Emperor Ichijo sent a small band of six heroes to Mount Oe (Oeyama) to put a stop to the dread of the demon king Shuten-Doji. Minamoto no Yorimitsu, Japan's finest samurai of the time, led the team, which included his four outstanding retainers: Sakato no Kintoki, Urabe no Suetake, Usui no Sadamitsu, and Watanabe no Tsuna, as well as Fujiwara no Hosho.
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Before embarking on the journey to Oeyama, the great seer Abe no Seimei advised the heroes to seek the blessings of the gods. Consequently, they made the decision to head out for the famous shrines in the Kansai region of Japan. Raiko went to Iwashimizu Hachimangu on Mount Otokoyama (yama means mountain) in Kyoto Prefecture to seek the blessing of Hachiman, the war god. Sakato no Kintoki and Usui no Sadamitsu visited Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka Prefecture to seek the favour of Sumiyoshi sanjin. Fujiwara no Hosho, Urabe no Suetake, and Watanabe no Tsuna journeyed to Kumano Sanzan in Wakayama Prefecture via Kumano Kodo to seek the blessings of the deities there. Soon the team reunited to commence their journey.
Within a few days, the party arrived at the foot of Mount Oe, where they encountered three wise elders. The heroes wondered what the old folks were doing there. The elders responded that they were three brothers who were scholars studying the medicinal herbs of Oeyama. The heroes were warned by the elders that all kinds of yokai and wicked creatures had overrun the entire territory. Mount Oe is a forbidden land to enter for any living creature. They asked the heroes why they were eager to enter an evil land and risk their lives. As Raiko briefed them about their purpose, the elderly men showed their interest in helping him.
The elders told them they had already encountered the demon king and his comrades. The three brothers were apprehended nearly a month ago by some onis (demons), who then took them before their lord. The elders thought they were going to be slaughtered. Instead, they learned that there was a female oni (kijo) who had been severely injured by a samurai. The demon king sought aid from the elders. Someone had severed the kijo's right hand. The elders brewed a special healing potion to reattach the hand properly. The brothers were soon released by the demon king, who was pleased to see his most beloved companion recovering. Since then, nobody has ever again bothered the elders. They are roaming about in the wilderness of Oeyama without any fear. However, they conducted some research on the demon king while they were in the demon's lair.
Tsuna stated, "I was the one who cut that oni's arm. But it is extremely heartbreaking to learn that the oni has recovered." One of the elders responded, "It's interesting to know you're that samurai. We also regret that we helped her in recovering, but we had no choice." Tsuna grinned back, saying, "No problem, Sir. Next time, I'm going to irreparably damage both of her arms before ending her treacherous existence.
The demonic way of life was extremely crude and ruthless. The elders informed the band that the demon king was a huge fan of sake. That oni prefers to be lauded by others. If someone acknowledges his might and accomplishments, the demon king gets thrilled. However, the demon was incredibly powerful, and no human could overcome him in hand-to-hand combat. "Though you are all exceptional warriors, still your are no match for him and your only chance to defeat the monster is to behead him in sleep." commented the first elder.
"Demons are not like other living beings. They are not easy to kill. The demon king is a particularly formidable opponent to get rid of. You should behead him first. But don't forget, he would not die even then. You must keep his head detached from the rest of his body for seven days. Otherwise, it will reattach itself. In addition, after beheading him, his head would attempt to bite you. You should be very careful while dealing with him," warned the third elder.
It was clear to all that the entire Oeyama had been overtaken by fierce demons, making it hard for a small band of adventurers to bring down the entire regiment and reach the demon king's fortress. The heroes should find a way to deceive the demons. The elders proposed that Raiko and his companions disguise themselves as yamabushis (a sect of spiritual monks who mostly revere nature) and gain the demon king's trust by convincing him that they belong to an order that supports the demon's way of life. "Follow this stretch of path for a while until you see a little cabin by a small mountain spring. That is an abandoned house where several hermits used to dwell only a few months ago. But they've left. "You will find some robes and other items there to disguise yourselves as yamabushis," suggested the second elder.
The first elder warned Raiko, "You appear ill-equipped to fight a demon king," and offered him a special helmet known as the 'hoshi kabuto', instructing him to wear it over his normal helmet when fighting the demon king. "This will save your life." Raiko thanked him for his generosity. The second elder offered him a vial of sake. The demon king is a passionate sake drinker. Offer him this sake. It is so potent that even the most powerful demon will fall asleep after consuming it. The elder also handed him a map so they could easily navigate the Mount Oe.
The third elder gave him a vial holding an exotic elixir. "Drink this before confronting the demons. This elixir will let you pass as a yamabushi. But remember, this elixir will work until midnight. You have to complete the task by midnight."After getting blessings from the elders, the heroes decided to continue forward. Before leaving, the eldest brother warned them: "When you meet the demon king, he will undoubtedly give you human flesh to eat and blood sake to drink to test your allegiance to the demons. You can refuse the meat but must drink the sake. Otherwise, the demon will murder you immediately. Regardless of how strong you are, blood sake is quite potent. Chew these dried leaves before drinking sake to avoid becoming inebriated and revealing your disguise to them." Sadamitsu kept the dried leaves in a sachet and thanked the elders once more for their assistance.
The troop of samurai arrived at the vacant hut shortly and gathered the robes to conceal their true identities. After spending the night in the hut, they resumed their journey the next morning.
The company of heroes, dressed as yamabushis, traversed the tough terrain of Mount Oe without encountering any demons. They got through a mountain pass and arrived at the entrance of a cave tunnel that leads to the demon king's stronghold. The cave tunnel was a long and difficult underground conduit where the party encountered a handful of the demon king's minions, who were quickly crushed by the heroes.
After a long journey, they emerged at the other end of the tunnel, where there was a small stream of water and a maid washing ten buckets of clothing. The maiden was so astonished when she saw Raiko and the others that she couldn't say anything for a long time. "Who are you guys? You don't look like demons. What exactly are you doing here? If you want to save your life, flee. Soon, an oni will show up and devour you all. "Don't worry. We are well aware of the threat. We've come to bring the demon king's rule to an end. But first, tell us who you are and what you are doing here."
As Raiko asked about her identity, she burst into tears and said that she was the daughter of a nobleman in Heian-kyo. She informed the samurai that the demons had imprisoned more than three hundred maidens in their fortress. The maidens were treated as slaves and were forced to work for them. Every day, they kill a few maidens to consume their flesh and use their blood to brew a distinctive form of sake. Raiko responded, "Don't worry. We are here to put an end to the terror and rescue all hostages. My name is Raiko, and these are my closest companions. The Emperor himself directed us here."
"I think there was no one else with you; you were alone. So why don't you flee now?" asked Kintoki. "I cannot. Even if I run now, they will undoubtedly catch me and impale me outside the fortress. That would be even more awful than death. A lot of people attempted to escape this place, but none were successful. The entire mountain is swamped by demons. You haven't seen one till now because they're plotting an ambush in Heian-kyo. Most of them have been congregating in the fortress for the past few days. They will shortly be released. I've heard that they'll invite hundreds of onis from all over Japan to join their leader."
"Okay. We get it now. However, in order to put an end to this terror, we need your help. Can we trust you?" asked Raiko. The woman replied that she would be more than happy to help.
"You see this road. It runs straight to the fortress. Remember that passing through the gate is not easy. Even though you are dressed like a yamabushi, I can see your hidden armour and weapons. The demons are not easy to deceive. More than twenty demons defend the fortress' gate. They'll get you as soon as they spot you."
"Do you know of any other entrance to the fortress?" Tsuna inquired. "Yes, there was another on the rear side, and I've heard that a few hostages attempted to escape through that door before. But those unfortunate women were recaptured by the onis, who have sealed the entrance. I've heard there's another secret tunnel that goes right to the foot of Mount Oe, but I'm not sure where it is. Yet I think I can help you. You see, I have a lot of clothes. I've got a companion here. Because these clothes are so heavy, she has gone to the fortress with the oni who was guarding us. After a while, the demon and my companion will return with some of the hostages to take these clothes to the fortress. You can hide your weapons and armour within these buskets. I'll fill the buskets with clothes and smuggle them inside the stronghold without being observed. That will help you persuade the onis of your identification. But I don't know if they'll listen to you. Facing an oni unarmed is not a good idea." Raiko said, "We'll take the chance." Thank you for your help. Take our weapons and armour and hide them immediately."
After concealing their armour and weapons, the heroes sipped the elixir provided by the third elder to aid in their disguise. As they drank the elixir, they saw significant changes in their faces and bodies. It was impossible to figure out their real identities. Soon, an enormous oni emerged, accompanied by six or seven maidens. When he saw the yamabushis, he yelled, "What are you doing here in this restricted place? Your death must have brought you here." Raiko replied, "You're mistaken, my friend. We mean no harm, and we are here to meet your great king." The oni was confused because he had never heard such words before. He thought it was preferable to take the monks to the fortress gate and discuss with others. Hence, he told them to follow him. The maidens were also among them, carrying the buckets. But the buckets were unusually heavy due to some inexplicable reason!!! The maidens were having difficulty carrying them. That infuriated the oni, who ordered the yamabushis to join the maidens.
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