Oni Guardians of the Futasegawa Valley Entrance

The image features two brightly colored anthropomorphic oni figures standing on pedestals on opposite sides of a paved road that leads into a dense forest. The oni on the left is red with a wild-haired blue topknot, wearing a yellow tiger-print loincloth and holding a metal staff in its right hand while raising its left hand in a gesture. The oni on the right is blue with red hair, also wearing a tiger-print loincloth, and holds a staff in its left hand while balancing a shallow red bowl on its raised right palm. Between them, signage indicates the path to the Futasegawa Valley and the Shindōji Bridge.

These statues represent the modern, localized adaptation of Japanese folklore, where oni are often employed as protective markers for shrines, bridges, or natural sites. The location, Ōe-chō, is famously associated with the legend of Shuten-dōji, a powerful oni king said to have resided in the nearby Mount Ōe region.