Shuten-dōji is a mythical oni or demon leader of Japan, who according to legend was killed by the hero Minamoto no Raikō. Although decapitated, the demon’s detached head still took a bite at the hero, who avoided death by wearing multiple helmets stacked on his head. Shuten-dōji had his lair at Mount Ōe northwest of the city of Kyoto, or Mount Ibuki, depending on the version. He was 50 feet in height, had a red body and a five-horned head, with fifteen eyes; one leg was white and the other black, while his arms were yellow and blue.
Appearance List Literature: Kokon Chomonjū (1254), Konjaku Hyakki Shūi (今昔百鬼拾遺, “Supplement to The Hundred Demons from the Present and the Past”, c. 1781) Vol. 2 “Mist”, Zen Taiheiki (1839-1892), “Shitennō Shōtō Iroku” by Takizawa Bakin, Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s Kidōmaru, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s Hakamadare Yasusuke Kidōmaru Jutsukurabe no Zu. Podcast: Astonishing Legends: Episode 121 Yokai Horrors of Japan.
Description Shuten-dōji is a mythical oni or demon leader of Japan, who according to legend was killed by the hero Minamoto no Raikō. Although decapitated, the demon’s detached head still took a bite at the hero, who avoided death by wearing multiple helmets stacked on his head. Shuten-dōji had his lair at Mount Ōe northwest of the city of Kyoto, or Mount Ibuki, depending on the version. He was 50 feet in height, had a red body and a five-horned head, with fifteen eyes; one leg was white and the other black, while his arms were yellow and blue.
