Ouni

The ''ouni'' (苧うに) is a ''yōkai'' depicted in the ''Gazu Hyakki Yagyō'' by Toriyama Sekien.

It is a ''yōkai'' with a face like that of a demon woman (''kijo'') torn from mouth to ear, and its entire body is covered in hair. There is no explanatory text from Sekien, so it is unclear what kind of yōkai this is. The "''o''" (苧) in "''ouni''" refers to the ramie plant or to bundles of string made from ramie, hemp, among others, so it is said that Sekien gave it the name "''ouni''" because it conjures up the image of a ''yōkai'' with head and body hair made of layers of this "''o''".

In the ''Hyakkai Zukan'' (1737, Sawaki Suushi), a ''yōkai'' ''emaki'' from the Edo period, it is given by the name "''wauwau''", and Edo period ''yōkai'' ''emaki'' would usually present it under that name. However, these presentations consisted of pictures, so it is not known what characteristics they had. In another instance, there is a drawing in the '' Hyakki Yagyō Emaki'' (Oda Gōchō, 1832) from after Sekien's era where it is depicted under the title of "''uwan uwan''", and it is thought that likewise the ''ouni'' is a ''yōkai'' that Sekien drew while referring to earlier ''emaki''.

Explanatory text starting in Heisei

There are no folk legends or records that are clearly about the ''ouni'' (or the "''wauwau''" based on Sekien's), so it is presently not clear what kind of ''yōkai'' they were intending to depict, but starting in the Heisei period, inferring from how there are many tales that seem highly related to the previous "''o''" and the ''yamauba'', there have started to be many illustrated references, books, and other publications that suppose that these are ''yamauba'' who assisted in the making of threads and were taken in under the name "''ouni''", which would mean that the ''ouni'' is a type of ''yamauba''. There are many areas with tales about ''yamauba'' who would make threads from ''o'' (苧), but the following example is from Kotaki, Nishikubiki, Echigo Province (now Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture).

There was a gathering of women who were spinning some bundles of strings with hemp, when a ''yamauba'' appeared and said "I'll also spin some" and started to help along. The ''yamauba'' bit the hemp and drew out strings and then spun bundles of string at a speed unbelievable for humans. After finishing the assistance, the ''yamauba'' left the house. The women tried to follow, but the ''yamauba'' abruptly disappeared.

Before the proliferation of the idea that ''yamauba'' were related, they were often given the explanation that they would attack and eat people who come for a drink at a mountain stream. 佐藤有文 『お化けの図鑑』 KKベストセラーズ 1978年 70頁 This can be said to be due to the picture drawn by Sekien.

Notes

{{Japanese folklore long

Yōkai