In the Ibuki Dōji tradition from the Otogi-zōshi, Shuten-dōji was born on Mount Ibuki from the lingering spirit of Yamata no Orochi after the serpent was slain by Susanoo. The demon king inherited the great serpent's malice and supernatural power.
Shuten-dōji was Minamoto no Yorimitsu's greatest adversary. The demon king of Mount Ōe terrorized the capital until Yorimitsu tricked him with divine poisoned sake and beheaded him — the most celebrated demon-slaying tale in Japanese folklore.
The Yorimitsu Shitennō were assembled specifically to destroy Shuten-dōji, the demon king of Mount Ōe who had been abducting the women of the capital. Their infiltration and slaying of the oni lord is the central episode of the band's legend.
Minamoto no Yorimitsu and his Shitennō retainers slew Shuten-dōji on Mount Ōe by tricking the oni king with poisoned sake and beheading him in his stupor.
Ibaraki-dōji served as Shuten-dōji's chief lieutenant, carrying out raids from Mount Ōe and terrorizing Kyōto at the Rashōmon gate under the demon king's command.
Shuten-dōji and his oni band occupied Mount Ōe as their stronghold, using it as a base to raid Kyōto and abduct noble women, until Minamoto no Yorimitsu's expedition destroyed them there.
Hachiman, Kumano Gongen, and Sumiyoshi Myōjin disguised themselves as elderly men and provided Shuten-dōji with divine poisoned sake (shinben kidoku-shu) on the road to Mount Ōe, enabling Yorimitsu's band to subdue the demon king.
Abe no Seimei performed the divination that located Shuten-dōji's fortress on Mount Ōe and determined the auspicious timing for the expedition. His onmyōdō arts guided Minamoto no Yorimitsu's warriors to the demon king.
Higekiri cleaved through the neck of Shuten-dōji on Mount Ōe, and from that night the blade bore a new name — Onikiri, the Demon Cutter — stained with the blood of the greatest oni ever slain.
⚠ Heike Monogatari (Tsurugi no Maki) attributes the Onikiri renaming to the Shuten-dōji slaying, while some retellings link it to Watanabe no Tsuna's severing of Ibaraki-dōji's arm at Rashōmon.
Mount Ibuki is the birthplace of Shuten-dōji in the Ibuki Dōji tradition. The mountain harbored the lingering spirit of Yamata no Orochi, and Shuten-dōji was born there before eventually migrating to Mount Ōe.
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