What is the ushi-oni?
The ushi-oni is a fearsome yokai told of mainly in western Japan. It is described as having the head of an ox and the body of an oni, or the head of an ox and the body of a giant spider, and it appears on coasts, in deep river pools and at the foot of waterfalls to attack people and livestock. Toriyama Sekien also drew it in his yokai books.
The ushi-oni and the nure-onna
In the Iwami region of Shimane Prefecture and elsewhere, the ushi-oni is said to team up with the nure-onna to attack people. A woman holding a baby on the shore asks a passerby to hold the child for a moment; when he takes it, she vanishes into the sea. The baby becomes heavy as stone and will not leave his arms, and while he is unable to move, the ushi-oni attacks.
The ushi-oni of festivals
The ushi-oni is not only a thing of fear. In Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, and elsewhere in Shikoku, festivals are held in which huge floats with ox heads called “ushi-oni” parade through the town. Here the ushi-oni is loved as a protector that drives away evil spirits.
