Oni Statue at Busshō-ji, Ōe-chō

The sculpture depicts a blue-skinned, anthropomorphic oni with spiky yellow hair and two upward-curving horns, viewed from behind. It wears tiger-print loincloths and is positioned on a concrete pedestal next to an asphalt road that curves through a lush, forested mountain valley. The figure holds a black, studded iron staff in its right hand and a small blue bowl in its left, while looking out toward the mountainside.

This statue relates to the rich folklore of Ōe-chō, Fukuchiyama, which is famously associated with the legend of Shuten-dōji, a powerful oni king said to have resided in the nearby Mount Ōe. The placement of such statues serves as both a cultural marker for this regional narrative and a guardian figure common to Buddhist-influenced local tradition.