Ushi-oni

Japanese: 牛鬼 - うしおに

〘Noun〙① A monster in the shape of a cow. It mainly refers to the Gozu , a prison guard of hell, and other monsters with a cow's head. ※Makura (end of the 10th century) 153 "Ikisudama. <abbreviated> Ushio-ni. Wakiri. More terrifying to see than its name."② In Shimane Prefecture, it refers to a sea monster. In Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, and Tosa District, Kochi Prefecture, it refers to a monster that lives in the pools of rivers. ※Essays: Various Different Theories (1748) 4 "There is a thing called Ushi-oni in a place called Izumo Province. <abbreviated> When it rains continuously and the humidity is high, you can meet Ushi-oni around this bridge at night."③ A large procession of a sacred beast that often appears in autumn festivals in the Uwajima region of Ehime Prefecture. It has a long neck with a demon head with horns like a cow, a body that is five or six meters long, and a tail shaped like a sword. It is also called Ushounin or Buyare. [Etymology] (1) It may have come from the "Gozu" (a bull 's head) of the hellish prison guards that appear in "Daichido-ron - 16" and "Ojoyoshu - vol. 1". "Gozu" has the head of a bull and the body of a doll, and the "Ushi-oni" (cow demon) that appears in classical works is thought to be similar to this.
(2) In the "Konjaku-17" from the end of the Heian period, a "cow - headed demon" appears. Meanwhile, the "ushi-oni" found in local legends all over Japan has a two-headed or one-horned demon and a cow-shaped body.

Gyu-ki- giu... [Ushi-oni]

〘Noun〙 A monster in the shape of a cow. Ushi-oni. ※Kanazoshi, Tokaido Meisho-ki (around 1659-61) 1 "It is said that in the past, a cow demon appeared from this place and ran around." [Du Mu - Preface to Li He's poem]

Source: The Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary About the Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary Information

Japanese:

〘名〙① 牛の形をした妖怪。主として、地獄の獄卒である牛頭(ごず)や、牛の頭を持った怪物などのこと。※枕（１０Ｃ終）一五三「いきすだま。〈略〉うしおに。いかり。名よりも見るはおそろし」② 島根県で海の妖怪をいう。和歌山県西牟婁郡、高知県土佐郡などでは川の淵に住む妖怪をいう。※随筆・異説まちまち（1748）四「牛鬼といふもの、出雲の国にてといふ所に有。〈略〉雨降りつづき湿気など深き時は、夜此橋の辺りにて牛鬼に逢ふ也」③ 愛媛県宇和島地方の、多く秋の祭礼に出る霊獣の大きな練り物。長い首の上に牛のような角を生やした鬼の頭を据え、長さ五、六メートルの胴体に剣をかたどった尾がついている。ウショウニン、ブーヤレなどともいわれる。[語誌](1)「大智度論‐一六」、「往生要集‐上」等に見える地獄の獄卒「牛頭(ごず)」からきたものか。「牛頭」の姿形は頭部は牛、胴体は人形であり、古典作品に現われる「牛鬼」もこれに準じると思われる。
(2)平安朝末の「今昔‐一七」には「牛の頭(かしら)なる鬼」が登場する。一方、日本各地に見られる地方伝説中の「牛鬼」は、頭部が二本または一本角の鬼、胴体が牛形になっている。