Onihitokuchi
Onihitokuchi (鬼一口) refers to a Japanese setsuwa (legend) in which oni (ogres) eat humans in one mouthful.[1] This in turn refers to something extremely dangerous and difficult, as well as the quick and easy handling of things.[2]
Summary
As an example of a representative story, in the beginning of the
This story was depicted in the collection of
Other than that, in the collection of setsuwa, the Nihon Ryōiki from the beginning of the Heian era, there was a story where a man and woman made their vows to each other one night, but in reality the man was an oni who ate the woman, and in the collection of setsuwa, the Konjaku Monogatarishū from the end of the Heian era, there was a story where women who walked outside at night would be suddenly taken away by a man, and as the man was actually an oni, the women would be eaten in one mouthful.[3]
There is the theory that the reason why stories of "onihitokuchi" were common is that wars, disasters, and famines where people lose their lives or go missing were interpreted as oni from another world appearing in the present world who take away humans.[5]
References
- ^ a b 池田彌三郎 (1959). 日本の幽霊 身辺の民俗と文学. 中央公論社. pp. 79–80. ncid: BN11288391.
- ^ 鬼一口 (in Japanese). Kotobank. Archived from the original on 14 May 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-4-390-11055-6.
- ISBN 978-4-336-03386-4.
- ^ 岡部隆志 (1992). "鬼伝説". 日本「神話・伝説」総覧. 歴史読本 特別増刊・事典シリーズ. 新人物往来社. p. 245. ncid: BN08606455.