The head of a demon enshrined in Gifu Prefecture [Considerations]

------Until now↓--------

The head of a demon enshrined in Gifu Prefecture [Part 1]( http://youkaiya.jp/youkai-ch/?p=1006 )

The head of a demon enshrined in Gifu Prefecture [Part 2]】 ( http://youkaiya.jp/youkai-ch/?p=1034 )

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The recent changes in atmospheric pressure have been making my emotions very volatile. I'm so sensitive to changes in atmospheric pressure, yet I have no psychic sense at all... Things aren't going well in this world.

Today I would like to write a review of my previous article on Oni no Kubi. I think it will be hard to understand for those who haven't seen my previous articles, so I have provided links to each article at the top.

Located in Gifu PrefectureA shrine where you can see the demon's head,The legend behind itIf you are interested, please take a look.

Well, the legend surrounding the "Saru-Tora-Hebi" that was told to me by the site owner, Yokai-ya-san, in the previous article is as follows.

(External Sites: http://www.bunka.pref.mie.lg.jp/saiku/senwa/journal.asp?record=395 )

The demon legend in the "Takagamiya Records," which can be interpreted as the origin of the "Saru-Tora-Hebi," is about a demon from Gifu prefecture that Takamitsu defeated... Although there are some differences, it certainly bears a strong resemblance to the legend of the demon's head.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, I would like to summarize the information about Oni no Neck that has been released so far, as well as the newly discovered information, and write down my speculations.For convenience, the legend recorded in the Takaga Palace will be called the "Demon Legend," and the one handed down at Nenkoji Temple will be called the "Demon Head Legend."

The legend of the demon was recorded in the "Takagamiya Records" written in 1186. Although the records have been revised several times since then, all additions are written at the bottom, so fundamental tampering is basically impossible.

・As far as I can tell, until recent years the only record of the origin of the demon's head legend was within the temple.

・The legend of the demon and the legend of the demon's head are very similar in terms of the location and the monsters that appear, so they are probably the same legend. (If they were different legends, Takamitsu would have come to Gifu twice to defeat similar demons.)

・According to Takamitsu's legends, it was a large demon measuring about 3 meters, but the actual demon's neck was unexpectedly small, resembling a human skull.(Captain Tsubasa body type?)

- As far as we can tell, the character Kayagawa Tarouemon who appears in the legends only appears in the legend of the Oni no Kubi, and does not appear in any other historical records.

- There is no explanation whatsoever as to why the head of a demon that was defeated during the Heian period was dedicated during the Edo period.

Based on the above, I have come up with a hypothesis.

The true identity of the demon's head at Nenkoji Temple is,
The bones of a man killed by a man calling himself Kayagawa Tarouemonis.

The story probably goes like this: A man killed someone for some reason, and perhaps to prevent wild dogs from digging up the body if he had buried it carelessly, or perhaps out of guilt, he decided to donate the bones to a shrine.

However, if he offered the body as is, his crimes would be revealed, so he quoted a demon legend from Gifu Prefecture and attached horns to the skull of the corpse to make it into the head of a demon.

He then introduced himself as Kayukawa Tarouemon, a descendant of Fujiwara Takamitsu, and successfully destroyed the evidence.

There are subtle differences between Terauchi's records and the legends because the man only knew vague information that had spread among the people. The mysterious behavior that transcends time and the fact that the demon's head is smaller than in the legend are because it is a human bone.

It will probably never be clear whether I am a third-rate scriptwriter who made up a plausible story or the one who revealed the truth behind the Oni no Kubiki legend. However, as one opinion, I think it is permissible to leave a theory full of holes on the Internet...

(External citation URL: Saiku History Museum)
(Image: Hyakki Yako Emaki)