 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Ouni" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(September 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Theouni (苧うに) is ayōkai depicted in theGazu Hyakki Yagyō byToriyama Sekien.
It is ayōkai 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.[1][2] The "o" (苧) in "ouni" refers to theramie 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 ayōkai with head and body hair made of layers of this "o".[3]
In theHyakkai Zukan (1737, Sawaki Suushi), ayōkaiemaki from the Edo period, it is given by the name "wauwau", and Edo periodyōkaiemaki would usually present it under that name. However, these presentations consisted of pictures, so it is not known what characteristics they had.[clarification needed] In another instance, there is a drawing in theHyakki Yagyō Emaki (Oda Gōchō, 1832) from after Sekien's era where it is depicted under the title of "uwan uwan",[3] and it is thought that likewise theouni is ayōkai that Sekien drew while referring to earlieremaki.
There are no folk legends or records that are clearly about theouni (or the "wauwau" based on Sekien's), so it is presently not clear what kind ofyōkai they were intending to depict, but starting in theHeisei period, inferring from how there are many tales that seem highly related to the previous "o" and theyamauba, there have started to be many illustrated references, books, and other publications that suppose that these areyamauba who assisted in the making of threads and were taken in under the name "ouni",[4] which would mean that theouni is a type ofyamauba.[2][5] There are many areas with tales aboutyamauba who would make threads fromo (苧), but the following example is from Kotaki,Nishikubiki,Echigo Province (nowItoigawa,Niigata Prefecture).
There was a gathering of women who were spinning some bundles of strings with hemp, when ayamauba appeared and said "I'll also spin some" and started to help along. Theyamauba bit the hemp and drew out strings and then spun bundles of string at a speed unbelievable for humans. After finishing the assistance, theyamauba left the house. The women tried to follow, but theyamauba abruptly disappeared.[2]
Before the proliferation of the idea thatyamauba were related, they were often given the explanation that they would attack and eat people who come for a drink at a mountain stream.[6] This can be said to be due to the picture drawn by Sekien.