Shuten-Douji

the first oni, and their rightful king. over a thousand years ago, shuten-dōji was born a demon child, the bastard son of a human woman and a fearsome astral demon. despite his superior strength and wit over his peers at a remarkably young age, he was always a ruthless problem child. he quickly grew bored with the lack of challenge life had to offer to him as a child, and grew uncaring towards other living beings. young shuten was insatiable, and quickly turned to all virtuous beings would forbid. crime, drink, women. it was at a festival that his reputation as a demon child came to fruitition, as in a drunken fit, the oni mask he had worn that night simply refused to come off his face. thus, shuten was branded the first true oni. 

shuten was forcefully exiled to Mt. Ooe, where his resentment came to mutate him further. it was when he met his to-be wife, ibaraki-dōji, on that very same mountain, that he decided to wreak a little more havoc than before. the two spent their time on the mountain practicing dark magic amongst each other, until one day, lightning curiously struck them both, and bound their fates. ibaraki’s entire body was scarred a pigmentless white, shuten’s body charred a deep black. their curious new skin colors effectively became their own personas, the black and white oni. when inaraki too grew her horns after this event, the two reached a hypothesis: could they make more oni in this way?

they pleaded for a pact with raijin, but the rotten pair was violently denied by the heavens. a bigger desire for vengeance than before was gained, and instead, they chose to seek out other powerful allies. the heian period was their finest, where they forged alliances with grand, fearsome figures in the yōkai world, and reigned terror over the surroundings of Mt. Ooe. In truth, their army was never truly defeated, a bitter memory in the history of Japan - they merely retreated upon the disfigurement of shuten’s beloved wife. 

upon retreating to onigashima, they once again attempted a pact with raijin, one the god begrudgingly granted. while many oni have sprung forth as their descendants and the odd thundrous transformation, the island was small in population, and were japan to ever retaliate, they would need a large army. it was then that the oni’s culture blossomed, and were no longer a band of thugs, but rather an honorable population of warriors. 

onigashima was peaceful, up until new wars surfaced in the kamakura period, this time concerning the unethical extermination of yōkai on the mainland. when approached by nakanishi kazue, the prideful king refused to acknowledge this strange human’s request for aid, unless he impressed him in battle. it was then both he and his wife suffered a crushing defeat by the strange man’s hand, that he begrudgingly had to agree to assist.

centuries have passed, and onigashima once again knows peace. the eternal powerhouse king hardly knows what to do with himself, as the lack of war forces him into the same lethargy as many other great legendary figures. thankfully, by now he has matured plenty, and no longer feels the same childish rebellion he had in his younger years — and all would agree that’s for the best. still, despite his significant mellowing, and his undeniable switch from the side of chaos to justice, do not think for even a minute that he has gone soft.