The Japanese word "yokai" refers to a wide variety of supernatural and otherworldly entities. Oni falls under the domain of Yokai. Rakshasa can be a synonymous term for oni as depicted in Indian mythology. But there isn't an entity that is precisely like Oni in Western mythology. Even so, we may argue that the words "demon" and "oni" are quite similar. An oni is a massive, humanoid creature with some magical power. Japanese mythological records regard Shuten-Doji as one of the most terrifying oni ever to exist on this planet.
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| Photo by Chelms Varthoumlien on Unsplash |
Shuten-Doji was a son of the legendary serpent Yamata no Orochi. Mount Ibuki was the place of his birth. He was born with every tooth in his mouth and the ability to walk immediately.
He was a very strong and aggressive child. His mother was human, and she hated the evil that had sprung out of her womb as soon as she noticed her son having the attributes of an oni. When Shuten-Doji was just six years old, she abandoned him. But by then, he had grown stronger than an inoshishi (Japanese wild pig) and was extremely cunning in nature. He wandered the woods around Ohmi no Umi (modern-day Lake Biwa) for several months before finding sanctuary in a monastery atop Mount Hiei.
In 788 A.D., the renowned monk Saicho, the founder of the Tendai school of Buddhism in Japan, founded the Enryaku-ji temple atop Mount Hiei. Japan's capital was moved from Nagaoka-kyo to Heian-kyo by Emperor Kammu in 794 A.D. Mount Hiei was situated on the north-eastern side of Heian-kyo. The north-east direction is regarded as bad in the Sinto religion, and evil influences enter from that direction. In order to combat the evil force and ensure the development of the new capital, the imperial court placed great weight on Enryaku-ji's growth as a holy site.
Despite being given refuge in the monastery, Shuten-Doji's rogue nature made him unwelcome among the monks and other pupils. He used to steal sake to indulge in his insatiable desire for it. He was quite radiant, but he never used his intelligence for good. In a matter of years, he grew to be an enormous, sturdy person. Nevertheless, he displayed no outward sign of being an oni.
He had to go collect firewood in the neighboring forest every day as a pupil. He saw a dead person there one day, most likely from a wild animal. Shuten-Doji felt an insatiable urge for human blood as he approached the body to examine it. Smell of blood was as intoxicating as sake to him. He consumed the human flesh and drank human blood. His demeanor and physical appearance drastically changed after the incident. More than ever, he felt energized and strong. Following that day, he started to break out of the monastery regularly and used to murder wanderers and travelers to consume human flesh and blood. The monks soon sensed an evil was among them. Shuten-Doji used to get punishment and constant reprimands due to his rude and haughty behavior toward his teachers and peers. He used to get even more enraged by that.
The monks had a festival one day. Wearing a terrifying oni mask, Shuten-Doji planned to play pranks on his peers and the monks there. He truly enjoyed causing trouble for everyone. He was hiding in a dimly lit hallway in the monastery in the evening while donning a red oni mask and making menacing gestures at anyone who happened to walk by. News of an oni's entry into the monastery swiftly circulated. With shaft, tachi and other weapons, the monks all assembled to drive the oni away. Shuten-Doji laughed heartily as he realized he had succeeded in stirring up trouble for everyone. He ran out of the dimly lit hallway and made his way into the shrine's center, where a statue of Yakushi Nyorai—the Buddha of healing—was located.
He chuckled to express his satisfaction as he stood in front of the statue. The statue appeared to be smiling at him as well, especially in the dim light of the candles. When Shuten-Doji attempted to pull the mask off his face, he noticed with horror that it had mysteriously attached itself to his skin. He attempted desperately to take it out, only to end up scratching his face with his own nails. In his new face, he sensed pain. He heard the monks arriving, searching every crevice and corner of the temple to find out the monster. He began to sweat with anxiety. Shuten-Doji realized he was in big trouble and that if the monks discovered him, they would beat him to death. Despairingly, he began to run, and the monks, seeing him, pursued after him with their weapons drawn. Shuten-Doji fled from one corner of the temple to the other until eventually managing to get over the monastery's outside wall.
By then, Shuten-Doji's delight had turned to disgust. He realized that, at that point, he had become an oni. He thus moved into the Mount Hiei forest. He used to slaughter the travelers and consumed their flesh and blood. He would even go on a rampage across the neighboring villages to consume sake and to abduct unlucky villegers whenever possible.
He once saw another female oni wandering about in the middle of the jungle. She had distinctive signs of being an oni, such as a blue tint to her skin and prominent horns on her forehead. Shuten-Doji came to know that the name of the kijo, or female oni, was Ibaraki-Doji. She was from Settsu Province, and her own family had abandoned her. Shuten-Doji was overjoyed to finally have an acquaintance. And they both started their reign of terror in that part of the forest. The Enryaku-ji monastery soon made the decision to drive the onis out of the forest by sending a sohei, or army of warrior monks. After being compelled to escape the area in order to save their lives, Shuten-Doji and Ibaraki-Doji eventually made the decision to dwell in the highlands of Mount Oe.
Because Mount Oe was already home to a variety of yokai, it was a notorious location. Shuten-Doji met some other onis there, and they all came together to form a group. The onis used to subsist on wild animals there because very few people used tovventure into the mountainous region. They sometimes raid distant hamlets to take several hostages, forcing them to work as slaves until they were eventually eaten by their captor. Shuten-Doji's power increased gradually as he improved his strength and magical abilities and gained the respect of other demons. Gradually word of Shuten-Doji's reputation began to spread and onis began to congregate in Oeyama from different places. As they grew in number, Shuten-Doji began to establish his stronghold at Mount Oe, which culminated in the construction of Tetsu no Shiro. Although primarily constructed of stone and wood, it was known as the "iron fortress."
They never approached Heian Kyo or Mount Hiei for nearly a century since Shuten-Doji and Ibaraki-Doji's escape from there. Even with Shuten-Doji's substantial might at the time, the imperial army and the army of warrior monks from Enryaku-ji were still too strong for him and his allies. Nevertheless, as his influence increased, so did his ambition. He had four loyal and incredibly strong Onis as close companions. They were referred to as his shÅtenno. They established the strongest oni army in Japanese history, and Shuten-Doji proclaimed himself as the oni king.
Shuten-Doji required more human slaves to tend to the onis and provide food for his associates as the number of his supporters grew over time. Along with his power, his affection for sake also grew exponentially, and he developed a special fondness for the blood sake made from the blood of virgins.
His stronghold had a hidden tunnel that led to the base of Mount Oe. Ibaraki-Doji once traveled to Heian Kyo via the tunnel and noticed a large gate at the southernmost point of the city. There was not a single dwelling in the area, and the location was relatively distant from the city's last outpost. However, everyone leaving the city has to go via the gate. She took cover behind the big gate. A young woman walking alone soon appeared there. The Ibaraki-Doji got an easy prey. She Grab the girl and carried her through the tunnel to the stronghold. Ibaraki-Doji certainly got some applause from Shuten-Doji and his shitenno for capturing a human from the capital. Soon other onis alsi began to storm the Heian-kyo as they learned about Ibaraki-Doji's exploit. They realised that it was not difficult to abduct people from the city. The demons began gathering information about the capital city and tricking people by dressing as common folks. The residents of Heian Kyo realized in a matter of months that a large number of people, primarily young ladies, were disappearing from the city. The word quickly got out that this was the deed of the Onis of Mount Oe.
One evening, Ibaraki-Doji, disguised as a lady, was hiding in her favorite spot at 'Rajomon Gate' when she noticed a trader approaching her on a horse. She made the decision to go after that trader because she hadn't seen anyone else pass through the gate in a while. It was no other than Watanabe no Tsuna who used his tachi to cut off her hand in a single strike and wonded Ibaraki-Doji was compelled to flee in fear and agony. When the onis found out about the incident, it had a significant effect on Shuten-Doji's reputation in addition to her own. Shuten-Doji made the decision to demonstrate his might to Heian-kyo by exacting brutal retribution on the people there for what they had done to Ibaraki-Doji. He made the decision to advance with his army of onis in order to defeat weak and deceitful humans and establish his own reign.
To be continued...
The Legend of Minamoto no Raiko: The Fall of Shuten-Doji (Part I)
The Legend of Minamoto no Raiko: The Fall of Shuten-Doji (Part II)
The Legend of Minamoto no Raiko: The Fall of Shuten-Doji (Part IV)
The Legend of Minamoto no Raiko: The Fall of Shuten-Doji (Part V)
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