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{{Short description|Japanese mythological creatures}}
{{Italic title|reason=[[:Category:Japanese words and phrases]]}}
{{Other uses}}
[[File:Kobo Daishi Practicing the Tantra, with Demon and Wolf, by Hokusai.jpg|thumb|330px|An oni menaces the monk [[Kūkai]], who  wards it off by chanting the [[Buddhist tantra]]s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Singer|first=R.|title=Edo - Art in Japan, 1615-1868|page=37|publisher=National Gallery of Art|year=1998}}</ref> Painting by [[Hokusai]] (1760–1849).]]
{{Jmyth infobox}}
An {{Nihongo|'''''oni'''''|{{ruby-ja|鬼|おに}}||Pronunciation=https://www.howtopronounce.com/oni/28612230}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|oʊ|n|iː}} {{Respell|OH|nee}}) is a kind of ''[[yōkai]]'', [[demon]], [[orc]], [[ogre]], or [[troll]] in [[Japanese folklore]]. They are believed to live in caves or deep in the mountains or in hell.<ref name="Demon">{{cite book |last1=Reider |url=https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=3442822 |title=Japanese Demon Lore : Oni from Ancient Times to the Present |publisher=University Press of Colorado |pages=29–30 |ref=Demon}}</ref> Oni are known for their superhuman strength and have been associated with powers like thunder and lightning,<ref name="Demon" /> along with their evil nature manifesting in their propensity for [[murder]] and [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]]. They are typically portrayed as hulking figures with one or more horns growing out of their heads, massive teeth, and occasionally a third eye in the center of the forehead.<ref name="Demon"/><ref name=":0">"Oni." ''Handbook of Japanese Mythology'', by Michael Ashkenazi, ABC-CLIO, 2003, pp. 230–233.</ref> They are typically depicted with red, blue, black, or yellow colored skin, wearing [[loincloth]]s of [[tiger]] [[pelt]], and carrying iron [[kanabō]] clubs.<ref name=":0" /> They also have three to six digits on each hand and foot tipped with claw-like nails.<ref name="Oni">{{cite book |last1=Reider |url=https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=3442822 |title=Japanese Demon Lore : Oni from Ancient Times to the Present |publisher=University Press of Colorado |pages=34 |ref=Oni}}</ref> Oni are able to change their looks to fool their victims into trusting them. Oni can be male or female, but have been predominantly male throughout history.<ref name="Demon Lore">{{cite book |last1=Reider |url=https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=3442822 |title=Japanese Demon Lore : Oni from Ancient Times to the Present |publisher=University Press of Colorado |pages=24–25 |ref=Demon Lore}}</ref> Female oni are sometimes referred to by the name [[Yamauba]]. When in disguise, oni are capable of appearing as a man or woman, regardless of their gender.<ref name="Gender">{{cite book |last1=Reider |url=https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=3442822 |title=Japanese Demon Lore : Oni from Ancient Times to the Present |publisher=University Press of Colorado |pages=43 |ref=Gender}}</ref> As monstrous as oni are, they have been linked to bringing good fortune and wealth.<ref name="Wealth">{{cite book |last1=Reider |url=https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=3442822 |title=Japanese Demon Lore: Oni from Ancient Times to the Present |publisher=University Press of Colorado |pages=52–54 |ref=Wealth}}</ref>

During the [[Heian period]] (794–1185), {{transliteration|ja|oni}} were often depicted in [[Japanese literature]], such as {{transliteration|ja|[[setsuwa]]}}, as terrifying monsters that ate people. A prominent depiction of {{transliteration|ja|oni}} is that they eat people in one mouthful, which is called "{{transliteration|ja|[[onihitokuchi]]}}". In {{transliteration|ja|[[Nihon Ryōiki]]}}, {{transliteration|ja|[[The Tales of Ise]]}} and {{transliteration|ja|[[Konjaku Monogatarishū]]}}, for example, a woman is shown being eaten in one mouthful by an {{transliteration|ja|oni}}.<ref name="konno">{{Cite book|author=[[:ja:今野圓輔|Ensuke Konno]]|title=日本怪談集 妖怪篇 (Nihon Kaidanshū Yōkai hen)|year=1981|publisher=[[:ja:社会思想社|Shakai Shisōsha]]|isbn=978-4-390-11055-6|pages=190–101}}</ref> There is the theory that the reason why stories of {{transliteration|ja|onihitokuchi}} were common is that wars, disasters, and famines where people lose their lives or go missing were interpreted as {{transliteration|ja|oni}} from another world appearing in the present world who take away humans.<ref>{{Cite book|author=[[:ja:岡部隆志|Takashi Okabe]]|title=日本「神話・伝説」総覧 (Nihon Shinwa Densetsu Sōran)|year=1992|publisher=[[:ja:新人物往来社|Shinjinbutsu ōraisha]]|id=ncid: BN08606455|page=245}}</ref>

It was not until the legend of {{transliteration|ja|[[Shuten-dōji]]}} was created that the {{transliteration|ja|oni}} began to be depicted in paintings,<ref name="doshisha"/> and the 14th century {{nihongo3||大江山絵詞|Ōeyama ekotoba}} is the oldest surviving {{nihongo3|picture scroll||[[emakimono]]}} depicting {{transliteration|ja|Shuten-dōji}}. ''Shuten-dōji'' has been regarded as the most famous and strongest ''oni'' in Japan. The legend of ''Shuten-dōji'' has been described since the 14th century in various arts, traditional performing arts and literature such as ''[[emakimono]]'', ''[[Jōruri (music)|jōruri]]'', ''[[noh]]'', ''[[kabuki]]'', ''[[bunraku]],'' and ''[[ukiyo-e]]''. The ''[[tachi]]'' (Japanese long sword) "''[[Dōjigiri]]''" with which [[Minamoto no Yorimitsu]] decapitated ''Shuten-dōji''' in the legend is now designated as a [[National Treasure (Japan)|National Treasure]] and one of the ''[[Tenka-Goken]]'' (Five Greatest Swords Under Heaven).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220217095532/https://www.touken-world.jp/tips/61282/ 酒呑童子を退治した天下五剣「童子切安綱」 ] Naoya Japanese Sword Museum Nagoya Touken World.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160405065111/https://kotobank.jp/word/%E9%85%92%E5%91%91%E7%AB%A5%E5%AD%90-77953 Shuten-dōji.] Kotobank.</ref>

They are popular characters in [[Japanese art]], [[Japanese literature|literature]], and [[Theatre of Japan|theater]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X0ntg_EzA0kC&pg=PA242 |title=Reading the literatures of Asian America |first1=Shirley |last1=Lim|first2=Amy |last2=Ling|publisher=Temole University Press|year=1992|page=242|isbn=978-0-87722-935-3}}</ref> and appear as [[Stock character|stock villains]] in the well-known fairytales of ''[[Momotarō]]'' (''Peach Boy''), ''[[Issun-bōshi]]'', and ''[[Kobutori Jisan|Kobutori Jīsan]].'' Although oni have been described as frightening creatures, they have become tamer in modern culture as people tell less frightening stories about them like ''Oni Mask'' and ''Red Oni Who Cried''.

==Etymology, change of meaning==
[[File:Sessen-Doji-Offers-His-Life-Ogre-Oni-1764-Soga-Shohaku.png|thumb|Sessen Doji Offering His Life to an Ogre (Japanese Oni), hanging scroll, color on paper, c. 1764. Painting by [[Soga Shōhaku]] (1730–1781).]]
{{transliteration|ja|Oni}}, written in {{transliteration|ja|[[kanji]]}} as 鬼, is read in China as ''guǐ'' <small>([[pinyin]])</small>, meaning something invisible, formless, or unworldly, in other words, a 'ghost' or the 'soul of the dead'. On the other hand, the Japanese dictionary {{nihongo3||和名類聚抄|[[Wamyō Ruijushō]]}} written in Japan in the 10th century explained the origin of the word {{transliteration|ja|oni}} as a corruption of {{nihongo3||隠|on/onu}}, meaning 'to hide'. The dictionary explained that {{transliteration|ja|oni}} is hidden and does not want to reveal itself. When the character for 鬼 was first introduced to Japan, it was pronounced as {{nihongo3||キ|ki}} in the {{transliteration|ja|[[Kanji#On'yomi (Sino-Japanese reading) |on'yomi]]}} reading.<ref name="doshisha">{{cite web|url=https://www.dwc.doshisha.ac.jp/research/faculty_column/18257|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123132227/https://www.dwc.doshisha.ac.jp/research/faculty_column/18257|script-title=ja:「鬼」の話|author=[[:ja:吉海直人|Naoto Yoshikai]]|language=ja|publisher=[[Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts]]|date=10 January 2023|archive-date=23 January 2023|access-date=14 May 2023}}</ref><ref name="rekishi">{{cite web|url=https://www.rekishijin.com/27666|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512073350/https://www.rekishijin.com/27666|script-title=ja:「鬼」という概念はどのようにして生まれたのか？|author=[[:ja:八木透|Toru Yagi]]|language=ja|publisher=Rekishijin|date=12 May 2023|archive-date=12 May 2023|access-date=15 May 2023}}</ref><ref name="jpknow">{{cite web|url=https://japanknowledge.com/introduction/keyword.html?i=194|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515161208/https://japanknowledge.com/introduction/keyword.html?i=194|script-title=ja:鬼|language=ja|publisher=Japan Knowledge|archive-date=15 May 2023|access-date=15 May 2023}}</ref>

The character 鬼 has changed over time in Japan to become its own entity, and there are significant differences between the Japanese {{nihongo3||鬼|oni}} and the Chinese ''guǐ'' (鬼). The Chinese ''guǐ'' generally refers to the disembodied spirits of the dead and are not necessarily evil. They usually reside in the underworld, but those with a grudge sometimes appear in the human world to haunt, and [[Taoism|Taoist]] priests and others have used their supernatural powers to exterminate them. Japanese {{nihongo3||鬼|oni}}, on the other hand, are evil beings that have substance, live in certain places in the human world, such as mountains, have red or blue bodies with horns and fangs, are armed with {{nihongo3|metal clubs||[[kanabō]]}}, and can be physically killed by cutting with [[Japanese swords]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.j-cfa.com/report/columu/%E5%BD%A2%E3%81%AE%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B%E3%80%8C%E9%AC%BC%E3%80%8D%E3%81%A8%E5%BD%A2%E3%81%AE%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84%E9%AC%BC/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221120054059/https://www.j-cfa.com/report/columu/%E5%BD%A2%E3%81%AE%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B%E3%80%8C%E9%AC%BC%E3%80%8D%E3%81%A8%E5%BD%A2%E3%81%AE%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84%E9%AC%BC/|script-title=ja:形のある「鬼」と形のない“鬼”|language=ja|publisher=Japan-China Friendship Association|date=1 March 2021|archive-date=20 November 2022|access-date=14 May 2023 |work=公益社団法人 日本中国友好協会（日中友好協会） }}</ref><ref name="doshisha"/><ref name="rekishi"/>

The {{nihongo3||出雲国風土記|[[Fudoki|Izumo no Kuni Fudoki]]}} and {{nihongo3||日本書紀|[[Nihon Shoki]]}} are the earliest written examples of {{transliteration|ja|oni}} as entities rather than soul of the dead. The {{nihongo3|||Izumo no Kuni Fudoki}}, whose compilation began in 713, tells the story of a one-eyed {{transliteration|ja|oni}} who ate a man. {{nihongo3|||Nihon Shoki}}, completed in 720, tells of a {{nihongo|hat||[[Kasa (hat)|kasa]]}}-wearing {{transliteration|ja|oni}} watching the funeral of [[Empress Kōgyoku|Emperor Saimei]] from the top of Mount Asakura. The character for 鬼 is believed to have been read as {{transliteration|ja|oni}} when the {{nihongo3|||Nihon Shoki}} was completed,<ref name="rekishi"/> and was also read as {{transliteration|ja|kami}}, {{transliteration|ja|mono}}, and {{transliteration|ja|shiko}} in the Heian period. In {{nihongo3||今昔物語集|[[Konjaku Monogatarishū]]}}, the character for 鬼 is read as {{transliteration|ja|mono}}. It was not until the end of the Heian period that the reading of {{transliteration|ja|oni}} for the character 鬼 became almost universal.<ref name="jpknow"/>

Particularly powerful oni may be described as ''kishin'' or ''kijin'' (literally "oni god"; the "ki" is an alternate character reading of "oni"), a term used in [[Japanese Buddhism]] to refer to [[Wrathful Deities]].

The ''oni'' was [[Syncretism|syncretized]] with [[Hinduism|Hindu]]-[[Buddhism|Buddhist]] creatures such as the man-devouring ''[[yaksha]]'' and the ''[[rakshasa]]'', and became the ''oni'' who tormented sinners as [[Hell wardens|wardens of Hell]] ([[Diyu|Jigoku]]), administering sentences passed down by Hell's magistrate, King [[Yama (Buddhism)|Yama]] (Enma Daiō). The [[Hungry ghost|hungry ghosts]] called ''[[Preta|gaki]]'' (餓鬼) have also been sometimes considered a type of ''oni'' (the Kanji for "ki" 鬼 is also read "oni"). Accordingly, a wicked soul beyond rehabilitation transforms into an ''oni'' after death. Only the very worst people turn into ''oni'' while alive, and these are the ''oni'' causing troubles among humans as presented in folk tales.

Some scholars have even argued that the ''oni'' was entirely a concept of Buddhist mythology.

Oni bring calamities to the land, bringing about war, plague/illness, earthquakes, and eclipses. They have the destructive power of lightning and thunder, which terrifies people through their auditory and visual effects.

==Origins==
[[File:Oni being captured by Shok, dressed as a Chinese scholar. 19th Century netsuke. Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm..jpg|thumb|Oni being captured by [[Zhong Kui|Shōki]], the Demon Queller. 19th Century [[netsuke]]. [[Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm|Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities]], Stockholm.]]
Most Japanese folklore come from the [[Kojiki]] (古事記, "Records of Ancient Matters" or "An Account of Ancient Matters") and [[Nihon Shoki|Nihongi]] (日本紀, "Japanese Chronicles"). These stories are the history and development of Japan in [[History of Japan#Feudal Japan|ancient]] times. At the beginning of time and space, [[Takamagahara]] (高天原, "Plane of High Heaven" or "High Plane of Heaven") came into being, along with the three divine beings [[Ame-no-Minakanushi|Amenominakanushi]] (天之御中主, The Central Master or "Lord of the August Center of Heaven"), [[Takamimusubi]] (高御産巣日神, "High Creator"), and [[Kamimusubi]] (神産巣日, The Divine Creator).<ref name="Lewis">{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Scott |title=Japanese Mythology |pages=Loc 115 Kindle |ref=Lewis}}</ref> These three divine beings were known as [[Kami]],<ref name="Kami">{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Scott |title=Japanese Mythology |pages=Loc 130 Kindle |ref=Kami}}</ref> and the three together are sometimes referred to as [[Kotoamatsukami]] (別天神, literally "distinguishing heavenly kami"). They manifested the entire universe.<ref name="Kami" /> They were later joined by two more Kami, [[:ja:ウマシアシカビヒコヂ|Umashiashikabihikoji]] (宇摩志阿斯訶備比古遅神, Energy) and [[:ja:天之常立神|Amenotokotachi]] (天之常立神, Heaven).

Finally, two lesser Kami were made to establish earth, [[Izanagi]] (イザナギ/伊邪那岐/伊弉諾, meaning "He-who-invites" or the "Male-who-invites") and [[Izanami]] (イザナミ, meaning "She-who-invites" or the "Female-who-invites").<ref name="Izanami">{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Scott |title=Japanese Mythology |pages=Loc 153-176 Kindle |ref=Izanami}}</ref> These two were brother and sister. They also are married and had many children, one of them being [[Kagu-tsuchi|Kagutsuchi]] (カグツチ, Fire).<ref name="babies">{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Scott |title=Japanese Mythology |pages=Loc 176-298 Kindle |ref=babies}}</ref> Upon birth, Kagutsuchi mortally wounded Izanami, who went to [[Yomi]] (黄泉, 黄泉の国, World of Darkness) on her death<ref name="death">{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Scott |title=Japanese Mythology |pages=Loc 298-351 |ref=death}}</ref> and was transformed into a Kami of death.<ref name="transformed">{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Scott |title=Japanese Mythology |pages=Loc 454 Kindle |ref=transformed}}</ref> Izanami, who gave life in the physical world, continued to do so in the underworld, ultimately creating the very first oni.

==Demon gate==
[[File:SekienOni.jpg|thumb|Oni, as illustrated in ''[[Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki]]'' by [[Toriyama Sekien]].]]
[[File:Oni2WP.jpg|thumb|This oni (ogre) tramples a hapless villain in Beppu, Oita, Oita Prefecture, a famous ''onsen'' hot springs resort on the island of Kyushu in Japan.]]

According to Chinese Taoism and esoteric [[Onmyōdō]], the ways of [[yin and yang]], the [[northeast]]erly direction is termed the ''kimon'' ([[:ja:鬼門|鬼門]], "demon gate") and considered an unlucky direction through which evil spirits passed. Based on the assignment of the [[Chinese zodiac#The twelve animals|twelve zodiac animals]] to the cardinal directions, the ''kimon'' was also known as the ''ushitora'' (丑寅), or "[[Ox (zodiac)|Ox]] [[Tiger (zodiac)|Tiger]]" direction. One hypothesis is that the ''oni''{{'}}s bovine horns and tiger-skin loincloth developed as a visual depiction of this term.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EEQlVC_clo8C&pg=PA611 |title=Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics |volume=Part 8|first=James |last=Hastings|publisher=Kessinger Publishing|page=611|year=2003|isbn=978-0-7661-3678-6}}</ref>{{sfnp|Reider|2010|p=7}}{{sfnp|Foster|2015|p=119}}

[[Temple]]s are often built facing that direction, for example, [[Enryaku-ji]] was deliberately built on [[Mount Hiei]] which was in the ''kimon'' (northeasterly) direction from [[Kyoto]] in order to guard the capital, and similarly [[Kaneiji|Kan'ei-ji]] was built towards that direction from [[Edo Castle]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last1=Havens |first1=Norman
 |last2=Inoue |first2=Nobutaka |title=Konjin |encyclopedia=An Encyclopedia of Shinto (Shinto Jiten): Kami |publisher=Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics Kokugakuin University |year=2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a_YQAQAAIAAJ&q=Enryakuji+northeast |page=98|isbn=9784905853084 }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Kan'ei-ji |encyclopedia=Japan Encyclopedia |first=Louis |last=Frédéric |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p2QnPijAEmEC&q=Kan'ei-ji&pg=PA480 |publisher=President and Fellows of Harvard College |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-674-00770-3 |page=468}}</ref>

However, skeptics doubt this could have been the initial design of Enryaku-ji temple, since the temple was founded in 788, six years before Kyoto even existed as a capital,<!--The spot where Kyoto was built was called Kadono-gun in Yamashiro-no-kuni--> and if the ruling class were so [[feng shui]]-minded, the subsequent northeasterly move of the capital from [[Nagaoka-kyō]] to Kyoto would have certainly been taboo.<ref>Huang Yung-jing 黄永融 (1993), master's thesis, "''Fūsui shisō ni okeru gensokusei kara mita Heiankyō wo chūshin to suru Nihon kodai kyūto keikaku no bunseki'' 風水思想における原則性から見た平安京を中心とする日本古代宮都計画の分析",  Kyoto Prefectural University, The Graduate School of Human Life Science. Cited by {{cite book|last=Yamada |first=Yasuhiko<!--山田安彦--> |title=Hōi to Fūdo |script-title=ja:方位と風土 |publisher=Kokin Shoin <!--古今書院-->|year=1994 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=STshAQAAMAAJ&q=%22長岡京%22 |page=201|isbn=9784772213929 }}</ref>

Japanese buildings may sometimes have L-shaped indentations at the northeast to ward against oni. For example, the walls surrounding the [[Kyoto Imperial Palace]] have notched corners in that direction.<ref>{{cite book|last=Parry  |first=Richard Lloyd |author-link=Richard Lloyd Parry |title=Tokyo, Kyoto & ancient Nara |publisher=Cadogan Guides |year=1999 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=afQwAQAAIAAJ&q=notch+corner+northeast|page=246|isbn=9781860119170 }}: "the walls of the Imperial Palace have a notch in their top-right hand corner to confuse the evil spirits".</ref>

==Traditional culture==
The traditional bean-throwing custom to drive out ''oni'' is practiced during [[Setsubun]] festival in February. It involves people casting roasted [[soybean]]s indoors or out of their homes and shouting {{Nihongo|"''Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!''"|"鬼は外！福は内！"||"Oni outside! Blessings inside!"}}, preferably by a strong wrestler.{{sfnp|Foster|2015|p=125}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T2blg2Kw_zcC&pg=PP17 |title=Introduction to Japanese culture | first=Daniel |last=Sosnoski|publisher=Charles E. Tuttle Publishing|page=9|year=1966|isbn=978-0-8048-2056-1}}</ref> 

This custom began with the aristocratic and [[samurai]] classes in the [[Muromachi period]] (1336–1573). According to the ''[[:ja:壒嚢鈔|Ainōshō]]'' (壒嚢鈔),<ref>{{cite book|url=http://base1.nijl.ac.jp/iview/Frame.jsp?DB_ID=G0003917KTM&C_CODE=MA3-0097&IMG_SIZE=1000%2C800&PROC_TYPE=ON&SHOMEI=%E5%A3%92%E5%9B%8A%E9%88%94&REQUEST_MARK=%E3%83%9E%EF%BC%93%EF%BC%8D%EF%BC%99%EF%BC%97%EF%BC%8D%EF%BC%91%EF%BD%9E%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%95&OWNER=%E5%9B%BD%E6%96%87%E7%A0%94&IMG_NO=70|title=Ainōshō (壒嚢鈔)|author=Gyōyo (行誉)|publisher=[[National Institute of Japanese Literature]]|year=1445}}</ref> a dictionary compiled in the Muromachi period, the origin of this custom is a legend from the 10th century during the reign of [[Emperor Uda]]. According to the legend, a monk on [[Mount Kurama]] threw roasted beans into the eyes of {{transliteration|ja|oni}} to make them flinch and flee. Another theory is that the origin of this custom lies in the word {{nihongo3|豆|mame}}, which means bean. The explanation is that in Japanese, {{nihongo3|まめ, マメ|mame}} can also be written as {{nihongo3|魔目|mame}}, meaning the devil's eye, or {{nihongo3|魔滅|mametsu}}, meaning to destroy the devil. During the [[Edo period]] (1603–1867), the custom spread to [[Shinto shrines]], [[Buddhist temples in Japan|Buddhist temples]] and the general public.<ref name="kikou">{{cite news|url=https://www.kikou.click/blog/entry-143834/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204151314/https://www.kikou.click/blog/entry-143834/|script-title=ja:どうして豆まきをするの？ 節分の由来ご紹介|language=ja|publisher=Kikou|date=1 February 2019|archive-date=4 February 2023|access-date=4 February 2023}}</ref><ref name="mie">{{cite web|url=https://www.bunka.pref.mie.lg.jp/rekishi/kenshi/asp/hakken/detail.asp?record=303|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201054231/https://www.bunka.pref.mie.lg.jp/rekishi/kenshi/asp/hakken/detail.asp?record=303|script-title=ja:節分行事あれこれ 薄れる「年頭」感覚－風習、呼び名 地域で特色|language=ja|publisher=[[Mie Prefecture]]|date=|archive-date=1 December 2021|access-date=4 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nippon.com/ja/guide-to-japan/gu900080/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624133557/https://www.nippon.com/ja/guide-to-japan/gu900080/|script-title=ja:勇壮で華やかな京都の節分：吉田神社の追儺式、蘆山寺の鬼おどり、八坂神社の豆まき|language=ja|publisher=nippon.com|date=31 January 2019|archive-date=24 June 2022|access-date=4 February 2023}}</ref>

Regionally around [[Tottori Prefecture]]<!--因伯地方は柊 (Inaba and Hoki Provinces)--> during this season, a charm made of [[holly]] leaves and dried sardine heads is used as a guard against oni.<ref name=hearn-glimpses/><ref>{{cite book|last=Ema |first=Tsutomu <!--江馬務-->|title=Ema Tsutomu zenshū |volume=8 |page=412 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WWwNAQAAMAAJ&q=%E6%9F%8A%E9%B0%AF+%E5%9C%B0%E6%96%B9}}</ref>

There is also a well-known game in Japan called {{Nihongo|''oni gokko''|鬼ごっこ}}, which is the same as the game of [[tag (game)|tag]] that children in the Western world play. The player who is "it" is instead called the "oni".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eOlQJauoRAEC&pg=PA41 |title=Information Networking: Wired communications and management |first=Ilyoung |last=Chong|publisher=Springer-Verlag|year=2002|page=41|isbn=978-3-540-44256-1}}</ref>{{sfnp|Reider|2010|pp=155–156}}<!-- The Japanese [[hide-and-seek]] is called {{Nihongo|''kakurenbo''|隠れんぼ}}, and the seeker is called the ''oni''. Kakurenbo may be known as {{Nihongo|''kakure oni''|隠れ鬼|literally "hidden oni"}}, recorded by Yanagita Kunio (1977) [https://books.google.com/books?id=AZ3kAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT12] but not really often heard.-->

Oni are featured in Japanese children's stories such as ''[[Momotarō]]'' (''Peach Boy''), ''[[Issun-bōshi]]'', and ''[[Kobutori Jisan|Kobutori Jīsan]]''.

==Modern times==

In more recent times, ''oni'' have lost some of their original wickedness{{citation needed|date=October 2012}} and sometimes take on a more protective function. Men in oni costumes often lead Japanese [[parade]]s to dispel any bad luck, for example.

[[File:Oni-gawara1.jpg|thumb|''Onigawara'' on the roof of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.]]
Japanese buildings sometimes include oni-faced roof tiles called {{Nihongo|''[[onigawara]]''|[[:ja:鬼瓦|鬼瓦]]}}, which are thought to ward away bad luck, much like [[gargoyle]]s in Western tradition.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SsmN4jxwnfUC&pg=PA21 |page=21 |title=Nihon no ishokujū marugoto jiten |script-title=ja:「日本の衣食住」まるごと事典|last=Toyozaki |first=Yōko |publisher=IBC Publishing |year=2007|isbn=978-4-89684-640-9}}</ref>

Many Japanese idioms and proverbs also make reference to oni. For example, the expression {{Nihongo|"Oya ni ninu ko wa oni no ko"|親に似ぬ子は鬼の子}} (Translation: "A child that does not resemble its parents is the child of an oni.") may be used by a parent to chastise a misbehaving child.<ref name="buchanan">{{cite book |last=Buchanan |first=Daniel Crump |url=https://archive.org/details/japaneseproverbs00buch |title=Japanese Proverbs and Sayings |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |year=1965 |isbn=978-0-8061-1082-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/japaneseproverbs00buch/page/136 136] |url-access=registration}}</ref>

They can be used in stories to frighten children into obeying because of their grotesque appearance, savage demeanor, as well as how they can eat people in a single gulp.<ref name=":22">Roberts, Jeremy. ''Japanese Mythology A to Z''. Chelsea House Publishers, 2010.</ref>

== Stories ==

# [[Momotarō|Momotaro, the Peach Boy]],<ref name=":4">Chiba, Kotaro. ''Tales of Japan: Traditional Stories of Monsters and Magic''. Chronicle Books, 2019.</ref> is a well-known story about an elderly couple having the misfortune of never being able to conceive a child, but they find a giant peach that miraculously gives them a boy as their child. As the boy grows, he is made aware of an island of demons where the people are captured and, after their money is taken, kept as slaves and a source of food. Momotaro sets out to travel to the island with some cakes specially made for him, and while on his journey, he meets a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant who partner up with him to defeat the demons on the island, and once the demons have been taken out they recover the treasures and return them to the rightful owners. Momotaro and his companions, after accomplishing their goal, all return to their respective homes.
# Oni Mask<ref name=":5">Fujita, Hiroko, et al. ''Folktales from the Japanese Countryside''. Libraries Unlimited, 2008.</ref> is a story where a young girl goes off to work at a ladies' house to make money for her ailing mother. She talks to a mask of her mother's face once she is done with her work to comfort herself. One day, the curious coworkers see the mask and decide to prank her by putting on an oni mask to replace the mother's mask. Seeing the Oni mask, she takes it as a sign that her mother is worse and not getting better, so she leaves after alerting her boss. After trying to run to her mother's side, she is sidetracked by some men gambling by a campfire. The men catch her and ignore her pleas to let her go to her mother and instead make her watch the fire so it does not go out during the game. While she is stoking the fire, she decides to put on the Oni mask to protect her from the flames. At that moment, the men see only a brightly lit Oni through the red glowing flames and, terrified, run away without gathering their money. The girl, after having made sure the fire would not go out, gathers the money, and waits for the men to return for it, but as time grows, she remembers she was going to see her mother and runs to her mother. While she is at home, she sees her mother is healthier than before, and because of the money the gamblers left behind, she has enough to take care of her without going back to work at the ladies' house.
# Red Oni Who Cried<ref name=":32">"Japanese Demon Lore: Oni, from Ancient Times to the Present: Reider, Noriko T: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming." ''Internet Archive'', Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 1 Jan. 1970, archive.org/details/JapaneseDemonLore/page/n3/mode/2up.</ref> is a story of two oni, one red, the other blue. The red one wants to befriend humankind, but they are afraid of it, making the red oni cry. Knowing what the red oni wants, the blue oni devises a plan to make himself the villain by attacking the houses of the humans and allowing the red oni to save the humans from the blue oni, making the red oni a hero to the humans' eyes. After the humans see the red oni protect them from the blue oni, they determine that the red one is a good oni whom they would like to be friends with, which is what the red one wanted. Seeing this exchange, the blue oni decides to leave so as not to cause any misunderstanding with the humans. When the red oni decides to go home to his friend the blue oni, he notices that the blue oni is gone and realizes what the blue oni has done for him and cries from being touched by the blue oni's thoughtfulness and wonderful friendship.

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
File:Lord Sadanobu Threatens a Demon in the Palace at Night LACMA M.84.31.458.jpg|''New Forms of Thirty-Six Ghosts'': Lord Sadanobu ([[Fujiwara no Tadahira]]) Threatens a Demon (Oni) in the Palace at Night. [[Ukiyo-e]] printed by [[Tsukioka Yoshitoshi]] (1839–1892).
File:Yoshitoshi Encountering a Demon.jpg|''New Forms of Thirty-Six Ghosts'': Omori Hikoshichi carrying a woman across a river; as he does so, he sees that she has horns in her reflection. Ukiyo-e Printed by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi.
File:Oni in pilgrim's clothing.jpg|Oni in pilgrim's clothing. [[Tokugawa period]]. [[Hanging scroll]], ink and color on paper. {{convert|59.2x22.1|cm}}
File:Kyosai Oni in priest's robes.jpg| Depiction of an oni chanting a Buddhist prayer. The oni (ogre or demon) is dressed in the robes of a wandering Buddhist priest. He carries a gong, a striker, and a hogacho (Buddhist subscription list). By Kawanabe Kyōsai, 1864.
</gallery>

==In popular culture==
Oni remain a very popular motif in Japanese popular culture. Their varied modern depiction sometimes relies on just one or two distinctive features which mark a character as an oni, such as horns or a distinctive skin colour, although the character may otherwise appear human, lacking the oni's traditionally fearsome or grotesque features. The context of oni in popular culture is similarly varied, with instances such as appearances in cartoons, video games, and use as commercial mascots.{{cn|date=August 2023}}
* The game series ''[[Touhou Project]]'' has several characters based on oni such as Suika Ibuki, who is also animated singing the popular song "We Are Japanese Goblin", an example of modern popular culture depicting oni as far less menacing than in the past.<ref>{{Cite web|title=We Are Japanese Goblin| website=[[YouTube]] | date=24 June 2011 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc8iu0XFUQc}}</ref>
* In the manga ''[[YuYu Hakusho]]'' and its anime adaptation, oni are the administrative staff of the Spirit World. These oni are shown to be generally benevolent and good-natured, though not always bright. They are depicted in their traditional attire of animal furs and loincloths, resembling stereotypical [[Caveman|cavemen]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anime News, Top Stories & In-Depth Anime Insights |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/deep-dives/2024/6/24/myth-and-religion-in-yu-yu-hakusho-part-1 |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=www.crunchyroll.com}}</ref> 
* The [[Unicode emojis|Unicode Emoji]] character U+1F479 (👹) represents an oni, under the name "Japanese Ogre".
* The video game ''[[Overwatch]]'' has an oni-themed skin for its character [[Genji (Overwatch)|Genji]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Frank|first=Allegra|date=2016-11-04|title=Playing Heroes of the Storm gets Overwatch fans a special skin|url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/11/4/13524624/overwatch-oni-genji-skin-heroes-of-the-storm|access-date=2021-06-08|website=Polygon|language=en}}</ref>
* The video game ''[[Genshin Impact]]'' has an oni character named [[Arataki Itto]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/genshin-impact-crimson-oni-blue-arataki-itto-quest/ |title=Genshin Impact: The Legend of the Crimson Oni & the Blue Oni |last=Kengly |first=Rain |date=23 January 2022 |access-date=22 September 2025}}</ref>
* The online multiplayer video game ''[[Dead by Daylight]]'' features an oni as one of its playable killers.<ref>{{cite web | title=Dead by Daylight Reveals New Killer | date=19 November 2019 | url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dead-by-daylight-new-killer-survivor-chapter/ }}</ref>
* The heavy metal band [[Trivium (band)|Trivium]] features an oni mask on their album cover for ''[[Silence in the Snow]]''. The mask also appeared in the artwork for their single "[[Until the World Goes Cold]]" and in the music video for the song.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trivium - Until The World Goes Cold [OFFICIAL VIDEO] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm-xlwkQ_qc |website=YouTube | date=27 August 2015 |access-date=3 April 2023}}</ref>

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=}}

* [[Daeva]]
* [[Demon]]
* [[Devil]] 
* [[Dokkaebi]]
* [[Ifrit]]
* [[Kappa (folklore)|Kappa]]
* [[Kijo (folklore)|Onibaba]] 
* [[Namahage]]
* [[Ogre]]
* [[Oni Gozen]]
* [[Orc]]
* [[Rakshasa]]
* [[Ravana]]
* [[Sazae-oni]]
* [[Shuten-dōji]]
* [[Troll]]
* [[Ushi-oni]] 
* [[Wendigo]]
* [[Yōkai]]
* [[Yūrei]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=hearn-glimpses>{{cite book|last=Hearn|first=Lafcadio |author-link=Lafcadio Hearn |title=Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan: First and second series |publisher=Tauchnitz |year=1910 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZwhLAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA296 |page=296}}</ref>
}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Foster |first=Michael Dylan |author-link=Michael Dylan Foster |others=Shinonome, Kijin (illustr.) |title=The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore |publisher=University of California Press |year=2015 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FdzjBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA125 |isbn=978-0520959125}}
* {{citation|last=Reider |first=Noriko T.|title=Transformation of the Oni: From the Frightening and Diabolical to the Cute and Sexy |journal=Asian Folklore Studies |volume=62 |number=1 |year=2003 |url=http://warp.da.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/8753502/nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/591 |pages=133–157}}
* {{cite book|last=Reider|first=Noriko T.|title=Japanese Demon Lore: Oni from Ancient Times to the Present|publisher=Utah State University Press|year=2010|url=https://archive.org/details/JapaneseDemonLore |isbn=978-0874217933}}
* {{cite book|last=Reider|first=Noriko T.|title=Seven Demon Stories from Medieval Japan |publisher=University Press of Colorado |year=2016|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y549DQAAQBAJ |isbn=978-1607324904}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Oni}}

{{Jmyth navbox long}}
{{Japanese folklore long}}
{{Fantasy fiction|state=collapsed}}
{{Fairies|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Oni| ]]
[[Category:Japanese demons]]
[[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category:Mythic humanoids]]
[[Category:Mythological anthropophages]]
[[Category:Ogres]]
[[Category:Trolls]]
[[Category:Yōkai]]