Ibarakidohji

What is Ibarakidohji

Ibarakidohji was rampaging as the right-hand of Shutendohji. When Shutendohji was killed by Minamoto no Yorimitsu and his demon-slaying squad, there is a theory that Ibarakidohji managed to escape. Supposedly, upon seeing Shutendohji’s head being cut off, Ibarakidohji realized that they could not win and abandoned the fight with Watanabe no Tsuna to flee.

This theory is further supported by the fact that, after Shutendohji’s death, there are legends passed down that tell of Watanabe no Tsuna battling Ibarakidohji at either Ichijo Modoribashi or Rashomon.

This conveys the belief that Ibarakidohji escaped Shutendohji’s defeat and continued to engage with humans, especially the famous samurai Watanabe no Tsuna. In Japanese.

Origin of Ibarakidohji

There are peculiar commonalities between Ibarakidohji and Shutendohji. While none of these are confirmed facts and there are various theories, both seem to have had the following characteristics:

• They stayed in their mother’s womb for more than 16 months.
• They were born with hair and teeth.
• They were handsome and received a mountain of love letters.
• It was these love letters that ultimately led to their transformation into demons.

In summary, these are the common points they shared. As such, both onies have rather detailed origin stories associated with them.

The Circumstances of How He Became a Oni

It seems that Ibarakidohji was quite a handsome man. Concerned by the flood of love letters he received daily, his mother locked the letters away in a box. One day, Ibarakidohji found the box and opened it, only to discover bloodstained letters inside. As soon as he licked the blood on his finger, he became a oni.

In another version, his incredible strength troubled his parents, who abandoned him in front of a barbershop. To learn a trade, Ibarakidohji began helping out at the shop. One day, he accidentally cut a customer’s cheek with the razor. He wiped the blood with his finger and licked it. From that moment, he began deliberately cutting customers’ cheeks to drink their blood. Eventually, the shop owner became furious, and when Ibarakidohji went to a nearby river, he saw his reflection in the water—revealing the face of a oni.

Both versions suggest that licking blood was the cause of his transformation into a demon. Although there are different theories, one suggests that, since they were from the same region, Ibarakidohji joined Shutendohji, who had fled to Kyoto, and became his right-hand man.

Ibarakidohji after Fleeing from Mount Ohe

Ibarakidohji, the only survivor of the onies of Mount Ohe, could not commit atrocities to the same extent as Shutendohji. This was due to the presence of Watanabe no Tsuna, one of Minamoto no Yorimitsu’s four heavenly warriors.

Ibarakidohji and Watanabe no Tsuna

There are various accounts of the two, but the general storyline remains the same: the oni and Watanabe no Tsuna reunite, the demon loses an arm, and then escapes into the sky with that arm.

One day at Ichijo Modoribashi, Watanabe no Tsuna notices a young woman who appears to be lost. He offers to let her ride on his horse, but she suddenly transforms into a oni. The oni grabs his hair and attempts to carry him away to Mount Atago, but Watanabe no Tsuna manages to cut off the oni’s arm with his famed katana, Higekiri.

When he shows the severed arm to Minamoto no Yorimitsu, he is advised to also present it to an onmyoji (a practitioner of Japanese esoteric cosmology). The onmyoji warns him that the oni will definitely come to reclaim its arm and advises Watanabe no Tsuna to stay hidden for seven days, during which no one should enter his house.

For several days, the oni tries various methods to enter Watanabe no Tsuna’s residence, but fails each time. Even when it transforms into an elderly aunt, Watanabe no Tsuna refuses entry. However, eventually, he is swayed by the lamenting appearance of the elderly aunt and allows her inside.

The aunt then asks Tsuna to show her the oni’s severed arm. He gives it to her, and suddenly, she transforms back into the obi. Holding the arm, the oni flies high into the sky and escapes.

By the way, there are not many detailed accounts of Ibarakidohji’s activities after this event

Summery

The passage suggests that, like Shutendohji, Ibarakidohji was originally human before becoming a oni. Notably, when Watanabe no Tsuna cut Ibarakidohji, his katana, Higekiri, was renamed Onikiri (Demon Cutter). The current Onikiri is enshrined as an Important Cultural Property in the treasure hall of Kita no Tenmangu.

This implies that Ibarakidohji existed as a visible oni. The deep connection between Watanabe no Tsuna and Ibarakidohji suggests that their encounter was perhaps fated.

The passage concludes with a reflection on the idea that even those who start as humans can become evils if they commit wrongful acts repeatedly.