Page:The Mythology of All Races Vol 8 (Chinese and Japanese).djvu/368

282 celestial or angelic beings, we have already spoken. These heavens are not to be mistaken for paradises, because their celestial inhabitants are subject to change and decay. Next comes mankind, whose inferior souls become in turn the hungry ghosts (Japanese Gaki, Sanskrit Preta). Some of these ghosts are merely tormented by perpetual hunger and thirst, but some others are vengeful spirits who roam about the world and do evil to those whom they have cause to hate, or even to quite innocent persons. The next class are the Asura, or furious spirits, cruel and arrogant, and much more powerful than ordinary ghosts. These are usually the reborn personalities of those who died in battle; eager for revenge they hover in the sky, fighting among themselves, or attacking those human beings who were their enemies. The lowest order of existence is found in the infernal regions (Naraka). The spirits born in this dark place appear rarely in the world; but the devil, or Oni, who inhabits the hells plays a considerable part in popular folk-lore.

The Oni range from the giant who may devour the whole world, through ogres and vampires, to the little goblin-like mischief-makers. But the Japanese usually think of an Oni as an ugly and hideous devil, who comes up from the infernal regions, to drag down sinners to the hells, to punish wicked men who are still alive, or to terrify men of bad disposition. His body varies as to its colour; it may be blue, pink, or grey; his face is flat, his wide mouth stretches from ear to ear. On his head grow horns; he has often a third eye on his forehead; his feet have three toes with pointed nails, and his fingers are also three in number. He is nearly naked and his loin-cloth is made of the skin of a tiger. He can walk about the world or fly through the air. In his right hand he often carries a big iron rod furnished with sharp spikes.