Watanabe no Tsuna

He fought Ibaraki-doji single-handedly at the Rashomon gate at the southern end of Suzaku-oji, the central North-South street in the old capital Heian-kyō (now Kyoto).

In the battle, Tsuna amputated Ibaraki-doji's arm with a tachi (Japanese long sword), nicknamed the 'Higekiri'.

[6][7] According to legend in the late 10th century of Heian Period Japan, Ibaraki-doji, a notorious Oni, resided at Rashomon Gate in Kyoto.

Ibaraki-doji harassed people who tried to pass through the gate until a heroic samurai named Watanabe no Tsuna, a loyal retainer of Minamoto no Raiko, went to subdue the creature.

[8][9] According to legend, Hashihime in mortal life was the daughter of a certain nobleman, but consumed by jealousy, made a wish to become a kijin (an oni demon) capable of destroying her love rival.

"[10] Note that even though Kibune has later been seen as a mecca for the ritual, Hashihime only learned the recipe here, and enacted it miles away (Kifune is in the north of Kyoto, the Uji River is to the south).

[12] According to it, Hashihime was originally a mortal during the reign of Emperor Saga (809 to 823),[10] but after turning demon and killing her rival, her man's kinsmen, then indiscriminately other innocent parties, she lived on beyond the normal human life span, to prey on the samurai Watanabe no Tsuna at the Ichijo Modoribashi (一条戻橋) "Turning Back bridge at the street crossing of Ichijō and Horikawa" bridge, only to have her arm severed by the sword Higekiri (髭切).

[12] Tsuna kept the demon's arm, whose power was contained by the Yinyang master (陰陽師, onmyōji) Abe no Seimei, via chanting the Ninnō-kyō sutra.

Tomokiri (the Friend Slayer, or Equal Cutter), for having cut, by its own will, through the steel of another sword of great quality, Hizamaru, who had been made at the request of the Emperor of Japan, by a smith rival of Sun-Nashi's maker.

There is the netsuke, made of famous carver of the 19th century Otoman – Watanabe no Tsuna and Demon of Rashomon.

This work is based on a little-known legend about the struggle of the famous samurai with a demon that turned into a young girl.

It was already getting dark when he approached the bridge and saw a pretty girl who asked the gallant samurai to take her home at such a late hour.

Suddenly the girl became a terrible devil, who grabbed Tsuna's hair and whispered: 'My house is located on Mount Atago'.

The temptress's face and body has changed beyond recognition, and only flirtatious gesture-holding to the edge of the cloak-speaks about its feminine essence.

In 1983 German collector Klauss Reiss purchased this netsuke as okimono for 2500 Deutsche Marks in antique saloon of Munich.

Coming home Klauss Reiss unexpectedly discovered that support of the purchased okimono could be separated from the figure.