Two Kinds of Ushi-oni — The Shore Monster of Legend and the Festival Giant of Uwajima

Say "ushi-oni" ("ox demon"), and some people picture Uwajima in Ehime Prefecture. At Uwajima's festivals, a giant ushi-oni swings its long neck as it stomps through town. But that festival ushi-oni and the ushi-oni of legend, which appears by the sea and attacks people, share a name while playing opposite roles. One is a monster you must never meet; the other uses its fearsome looks to chase evil away. Let's look at the two separately.

The ushi-oni of legend: something to fear on the night shore

First, the yokai. Ushi-oni stories are told widely along the coasts of western Japan, from the Kinki region to Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu. It is said to have the head of an ox and the body of an oni, or legs like a spider's, and to appear on beaches and rocky shores at night to attack people.

The legendary ushi-oni is, above all, something you should never run into. There's even a chilling tale warning you to beware if a woman holding a baby calls out to you by the shore. That's the nure-onna, or "wet woman," and you can read more on the ushi-oni's Yokaipedia page. In some areas it's said to live in mountain pools and waterfalls instead of the sea, and a few places still carry its name.

Uwajima's ushi-oni: a giant carried by people

Meanwhile, in the Nanyo area of southern Ehime, centered on Uwajima, an ushi-oni appears at festivals. This one is neither a living thing nor a yokai. It's a "neri-mono," a large festival figure carried and paraded by many people.

Its huge body is built on a frame of bamboo and covered with shuro (hemp palm) fiber or cloth. At the end of a long neck sits a head with horns and an oni-like face, and behind it is a tail shaped like a sword. People crowd in under the body to carry it, lifting the neck high and swinging it around as they parade through the streets.

Since ushi-oni appear at festivals all over the Nanyo area, their faces and colors are said to differ a little from town to town, and many people feel a real fondness for their own town's ushi-oni.

Scary on purpose: a guardian against evil

The festival ushi-oni's job is to drive away evil. As it makes its way around town, it's loved as something that sweeps misfortune aside.

Asking something frightening to chase away bad things is an idea found all over Japan. Think of the onigawara, the roof tiles with an oni face, long believed to guard houses from harm. Perhaps it's exactly the ushi-oni's power and presence that earns it the job of protecting the town.

That said, there are several theories about how the ushi-oni first came to appear in festivals, and no one knows for certain. Whether the legendary and festival ushi-oni are connected somewhere along the way is another question without a settled answer.

How to tell the two apart

To wrap up, here are the two side by side.

• The ushi-oni of legend: a yokai that appears on the shore or by deep pools at night. It attacks people, so never meet one. Ox head, with an oni-like or spider-like body
• The festival ushi-oni: a figure carried through town by people at festivals. A guardian that drives evil away. Long neck and a sword-shaped tail

Same name, similar scary face: one is something to fear, the other protects people with that very scariness. On Pixel Yokai's Yokai Map, you'll find the ushi-oni in Ehime.