Oni

[2] Oni are known for their superhuman strength and have been associated with powers like thunder and lightning,[2] along with their evil nature manifesting in their propensity for murder and 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.

[2][3] They are typically depicted with red, blue, black, or yellow colored skin, wearing loincloths of tiger pelt, and carrying iron kanabō clubs.

In Nihon Ryōiki, The Tales of Ise and Konjaku Monogatarishū, for example, a woman is shown being eaten in one mouthful by a oni.

[11][12] They are popular characters in Japanese art, literature, and theater[13] and appear as stock villains in the well-known fairytales of Momotarō (Peach Boy), Issun-bōshi, and Kobutori Jīsan.

Oni, written in kanji as 鬼, is read in China as guǐ (pinyin), meaning something invisible, formless, or unworldly, in other words, a 'ghost' or the 'soul of the dead'.

On the other hand, the Japanese dictionary Wamyō Ruijushō (和名類聚抄) written in Japan in the 10th century explained the origin of the word oni as a corruption of on/onu (隠), meaning 'to hide'.

They usually reside in the underworld, but those with a grudge sometimes appear in the human world to haunt, and Taoist priests and others have used their supernatural powers to exterminate them.

Japanese oni (鬼), 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 kanabō (metal clubs), and can be physically killed by cutting with Japanese swords.

[16][10][14] The Izumo no Kuni Fudoki (出雲国風土記) and Nihon Shoki (日本書紀) are the earliest written examples of oni as entities rather than soul of the dead.

Nihon Shoki, completed in 720, tells of a hat (kasa)-wearing oni watching the funeral of Emperor Saimei from the top of Mount Asakura.

According to the Ainōshō (壒嚢鈔),[32] 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 oni to make them flinch and flee.

[33][34][35] Regionally around Tottori Prefecture during this season, a charm made of holly leaves and dried sardine heads is used as a guard against oni.

Japanese buildings sometimes include oni-faced roof tiles called onigawara (鬼瓦), which are thought to ward away bad luck, much like gargoyles in Western tradition.

[41] 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.

The context of oni in popular culture is similarly varied, with instances such as appearances in animated cartoons, video games and use as commercial mascots.