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Ouni
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Ouni
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"Ouni" (苧うに) from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Toriyama Sekien
"Wauwau" (わうわう) from the Hyakkai Zukan by Sawaki Suushi
Wauwau (わうわう) from Bakemono no e (化物之繪, c. 1700), Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.

The ouni (苧うに) is a yōkai depicted in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Toriyama Sekien.

It is a yōkai with a face like that of a demon woman (kijo) torn from mouth to ear, and its entire body is covered in hair. There is no explanatory text from Sekien, so it is unclear what kind of yōkai this is.[1][2] The "o" (苧) in "ouni" refers to the ramie plant or to bundles of string made from ramie, hemp, among others, so it is said that Sekien gave it the name "ouni" because it conjures up the image of a yōkai with head and body hair made of layers of this "o".[3]

In the Hyakkai Zukan (1737, Sawaki Suushi), a yōkai emaki from the Edo period, it is given by the name "wauwau", and Edo period yōkai emaki would usually present it under that name. However, these presentations consisted of pictures, so it is not known what characteristics they had.[clarification needed] In another instance, there is a drawing in the Hyakki Yagyō Emaki (Oda Gōchō, 1832) from after Sekien's era where it is depicted under the title of "uwan uwan",[3] and it is thought that likewise the ouni is a yōkai that Sekien drew while referring to earlier emaki.

Explanatory text starting in Heisei

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There are no folk legends or records that are clearly about the ouni (or the "wauwau" based on Sekien's), so it is presently not clear what kind of yōkai they were intending to depict, but starting in the Heisei period, inferring from how there are many tales that seem highly related to the previous "o" and the yamauba, there have started to be many illustrated references, books, and other publications that suppose that these are yamauba who assisted in the making of threads and were taken in under the name "ouni",[4] which would mean that the ouni is a type of yamauba.[2][5] There are many areas with tales about yamauba who would make threads from o (苧), but the following example is from Kotaki, Nishikubiki, Echigo Province (now Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture).

There was a gathering of women who were spinning some bundles of strings with hemp, when a yamauba appeared and said "I'll also spin some" and started to help along. The yamauba bit the hemp and drew out strings and then spun bundles of string at a speed unbelievable for humans. After finishing the assistance, the yamauba left the house. The women tried to follow, but the yamauba abruptly disappeared.[2]

Before the proliferation of the idea that yamauba were related, they were often given the explanation that they would attack and eat people who come for a drink at a mountain stream.[6] This can be said to be due to the picture drawn by Sekien.

Notes

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Ouni

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Ouni (苧うに) is a , or supernatural creature, from , depicted as a haggard, elderly woman with an angry expression, a split from ear to ear, and a body entirely covered in long, black hair, resembling a type of mountain witch known as a . First illustrated in the 1776 emakimono Gazu Hyakki Yagyō (The Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons) by artist Toriyama Sekien, Ouni's name derives from "ouni," referring to the fibrous ramie plant, due to her shaggy, plant-like appearance. She inhabits remote mountain regions and is considered one of the more benevolent yamauba, lacking the malevolent traits of her kin, such as cannibalism or deception of travelers. Alternative names for her include "wauwau," possibly evoking the sound of her movements or cries in the wilderness. Despite her fearsome visage, Ouni embodies elements of rural tied to the natural world, symbolizing the untamed aspects of mountainous isolation in Edo-period . Her portrayal highlights the blend of terror and familiarity in lore, where humanoid monsters often reflect human fears of the unknown wilderness.

Name and Etymology

Etymology

The name Ouni derives from the Japanese word o (苧), referring to —a fibrous plant processed into —or bundles of fibers, a tied to the yokai's depiction with long, tangled hair resembling spun threads. This etymological link emphasizes the creature's fibrous, string-like tresses, which evoke the texture of bundles in Toriyama Sekien's illustrations. In Edo-period , o served as a key material for spinning and , especially in rural textile production where and were harvested, stripped, and twisted into durable threads for and household goods. Such practices were widespread, with favored for its strength and breathability in the humid climate, appearing frequently in period literature and economic records on domestic crafts. Original sources, including Toriyama Sekien's (1776), present the name phonetically in hiragana as ouni without assigned , relying on visual and auditory cues for identification in these illustrated yokai compendia. Later interpretations retroactively applied the 苧うに to clarify the association, though Sekien provided no explicit caption or explanation in his work.

Alternative Names

Ouni appears under variant names in Edo-period yōkai illustrations, often reflecting phonetic or onomatopoeic interpretations. In Sawaki Suushi's (1737), the creature is depicted and labeled as "wauwau," a term possibly reflecting phonetic or onomatopoeic origins. Another variant, "uwan uwan," is used in the Emaki (1832) by Oda Gōchō.

Appearance and Depictions

Physical Characteristics

Ouni is classified as a type of , or mountain hag, typically portrayed as an elderly, ugly female figure in . Its face resembles that of a kijo, or demonic woman, featuring a mouth torn from ear to ear that conveys a fierce, unnatural expression. The creature's entire body is covered in long, black hair, which appears tangled like fibers or strings, evoking the texture of plant material—a connection reflected in its name.

Artistic Representations

The earliest artistic representation of Ouni is found in Sawaki Suushi's (1737), a depicting a supernatural , where it appears as "Wau-wau," portrayed as a shaggy, demonic woman with a mouth torn from ear to ear and a body enveloped in thick, unkempt hair, suggesting eerie vocalizations through its onomatopoeic label. Toriyama Sekien's influential Gazu Hyakki Yagyō (1776), the inaugural volume in his series of illustrated books, presents the first named depiction of Ouni as a hairy, mountain hag-like figure integrated into the nocturnal parade of demons, with exaggerated, fiber-like strands of hair evoking bundles and a torn mouth emphasizing its menacing presence amid the procession. A later variation occurs in Oda Gōchō's Emaki (1832), a painted of the demon parade, rendering the entity as "Uwan-uwan" with similar hairy coverage and a gaping, ear-to-ear mouth, heightening its haunting, sound-evoking aura through the repetitive name while placing it in a dynamic, eerie nighttime march. During the Meiji period (1868–1912) and into the , Ouni's image evolved in compendiums through reprints and new illustrations, often featuring simplified lines for mass printing or exaggerated hair and facial distortions to amplify its monstrous essence, while preserving the core traits of the torn mouth and hirsute form from earlier precedents.

Mythology and Interpretations

Traditional Accounts

Ouni is depicted in Toriyama Sekien's (1776), the first volume of his renowned illustrated series, but without any accompanying explanatory text or caption, rendering its behavior and origins deliberately ambiguous. This absence of description aligns with Sekien's stylistic approach in the work, which prioritizes visual representation over textual elaboration for many entries. As part of , titled "Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons," Ouni is portrayed among the procession of nocturnal , embodying a wandering spirit that joins the mythical parade through human realms under cover of darkness. The parade motif draws from earlier traditions of spectral gatherings, though Sekien's rendition focuses on cataloging diverse apparitions rather than detailing their interactions. Traditional Edo-period sources provide no documented folk legends, oral tales, or accounts of specific encounters involving Ouni, distinguishing it from more narratively rich . Instead, it functions as an illustrative entity within Sekien's , defined primarily by its visual depiction—a hairy, ogress-like form evoking a variant with a split to the ears and a coat of hair resembling tangled hemp fibers—without deeper mythological context.

Modern Explanations

In the Heisei period, scholars and authors reinterpreted Ouni as a benevolent variant of the , emphasizing her helpful nature rather than any inherent malevolence. She is described as a kind mountain hag who assists humans, particularly by spinning thread from at night for hospitable hosts, drawing on regional . A related example from in the Echigo region (modern ) involves a who joined women spinning fibers, producing thread at extraordinary speed, outpacing them and chiding their slowness before vanishing. This narrative has been linked to Ouni due to her hairy, fibrous appearance resembling unprocessed plants used in production, underscoring her association with traditional crafts and transforming her from a monstrous figure in Edo-period illustrations into a symbol of communal labor in rural settings. These interpretations collectively shift focus to Ouni's constructive role, aligning her with positive folk motifs of aid and efficiency in pre-modern Japanese society, often connecting her to depictions of domestic hags tied to weaving.

Cultural Impact

Role in Japanese Folklore

Ouni serves as a subtype of the yamauba, the mountain hags central to Japanese folklore, but distinguishes itself through benevolent traits that set it apart from more predatory counterparts like the onibaba or kurozuka, which are known for devouring travelers. Unlike these malevolent figures, Ouni is depicted as aiding kind rural households by spinning vast quantities of thread from ramie fibers overnight as repayment for lodging and food, embodying a helpful spirit tied to domestic labor in isolated mountain communities. This cooperative role highlights a nuanced variation within yōkai lore, where mountain spirits could transition from threats to allies depending on human hospitality. The figure of Ouni reflects broader Edo-period anxieties and cultural practices surrounding natural materials essential to rural economies, particularly the processing of and plants used for textiles and cordage. In agrarian , the labor-intensive of these fibers in swampy areas produced foul-smelling, peat-like residues, mirroring Ouni's haggard appearance and foul odor reminiscent of these rotting fibrous materials, symbolizing the eerie, transformative perils of resource extraction in . This connection underscores how yōkai narratives during the often anthropomorphized the hardships of fiber production, blending everyday fears of environmental decay with supernatural warnings about the mountains' unforgiving nature. While Ouni has a limited footprint in pre-modern oral traditions, it primarily emerged as an artistic invention popularized by the illustrator Toriyama Sekien in his 1776 work , where it was named using for ramie bundles to evoke its fibrous, thread-spinning essence. This depiction influenced subsequent classifications, integrating Ouni into the canon as a specialized mountain spirit and inspiring later interpretations that emphasize its utility in tasks. In modern , Ouni is occasionally reimagined as a spectral aide for spinners, reinforcing its legacy as a supportive amid evolving rural myths.

Appearances in Media

Contemporary yōkai encyclopedias continue to reference Ouni, often portraying it as a quintessential hairy spirit within horror and fantasy contexts. For instance, Matthew Meyer's Yokai.com database presents Ouni as an angry, hirsute hag inspired by Edo-period illustrations, serving as an entry point for exploring yamauba subtypes in popular culture. Similarly, the Complete Yokai Encyclopedia on Yokai.jp highlights its iconographic roots while noting modern interpretations that link it to folktales of fiber-spinning witches, positioning it as a symbol of untamed wilderness in genre fiction. As of 2025, Ouni remains obscure in broader media, with no major new appearances in anime, manga, or games. Direct appearances of Ouni in , , and video games remain rare, with its influence primarily manifesting through visual adaptations of Toriyama Sekien's original 1776 design from . These depictions, featuring a demon-woman with a split mouth and body shrouded in hemp-like hair, have inspired scattered illustrations in yōkai-themed art books and fantasy media, evoking horror elements without prominent narrative roles.
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