Onigashima- Japanese LocationLocation · Landmark"Island of the Demons"
Also known as: 鬼が島 and 鬼ヶ島
Description
A fortress island across the sea where oni hoard stolen gold and silver, raiding the mainland at will. Then a boy born from a peach recruited a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant, crossed the waves, and broke down the gate.
Mythology & Lore
The Island
Onigashima sits somewhere across the sea, ringed by cliffs and rough water. The oni built their fortress there and filled it with plunder from the mainland: gold and silk carried off in raids on coastal villages. From behind its walls, the oni chief sent his raiders out and waited for them to return loaded. No army from the mainland had ever crossed the water to stop them.
The Assault
An elderly couple found a giant peach floating in the river. Inside was a boy. They raised him and called him Momotarō. He grew strong. When he was old enough, he told his parents he was going to Onigashima to take back what the oni had stolen.
He carried kibi dango, millet dumplings, and on the road he met a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant. Each joined him for a share of the dumplings. The four of them crossed the sea.
At the island, the pheasant flew over the walls and the monkey climbed them while Momotarō and the dog broke through the gate. The oni fought back. Momotarō beat the chief in single combat, and the rest threw down their weapons and begged for mercy. They swore to stop raiding. Momotarō loaded the treasure onto his boat and brought it home to his parents.