Tradition: Japanese mythology
Alternative Names: Angry Drunkard
Category: Demon
The Myth
Oko-jōgo is a demon who becomes violently angry when drunk. He lived in a cave on a monstrous mountain to the northeast and was notorious for his enormous appetite and terrifying temper.
An old man named Sakubei was an exceptionally enthusiastic drinker. He invited anyone he encountered to drink with him, constantly saying, “Hey, let’s have a drink.” Because of his love of alcohol, people called him Orochi-jiisan, the Great Serpent Old Man.
Eventually, however, Sakubei accumulated a debt of 2 yen and 38 sen at his usual liquor store and could no longer obtain enough sake. When he tried to persuade the shopkeeper to give him more, arguing that there was no record of a great serpent ever bringing money, his efforts failed.
The village headman’s son then told Sakubei about a demon living in a cave on a mountain to the northeast. The demon loved sake and became extremely angry whenever it became drunk. It had promised to provide free sake to anyone who could retrieve both of its eyes.
Several people had already attempted to defeat the demon, but all had failed. Some fled in terror, while others were killed and eaten. Since humans became intoxicated more easily than the demon, they had little hope of overcoming it. The village headman’s son therefore suggested that Sakubei, whose drinking ability was supposedly unmatched, might be capable of obtaining the demon’s eyes.
Sakubei carried a large barrel of sake on his back and traveled into the mountains. When he reached the demon’s cave, he encouraged the demon to drink and joined it himself. The demon became increasingly intoxicated and boasted about its strength, declaring that when it drank sake it could smash rocks, kill horses and cows, and devour humans with ease.
The drunken demon then attempted to eat Sakubei. Sakubei narrowly escaped and suggested that they continue drinking on a mountaintop where they could enjoy a beautiful view, accompanied by rabbits and monkeys.
They eventually reached a lone pine tree. The demon was delighted by the scenery and continued drinking until the barrel was completely empty. Sakubei immediately climbed the pine tree and taunted the demon, telling it that it was merely a drunkard who could not even handle a little sake.
The demon became furious and attempted to climb the tree and tear Sakubei apart. However, it was so heavily intoxicated that it could not climb properly. It repeatedly climbed and fell, then climbed again as its rage grew. Its eyes gleamed as it stared upward at Sakubei.
Finally, as the demon glared up at him, both of its eyes suddenly popped out of their sockets. Sakubei quickly seized the eyeballs, bound the now-blind demon, and dragged it back to the village.
The demon’s eyes were placed on the festival float as a treasure of the village’s guardian shrine. The blind demon itself was spared and, out of pity, was made a guardian of the shrine.
Sakubei was praised for his achievement and given permission to drink as much sake as he wished. However, fearing that excessive drinking might cause him to suffer the same fate as the demon, he eventually stopped drinking, devoted himself to cultivating the fields, and became a wealthy man.
Sources
Takahashi, Toshihiro. “怒り上戸 [おこ‐じょうご] (Oko-jōgo).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). May 9, 2015. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1026352266.html