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A is an
A is an oni
An ( ) is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. They are believed to live in caves or deep in the mountains or in hell. Oni are known for their superhuman strength and have been associated with powers like th ...
woman from Japanese legends.
Mythology
They are normally considered to be women who have turned into oni as a result of karma and resentment, with the younger ones being called "kijo" while the ones that look like old ladies are called onibaba (鬼婆, "demon hag"). They often appear in Japanese legends, folktales, fairy tales, and performing arts, and famous among them areMomiji
''Acer palmatum'', commonly known as Japanese maple, palmate maple, or smooth Japanese maple (Korean: ''danpungnamu'' []; Japanese: ''irohamomiji'' [] or ''momiji'' []), is a species of woody plant native to Korea, Japan, China, eastern Mongol ...
(from The Legend of Momiji and ''Momijigari (play), Momijigari'') from Togakushi, Nagano, togakushi, Shinano Province
or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture.
Shinano bordered Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...
(now the town of Kinasa, Nagano, Nagano Prefecture
is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...
) and Suzuka Gozen from the Suzuka Mountains
are a mountain range running through Mie Prefecture and along the borders of Gifu and Shiga prefectures in central Japan. The tallest peak in the range is Mount Oike at . In spite of its height, Mount Oike is not the most visited mountain; tha ...
.
The onibaba of Adachigahara ( Kurozuka) had "baba" in her name, but she is also considered a kijo. Also, the Tosa Obake Zōshi (author unknown) that spelled out tales of yōkai in Tosa Province
was a province of Japan in the area of southern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tosa''" in . Tosa bordered on Awa to the northeast, and Iyo to the northwest. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō syst ...
(now Kōchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kōchi Prefecture has a population of 669,516 (1 April 2023) and has a geographic area of 7,103 km2 (2,742 sq mi). Kōchi Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the northwest and Tok ...
) had, under the title of "Kijo," stated that an oni woman (kijo) with hair of a length 4 shaku and 8 sun (about 150 centimeters) ate a fetus from a pregnant woman, although the origin of this story is the onibaba legend of Adachigahara from Fukushima Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,771,100 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture ...
that later spread to Tosa, and due to this spread, it became told about along with local legends there.
The word "kijo" is also used as a general term for women with hideous hearts like that of an oni.
See also
*Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga is a female character (or one of a trio of sisters of the same name) from Slavic folklore who has two contrasting roles. In some narratives, she is described as a repulsive or ferocious-looking old woman who fries and eats children, ...
* Black Annis
Black Annis (also known as Black Agnes or Black Anna) is a bogeyman figure in English folklore. She is imagined as a blue-faced hag or witch with iron claws and a taste for human flesh (especially children).Briggs, Katharine (1976). ''Encyclopedia ...
* Boo Hag
* Crone
In folklore, a crone is an old woman who may be characterized as disagreeable, malicious, or sinister in manner, often with magical or supernatural associations that can make her either helpful or obsolete. The Crone is also an archetypical figur ...
* Hag
A hag is a wizened old woman, or a kind of fairy, witch, or goddess having the appearance of such a woman, often found in folklore and children's tales such as "Hansel and Gretel". Hags are often seen as malevolent, but may also be one of t ...
* Kurozuka
* Muma Pădurii
* Onibaba (film)
, also titled ''The Hole'', is a 1964 Japanese historical drama and horror film written and directed by Kaneto Shindō. The film is set during a civil war in medieval Japan. Nobuko Otowa and Jitsuko Yoshimura play two women who kill infighting s ...
* The Witch (fairy tale)
* Yama-uba
, yamamba, and yamanba are variations on the name of a ''yōkai'' found in Japanese folklore. Mostly said to resemble women, yamauba may be depicted as predatory monsters or benevolent beings.
Appearance
Depending on the text and translator, th ...
References
External links
* {{Japanese folklore long Oni Japanese folklore Yōkai Female legendary creatures