\u2019s \u201cHonch\u014d Shinsenden\u201d, Noh dramas (e.g. \u201cRash\u014dmon\u201d)<br>Period: attested from the 9th century; full <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial content and its meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span> established in the Muromachi and Edo periods<br>Protection: Setsubun bean-throwing, peachwood, the spinal-column <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sacred syllable or formula repeatedly spoken in Hinduism and Buddhism.\" tabindex=\"0\">mantra<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Classification<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the Texts<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The oldest written records of oni-like beings date from the 8th and 9th centuries. The character \u9b3c comes from Chinese, where it first denotes the dead and their <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being to which agency in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirits<\/span> (<em>gu\u01d0<\/em>). In Japan this meaning merges with native conceptions of mountain and wilderness beings.<\/p><p>Between the 10th and 14th centuries, the classic narrative profile develops in setsuwa literature: oni as man-eating highwaymen at mountain passes, raiding travellers and abducting children. In the Muromachi period (14th to 16th century) they become iconographically fixed in illustrated handscrolls (<em>emaki<\/em>).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of Distribution<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Oni stories are spread comprehensively across the Japanese archipelago. Regional variants exist especially in the mountain regions of Honsh\u016b, for example on Mount \u014ce near Ky\u014dto, the setting of the Shuten-d\u014dji <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative, often with a historical core and miraculous features.\" tabindex=\"0\">legend<\/span>, and on Mount Suzuka in Mie Prefecture.<\/p><p>In the northeastern T\u014dhoku region, the Namahage <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> is well known, in which men in oni masks visit houses at the turn of the year.<\/p><p>Typical settings for oni encounters in the literature are mountain passes, ruins, abandoned <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span> and the borderlands between settlement and wilderness.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">State of the Sources<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Important textual sources are the Konjaku Monogatarish\u016b (12th century), which contains numerous oni stories, as well as the Muromachi-period <em>otogiz\u014dshi<\/em> tales (including \u201cShuten-d\u014dji\u201d). For the Buddhist line, the texts concerning Enma-\u014d and the ten judges of hell are relevant.<\/p><p>Oni become visually tangible in the Noh masks of the <em>hannya<\/em> and <em>ja<\/em> series, as well as in the y\u014dkai picture books of the Edo period. Toriyama Sekien catalogues several oni variants in his works (from 1776).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Name<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The term <strong>\u9b3c (oni)<\/strong> combines several meanings: (1) a large, horned ogre, (2) a spirit of the dead, (3) a hell warden, (4) figuratively \u201csomething extraordinary\u201d or \u201ccruelly capable\u201d (for example <em>shigoto no oni<\/em>, \u201cworkaholic\u201d).<\/p><ul><li>Akaoni, the red oni, a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of an idea or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> of anger.<\/li><li>Aooni, the blue oni, a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of an idea or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> of cold and grief.<\/li><li>Kimon, the \u201cdemon corner\u201d, the northeastern direction from which oni come.<\/li><li>Yaksha \/ yasha, Buddhist parallel figures.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Description<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Form.<\/strong> Oni are usually described as man-sized or gigantic, with a muscular build, one or two horns, red, blue or occasionally green skin, sharp fangs and three fingers on each hand. They wear tiger-fur loincloths, an allusion to the northeastern \u201ctiger gate\u201d direction.<\/p><p>Equipment. Their typical attribute is the iron rod (<em>kanab\u014d<\/em>). The saying \u201coni ni kanab\u014d\u201d, \u201cto give an oni an iron rod\u201d, denotes the redoubling of an already overwhelming situation.<\/p><p>Behaviour. Oni rob people, devour children and abduct women. In the Buddhist hell scenes they beat, tear apart and boil sinners.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: Oni<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most important aspects of Oni at a glance. These details deepen and complement the preceding chapters.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Oni\u2019s Origin<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Folk belief and Buddhist hell cosmology; iconographically linked with the northeastern direction (kimon), which in Heian-period court architecture was regarded as the \u201cdemon gate\u201d and was guarded by structural devices.<\/p><p>The oldest written traces go back to the 8th century, while the pictorial type with horns and tiger-fur loincloth only consolidates in the medieval period under the influence of the Tendai school.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Those Affected<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Travellers in the mountains, inhabitants of remote farmsteads, and children after nightfall; in the Buddhist line, the dead at their judgement in the afterlife.<\/p><p>Folk tales warn especially of forks in the road, bridgeheads and the hour of the ox (around two o\u2019clock in the morning), at which an oni is said to find easier access to the human world. In <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> sermons, the oni were moreover held up as an admonishing figure for the living.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Appearance<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Large, horned, with fangs and a tiger-fur loincloth; coloured red or blue, occasionally also black or green.<\/p><p>As an attribute the oni usually carries the iron club (kanab\u014d), whose spiked head is proverbial in the saying \u201cgiving the oni a club\u201d (\u201coni ni kanab\u014d\u201d) for a power that is already superior and is reinforced still further.<\/p><p>Female oni (kijo) appear in the Noh plays with long hair and a single hint of a horn on the forehead.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Activity<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Abduction of people, child-snatching, acts of violence; in hell (jigoku) the oni act as torturers under the judge Enma, who examines the dead at the mirror of truth.<\/p><p>Metaphorically, an \u201coni\u201d also appears in everyday-language attributions for illness, plague or sudden misfortune; a hard, unbending person is proverbially called an \u201coni father\u201d or \u201coni teacher\u201d, without an exclusively negative connotation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Forms of Protection<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Setsubun bean-throwing (\u201coni wa soto, fuku wa uchi\u201d) on the eve of the old start of spring; roasted soybeans, thrown within the family circle at a masked family member, are held to be effective when their number matches one\u2019s age.<\/p><p>Further means are peachwood, holly twigs with a skewered sardine head (hiiragi-iwashi), Buddhist sutras and the recitation of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"A ritually repeated formula of syllables or words with a transformative effect; central in Indian traditions and adapted in the West as a decree practice.\">mantra<\/span> formulas, especially the Heart <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Hinduism and Buddhism, a teaching text in concise form.\" tabindex=\"0\">Sutra<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Counterparts<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Chinese <em>gu\u01d0<\/em>, Korean <em>dokkaebi<\/em>; Indian <em>yaksha<\/em> and <em>rakshasa<\/em>; Tibetan <em>tsen<\/em> warrior spirits. Structurally related are also the Mongolian <em>ch\u00f6tg\u00f6r<\/em> and, in western <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">antiquity<\/span>, the <em>lamiae<\/em>; all share the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring thematic element in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span> of the man-hostile boundary figure that must be kept at a distance through <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A fixed, recurring religious act.\" tabindex=\"0\">rite<\/span>, noise or wrought-iron implements.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7533bc7a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7533bc7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2447d18d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2447d18d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Protective Practice<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5d0260c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d5d0260c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341be2ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"341be2ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Setsubun.<\/strong> At the turn from winter to spring, roasted soybeans are thrown into the home and out the door with the call \u201coni wa soto, fuku wa uchi\u201d. The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> is widespread throughout Japan and lives on in shrines and households to this day.<\/p><p>Hiiragi-iwashi. A holly twig with a skewered, roasted sardine head is fastened at the entrance to the house to keep oni away; the sharp smell and the prickly leaves are held to be effective.<\/p><p>Peachwood. According to the Izanagi <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> (Kojiki), the primordial god drove off the pursuing hell beings with peaches; peachwood has since been regarded as <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Averting misfortune; apotropaic symbols (Pazuzu, Hamsa, Nazar) protect against harmful magic and the evil eye.\">apotropaic<\/span>.<\/p><p>Namahage. In the Oga area (Akita), the Namahage <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> at New Year sends men in oni masks from house to house, admonishing idle household members and children, an ambivalent combination of fright and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bestowal of blessing and protection, often in a fixed verbal form.\" tabindex=\"0\">blessing<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Oni, Parallels in Other Cultures<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>China.<\/strong> The character \u9b3c and the basic meaning \u201cspirit of the dead\u201d come from Chinese; see Gui on the China page.<\/p><p>Korea. The Dokkaebi shares traits with the oni: horns, club, trickster nature; during the colonial period it was wrongly equated with the oni, but it is an independent figure.<\/p><p>India\/Buddhism. Yaksha and Rakshasa are early models of oni <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial content and its meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span>; with Buddhism the figure travels via China and Korea to Japan.<\/p><p>Europe. Ogres and trolls share the size and the bond to the wilderness; there is no direct historical connection.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpc2cad04 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpc2cad04\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpdb6fc89 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpdb6fc89\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Setsubun: The Festival of Demon Expulsion<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp84ae26d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp84ae26d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpb4bbc96 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpb4bbc96\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The best-known ritual handling of the oni in present-day Japan is the festival of <em>Setsubun<\/em>, celebrated on the eve of the calendrical start of spring in early February.<\/p><p>Its centrepiece is the bean-throwing, <em>mamemaki<\/em>, in which roasted soybeans are thrown through house and door with the call <em>Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi<\/em> (Oni out, fortune in).<\/p><p>In many households one family member, often the father, takes on the role of the oni and wears a mask while the others throw the beans.<\/p><p>In temples and shrines, public ceremonies take place, at which celebrities sometimes throw the beans into the crowd. In some places people eat as many beans as their years of age, plus one for the coming year.<\/p><p>The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down action regularly repeated within a community.\" tabindex=\"0\">custom<\/span> goes back to older rites of warding off evil that were connected with the turn of the year. A precursor <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A solemn act carried out according to fixed rules.\" tabindex=\"0\">ceremony<\/span>, <em>tsuina<\/em> or <em>oniyarai<\/em>, is already attested for the court of the Heian period and itself derives from Chinese models of spirit expulsion.<\/p><p><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">Religious studies<\/span> sees in Setsubun a typical threshold ritual that masters the dangerous transition between the old and the new season through <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands representatively for a concept or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbolic<\/span> purification and the expulsion of evil.<\/p><p>The bean as a throwing implement is interpreted in various ways, among others through a play on words with the term for the eye of the demon.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpc204a6a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpc204a6a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpe931756 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpe931756\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Oni in the Buddhist Conception of Hell<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp4eec21c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp4eec21c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp8471f11 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp8471f11\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>An essential part of the oni conception draws on the Buddhist image of the hells, which came to Japan with the religion from China and Korea. In the hells, Japanese <em>jigoku<\/em>, the oni are the tormentors and guardians who torture the damned according to the instructions of the judge of the dead, Enma.<\/p><p>Two types of hellish oni are especially well known. The one, <em>gozu<\/em>, has the head of an ox; the other, <em>mezu<\/em>, the head of a horse.<\/p><p>They drive the sinners with iron clubs, boil them in cauldrons or force them onto mountains of blades. These depictions were popularized in Japan through the medieval hell handscrolls, the <em>jigoku zoshi<\/em>, as well as through sermons and temple paintings.<\/p><p>The iconographic features regarded today as typical of oni go back in part to these Buddhist models: the red or blue skin, the horns, the fangs, the iron club (<em>kanabo<\/em>), the loincloth of tiger fur.<\/p><p>Scholarship points out that the Japanese oni conception flowed together from several sources, alongside the Buddhist hell guardian also from native conceptions of mountain-spirit and plague-bringing beings as well as from Chinese terms for <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> and spirit of the dead.<\/p><p>The character for oni originally denotes a spirit of the dead in Chinese, which further complicates the shift in meaning within the Japanese context.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp8466c50 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp8466c50\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp18daabe elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp18daabe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Momotaro and the Oni in Narrative and Theatre<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp2e87e4c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp2e87e4c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpf681d3d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpf681d3d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The oni are deeply anchored in the Japanese narrative tradition.<\/p><p>The best-known story is the tale of <em>Momotaro<\/em>, the peach boy, who is born from a peach, sets out with a dog, a monkey and a pheasant as companions to the island of the oni, <em>Onigashima<\/em>, defeats the demons dwelling there and brings home their treasures.<\/p><p>The tale gained particularly wide circulation in the Edo period and was also politically instrumentalized in the 20th century.<\/p><p>In <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The era of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">classical<\/span> theatre the oni appear regularly. In <em>Noh<\/em> theatre there is a separate category of plays featuring demonic beings, and certain masks represent oni or humans transformed into demons.<\/p><p>The play <em>Momijigari<\/em> is famous, in which a beautiful woman reveals herself to be a mountain demon. The transformation of a jealous or wronged woman into an oni is a distinct and frequent <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring thematic element in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span>, which also finds its iconic expression in the <em>hannya<\/em> mask.<\/p><p>Another well-known narrative tradition centres on <em>Shuten-doji<\/em>, a leader of oni who plagued the capital from Mount Oe and was slain by the hero Minamoto no Yorimitsu and his companions.<\/p><p>This story is handed down in medieval handscrolls and texts. Scholarship often sees in such narratives a working-through of historical conflicts, for instance the subjugation of marginal groups or rebels, who were depicted in literature as demons.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further Links<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Recommended internal links:<\/p><ul><li>Culture page <strong>Japan<\/strong> (overview of Japanese demonology).<\/li><li>Further individual profiles from Japan: <a href=\"\/en\/tengu\/\">Tengu<\/a>, <a href=\"\/en\/kappa\/\">Kappa<\/a>, Y\u016brei, <a href=\"\/en\/yuki-onna\/\">Yuki-onna<\/a>.<\/li><li>Parallels: <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/gui\/\">Gui<\/a> (China), <a href=\"\/en\/dokkaebi\/\">Dokkaebi<\/a> (Korea), <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/naraka-guardian\/\">Guardians of Naraka<\/a> (Buddhism).<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Research Literature<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\" data-nosnippet=\"true\"><p>A concise selection of central works on Oni and on Japanese demonology:<\/p><ul><li><span data-nosnippet>Foster, Michael Dylan: <em>\u0001M0\u0002<\/em> University of California Press, Berkeley 2015.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Komatsu Kazuhiko: <em>\u0001M1\u0002<\/em> Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture, Tokyo 2017.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Reider, Noriko T.: <em>\u0001M2\u0002<\/em> Utah State University Press, Logan 2010.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Toriyama Sekien: <em>Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien.<\/em> Trans. Hiroko Yoda &#038; Matt Alt. Dover, Mineola 2016.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Japanese folklorist (1875-1962); founder of modern Japanese folklore studies.\">Yanagita Kunio<\/span>: <em>\u0001M3\u0002<\/em> Trans. Ronald A. Morse. Lexington Books, Lanham 2008 (expanded edition).<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/footer>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgca-oni-sec e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"iwgca-oni-sec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" id=\"iwg-ca-oni\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgca-oni-te iwg-ca-textwrap elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"iwgca-oni-te\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div data-nosnippet=\"true\"><p class=\"iwg-ca-bridge\">The protective practice described here is a religious-studies classification of historical traditions. iWell Guard ties in with this cultural-historical line of wearable protective objects and represents a contemporary form of it. <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/about-iwell-guard-the-protective-pendant-in-detail\/?utm_source=iwell-guard.com&#038;utm_medium=text-link&#038;utm_campaign=schadwesen-tradition\">More about the iWell Guard \u2192<\/a><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oni, Demon of Japanese Tradition Oni is a demon of Japanese tradition. Large, horned ogres of Japanese folk and hell tradition. The Oni&#8217;s Setsubun ritual Oni are the large horned demons of Japanese Buddhist folk religion. Iconographically: red or blue skin, one or two bull horns, fangs, a loincloth of tiger fur, and an iron [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4564,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Oni Yokai horned demon","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Oni: Demon of Japanese Tradition | iWell Guard","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Oni, large, horned ogres of Japanese folk and hell tradition. The Setsubun expulsion and their role as guardians of Jigoku.","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_angie_page":false,"gefaehrdungsstufe":"","wesen_kultur":"","wesen_klasse":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[79,80,92],"class_list":["post-5107","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultures","category-demons","category-japan"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Oni: Demon of Japanese Tradition | iWell Guard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Oni, large, horned ogres of Japanese folk and hell tradition. 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