Onmoraki
Onmoraki
Onmoraki (陰摩羅鬼 – Shadow Demon) is a type of Yōkai depicted in the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki by Toriyama Sekien. This particular creature is said to take the appearance of a crane with a black body and glowing eyes. When it flaps its wings it is known to give out a startling cry.
Additionally, Buddhist beliefs say that this creature can appear after a dead corpse transforms into the Onmoraki.
A story relating to this belief can be found in the Qing Zun Lu, or the Seisonroku as it is known in Japanese. The stories goes that a man by the name of Sai Shifuku is awakened in his temple one night by a strange beast who chases him. However, the creature disappears when he looks back over his shouder. Other local monks blame this creatures appearance on the dead corpse within their temple.
Later Shifuku goes to the Capital to tell his tale, and a Shramana Monk at another temple called Kaihō temple says that corpses can transfrom into the creature known as the Onmoraki.1
External Links
- View the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki online here: Konjaku Online.
Footnotes
1. Yoda, H. and Alt, M. (2016) “Japandemonium: Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopaedia of Toriyama Sekien.”. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
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