Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Saruki-oni, Monkey Demon
Category: Monkey
The Myth
Saruki was a monstrous monkey demon who terrorized the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Originally one of the monkeys living on Mount Onishi, it was banished after becoming violent and harming the people who lived at the foot of the mountain. Fleeing into a cave at Iwaido, Saruki established a stronghold and gathered eighteen followers under its command. The demon and its retinue spread terror throughout Oku-Noto, devouring cattle and horses, abducting women and children, and holding drunken feasts atop a great cedar tower near their cave.
The sacred maiden Sugihime of Ohata Shrine in Wajima’s Mitsui district attempted to defeat Saruki with a bow, arrows, and swords, but none of her weapons could penetrate the demon’s defenses. She then travelled to Izumo Taisha during the month when the gods gather there and appealed to the assembled deities for help. An army led by Keta Daimyojin, the great deity of Noto’s Ichinomiya, marched against the monkey demons. Yet their arrows proved useless because Saruki and its followers had coated themselves in lacquer to deflect the missiles. As the gods withdrew to reconsider their strategy, Sugihime heard a mysterious song by the shore: “Wrap yourselves in a thousand bolts of cloth and shoot arrows from the tubes, Princess of the Sacred Cedar.”
Following this advice, the gods concealed themselves beneath a thousand bolts of white cloth and approached Saruki’s tower while the demons were drinking. When Saruki caught another arrow, a second projectile hidden inside a hollow tube shot forward and pierced its eye. As the wounded demon fled, Princess Kamisugi beheaded it with the famous sword Onikirimaru. The divine army then destroyed the remaining followers. Numerous place names around Yanagida Village are associated with the battle, including Atimo, where Saruki was struck in the eye; Obako, where it treated its wound with medicinal herbs; Kurokawa, named for the black blood that stained the ground; and Onizuka, where the gods buried the demon. Iwaido Shrine is also said to have been established to pacify the spirits of the monkeys and demons.
Sources
“Saru-oni.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1048849432.html