Tradition: Japanese mythology
Alternative names: Oni-shaped Finger
Category: Demon
The Myth
Kigyō-yubi is a severed human finger that appears to transform into the head of a small oni. The transformed finger is described as having a red complexion, two curled horns, and bright, star-like eyes, resembling the traditional Japanese depiction of an oni.
The story appears in the second volume of Kaishū Yakōkon, in a tale concerning a courtesan named Tatsuta.
Tatsuta was born in Kyoto and became a shirabyōshi, a female entertainer who performed songs and dances. After moving to Naniwa, she became highly sought after because of her beauty and skill at singing. She eventually fell deeply in love with a young merchant named Yamamoto Matashuke, and remained devoted to him even while continuing her work as a courtesan.
Matashuke, however, eventually abandoned her and married another woman. Tatsuta was devastated by his change of heart. She repeatedly sent him letters and, as proof of her devotion, even cut off her hair and one of her fingers and sent them to him. Matashuke regarded these gifts as troublesome and returned them.
Consumed by grief, jealousy, and resentment, Tatsuta became increasingly distraught. The severed finger remained in a container in her possession.
One day, when Tatsuta looked at the finger, she saw that it had transformed into the head of a tiny oni. It was red, had two curled horns, and possessed eyes that shone like stars. Terrified, Tatsuta covered the container and believed that her intense jealousy had caused her severed finger to become an oni.
She went to a reclusive monk named Ryōfū and confessed what had happened. When Ryōfū opened the container, however, he saw nothing unusual. The object was simply a human finger.
When he asked Tatsuta whether she still saw an oni, she insisted that she did. Ryōfū concluded that the oni was a manifestation of the demon within her own jealous mind, projected onto the severed finger.
Ryōfū taught her Buddhist teachings and gave her the ten recitations of the Buddha’s name. Three days later, Tatsuta returned and happily explained that she could no longer see the finger as an oni. She wished to shave her head and become Ryōfū’s disciple.
Ryōfū initially refused, explaining that she could not simply abandon her life as a courtesan. Instead, he taught her that she could turn her heart toward Buddhism even while remaining outwardly in her existing circumstances.
Tatsuta continued as a courtesan for some time, but eventually fulfilled her wish and became Ryōfū’s disciple. She shaved her head, took the name Eirin Bikuni, and established a hermitage at Sonezaki.
Sources
Takahashi, Toshihiro. “鬼形の指 [きぎょう‐ゆび] (Kigyo-yubi).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). September 22, 2018. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1072385607.html