[shadow eater] Gyuki [Yokai Encyclopedia]

 Name and Kanji

The name is "Ushioni" or "Gyuki".

Written in kanji, it is "牛鬼".

"牛（Ushi）" means cow and "鬼（oni）" means demon.

Ibaraki Doji stole the lead role

In "Taiheiki", a bull demon appears in the story of Watanabe no  Tsuna （渡辺綱）, a retainer of Minamoto no Raiko（源頼光), who has his arm cut off by Tsuna Watanabe, and comes in the guise of Raiko's mother to get it back. However, this story was later taken over by Ibaraki-doji, who is said to have been a retainer of Shuten-doji, and became the story that made Ibaraki-doji famous.

What cattle demons do varies from region to region

Later, the bull demon came to be passed down as a folk tale. In this case, they often appear in places where there is water, such as pools, waterfalls, and the sea.

①Shimane Prefecture

It appears from the sea and uses a specter called a Nureonna as a scout.

Nureonna is a woman with a baby in her arms who asks people she meets on the beach to carry her baby.

If you hold the baby accordingly, the baby becomes a heavy stone and sucks on your hand.

Then, when they are unable to move, they are poked and killed by a bull demon that comes out of the sea.

The way to deal with them will be explained together in the next issue of 'Nuneonna', but these Gyuuki is not that fast on their feet. So if you can run, you can escape.

②Wakayama Prefecture

When the Gyuuki of Kumano meet people in the mountains, they stare at them and do not leave. The person then dies of exhaustion. This is called being  "The shadow is swallowed " .

It is said that the best way to deal with this is to say the opposite: "Stones will flow, leaves will sink, cows will cry and horses will roar.

③ Kyoto Prefecture

One person was fishing at night in Kumihama Bay, and someone called him from the other side of the river, but when he got his boat to shore, there was no one there.

The man heard a voice calling him from the original spot, so he went ashore and followed the voice, but the voice kept getting further and further away, so he gave up and returned to the boat, only to find that all the fish he had caught had been taken.

The person also tried to return but got lost and could not return to his boathouse for a long time.

This is called "being followed by Gyuki".

The appearance also varies from region to region

The following is a summary of the appearance of Gyuki in the stories from the above areas.

①Shimane Prefecture

They look like cows, but they differ from ordinary cows in that they have only one large eye on their forehead.

Also, in Izumo, it is said to be a glowing white butterfly-like object that appears around bridges and clings to the bodies of passersby when it rains continuously and humidity is high!

②Wakayama Prefecture

They have a body like a cat and a tail as long as one length (about 3.3 meters), and their body is as soft as a ball, so they do not make footsteps when they walk.

③ Kyoto Prefecture

Unknown, as it is not visible.

summary

・The famous tale's starring role has been stolen by Ibaraki Doji.

・Often live near water

・Gyuki try to kill people in various forms and ways.