Onibaba: The terrifying Ba Be monster in Japanese legend

In ancient culture or literature, we cannot help but know about Ba Bi in the saying: "Ba Bi, nine handles, twelve eyes, specializes in catching children". However, do you know that there is also "Mrs. Ba Be" in the world, and they are also very famous?

Yes, the most famous person here is probably the witch Baba Yaga. But we won't talk about her here today. The person mentioned today is a Japanese demon, a demon worthy of the title "Ba Bei" along with Ubume - Onibaba.

Onibaba (Demon Lady), also known as Kurozuka, is a youkai that looks like a normal old Japanese woman, but is unkempt, crazy, has messy hair, and often carries a kitchen knife. This monster has many names, but the rules of action are always the same: a wrinkled old woman on the street performs the gruesome task of collecting the livers of unborn children.

Do you still remember Hashi Hime in the previous article? Yes, like the Bridge Princess, Onibaba was once an ordinary woman who, due to misfortune and madness, turned into a youkai. For generations, it haunted the mountains of Fukushima Prefecture, claiming the lives of countless travelers. Its story is as tragic as the fate of those who cross its path.

The story goes that, once upon a time, a rich family in Kyoto gave birth to a baby girl. She never asked for anything, but on the other hand, by the time she turned five, that perfectly happy and healthy child had not let out a single cry or sound. The girl's parents searched everywhere for doctors but to no avail.

Finally, they met a famous fortune teller and asked him to look into their daughter's case. After reading the horoscope for a while, he immediately proposed a terrible treatment method: feeding the girl the fresh liver of a living fetus. But of course, they were far from doing it themselves, so they assigned the gruesome task to someone else.

The girl's nanny, who also had a daughter about the same age, was "assigned" to the unpleasant task of finding a liver. Knowing that the journey ahead would be long and dark, she left her daughter an o-mamori (good luck talisman), and went alone into the countryside.

For weeks and months, she searched for a woman willing to give up her unborn child. Finally, she reached a remote mountainous area called Adachigahara. She decided to stay and wait, taking a small cave as a temporary shelter. But unfortunately, many years passed before fate brought her a lonely pregnant traveler.

Too eager to complete the task, the now old nanny jumped forward and, without hesitation, attacked the young woman with a knife hidden in her hand. It wasn't until after she had taken the gruesome booty from the woman's stomach that she realized: the victim was wearing nothing more than the same good luck charm that she had given to her daughter many years ago.

Realizing the crime she had committed, she went crazy and became a youkai - a unique youkai.

The tragic tale of Onibaba, born out of desperation and unfathomable choices, serves as a potent reminder of the consequences of our actions. The transformation from a caring nanny to a malevolent youkai encapsulates the profound sense of remorse and horror that can result from the pursuit of dark deeds.

Haunted by her own heinous actions, Onibaba was forever marked by the trauma of her past. The realization that her victim bore the same good luck charm she had given to her own daughter many years ago was a cruel twist of fate that further shattered her sanity. This singular act of brutality forever bound her to the realm of the supernatural.

As the years passed, Onibaba roamed the desolate mountains of Fukushima Prefecture, preying upon unsuspecting travelers, driven by an insatiable hunger for the livers of unborn children. Her unkempt appearance and wild demeanor struck fear into the hearts of those who crossed her path, and her name became synonymous with terror.

But beneath the veneer of this monstrous youkai lies a profound tragedy. Onibaba's story is a poignant reminder of the fragile line between humanity and monstrosity. Her transformation was not of her own choosing but a result of the unforgiving circumstances that pushed her to commit unthinkable acts.

In the end, the legend of Onibaba urges us to reflect on the choices we make and the impact they have on our lives and the lives of others. It serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of our actions and the depths to which despair can lead. Onibaba, the Demon Lady, is a symbol of the enduring power of folklore to explore the darkest corners of the human psyche and the enduring legacy of choices made in desperation. Her story lingers as a somber reminder that even in the realm of the supernatural, there is often a very human tragedy at its core.