Hashihime is represented as a woman who spends lonely nights waiting for her lover to visit, and later as a fierce “oni” or demon fueled by jealousy. Very little is known about the origin of Hashihime. The most common interpretation is that she was a lonely wife pining for her husband or lover to return but due to his infidelity, she became jealous and turned into a demon. Hashihime first appears in a Kokinshu (ca. 905) poem.
Alias Hashihime (橋姫) |
Real Names/Alt Names “The maiden of the bridge” |
Characteristics Yōkai, Enlightenment and Neoclassicism, Japanese |
Creators/Key Contributors Toriyama Sekien, ○ |
First Appearance Japanese folklore |
First Publisher ○ |
Appearance List Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki (今昔画図続百鬼, “The Illustrated One Hundred Demons from the Present and the Past”, 1779) Vol. 1 |
Sample Read Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki Vol. 1 “Rain” (1779) [Smithsonian] |
Description Hashihime is represented as a woman who spends lonely nights waiting for her lover to visit, and later as a fierce “oni” or demon fueled by jealousy. Very little is known about the origin of Hashihime. The most common interpretation is that she was a lonely wife pining for her husband or lover to return but due to his infidelity, she became jealous and turned into a demon. Hashihime first appears in a Kokinshu (ca. 905) poem. |
Source Hashihime – Wikipedia |