In our latest blog, we are re-telling the popular Japanese legend of “The Oni Mask”.
Inspired by a recent addition to our website, The Oni Mask is a charming tale of monsters and magic and a relatively rare example of a Japanese fairy tale that has a happy ending.
We hope you enjoy the story and as always with our blogs and articles, you can click on any of the images to take a closer look at the item in question.
Once upon a time, there was a young girl who lived alone with her poorly, frail mother. The mother was too weak to work and so the young girl needed to go out and work. Being smart and amiable, she was able to secure a job, working at the house of a wealthy Lady who lived in a different village.
The young girl worked tirelessly and for comfort, she carried with her, a mask of her mother’s face that she would talk to when she was done with her chores.
One day, a group of mean-spirited co workers saw the home-sick young girl talking to the mask and decided that they would play a trick on her. While the girl was distracted by her errands, they took the precious mask of her mother and replaced it with a mask depicting a gruesome Oni.
Oni are one of the great icons of Japanese folklore. Since the Meiji Period (1868-1912) they have become popular creatures that are seen as a protective symbol of good luck, but for Centuries prior to this, they were a fearsome, devilish type of Yokai (supernatural being), that played a similar role to that of the “Troll” or “Ogre” of Western fairy tales.
When the girl returned to the mask, instead of seeing the soothing image of her beloved mother, she was greeted by the unwelcome and unfriendly looking Oni. The poor girl was distraught and took it as a sign that, back home, her Mother’s condition had deteriorated.
Despite it being late in the day, she decided to hurry home through the forest so she could attend to her Mother.
While she was making her way through the woods, she was stopped by a group of young men who were gambling by the light of a fire. The men forced her to stay with them and made her tend to the fire. This would allow them to carry on gambling without the light from the flames dying down and putting an end to the game.
Without any choice and fearing for her own safety, the girl did as she was told but the fire wood that had been gathered was wet from a recent downpour. It spat burning hot sparks at the girl as she tried to lay fresh wood onto the pile.
Ever resourceful, the young girl put on the Oni mask in order to protect her face from the sparks. The men looked up and were greeted by the sight of a terrifying Oni with steam coming from its head. The Oni looked back menacingly through the simmering glare of the flames.
Without hesitation, the men leapt to their feet and ran off into the woods without stopping to collect their gambling money.
Despite how badly she had been treated by the cowardly group of men, the young girl felt guilty about what had happened. She sat for several hours waiting for them to return for their money and possessions. She was desperate though to get back to her mother, so eventually she scooped up the money and carried with her on her journey home.
When she finally returned home, she found that her Mother was alive and that her condition had actually improved somewhat while she had been away. On reflection, the girl decided that she deserved to keep the money after the way she had been treated by both her co-workers and the cowardly gamblers. She chose not to return back to work and with the money, she was able to stay at home and care for her mother.
The Oni Mask is a relatively rare example of a Japanese mythical fairytale having a “Happily ever after” ending. If you like reading about Oni, you might enjoy our recent article inspired by a large Bronze Okimono of a Giant Oni by the Miyao Company. You can read that by Clicking Here or on the image below.
You can actually read over 100 articles and stories inspired by our collection of Chinese and Japanese Fine Art and Antiques by Clicking Here.
