Uwajima Ushi-oni Legend

The Uwajima ushi-oni tradition is a creature-quelling tale of the Nan'yo region of Ehime in which a giant beast with a bull's head and a demon's body, or a long neck and a sword-like tail, dwells in pools, marshes, and passes and devours people. In the Uwajima domain of Iyo Uwa District, from the early modern period samurai and ascetics quelled the ushi-oni with sword and esoteric arts, and the figure joined the heroic quelling tradition. In the festival Uwajima Warei Taisai a giant ushi-oni float is pulled through the streets, a continuing Edo-period rite in which a creature of legend has been reversed into the central figure of the festival, a rare case in Japanese folklore. The story is in three stages: appearance and harm along the coast or pool, hero (samurai or ascetic) coming forward, and the rite that follows. Together with the Saga and Oita lion-festival processions and the Nagasaki dragon dance, it is a typical case of a creature-quelling tale grounded in living festival. The Nan'yo Folklore Record, the Ehime Prefectural Board of Education's Ehime Kenshi Minzoku-hen, Uwajima City education materials, and Uwajima Warei Shrine documents are the basic references; the Date house archives are also relevant.