Tradition: Japanese mythology
Alternative Names: Oni Musume, Demon Girl
Category: Demon
The Myth
Oni Musume was a woman with a frightening appearance, characterized by horn-like protrusions known as velvet horns growing from her head. She was also said to have had a mouth split to the base of her ears and two fangs.
According to the sideshow’s opening monologue, the woman was named Omatsu, the daughter of Tajiemon, a farmer from Tasae Village at the foot of Mount Daisen in Hōki Province. She had possessed her unusual features from birth. Because she bit the midwife, her fangs were removed and her mouth was sewn shut.
During the performance, Omatsu appeared wearing a furisode kimono with a wisteria pattern, scarlet hakama, and a scale-patterned uchikake. Her clothing was gradually removed as part of the act. She then opened her mouth, stood up, and revealed her frightening face and unusual features to the audience.
The Oni Musume was displayed as a sideshow attraction in Nishiryōgoku Hirokoji during the Zenkoji Amida Buddha exhibition of 1778 at Ekōin Temple in Edo. The performance itself was relatively simple and apparently consisted mainly of revealing her strange appearance to spectators.
The attraction became extremely popular, and promotional yellow-covered books known as kiwamono were produced about her. Imitations of the Oni Musume also appeared across the Ryōgoku area. One imitation had a face made from tanned leather, with toad-like eyes, soapstone fangs, and calf horns. Because this artificial demon girl resembled the demons shown in illustrations, she reportedly became even more popular than the supposed original.
In kibyōshi literature, the Oni Musume was transformed into a more fantastical character. She could be portrayed as a beautiful girl or as a demon brought from Hell, with writers adding their own embellishments to her story. Even after the sideshow craze faded, the character was occasionally revived, and later works also parodied her through characters such as a “demon son” or a “human girl.”
Sources
Takahashi, Toshihiro. “鬼娘 [おにむすめ] (Oni Musume).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). April 7, 2012. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654253.html