Ōtsu-e of Oni Reciting Buddhist Prayers (Ōtsu-e no oni no nenbutsu) – Kawanabe Kyōsai

A demon disguised as a monk… but nobody is fooled. In this print, Kawanabe Kyōsai portrays a red oni dressed in a black Buddhist robe, going from door to door to collect alms. A gong hangs at his chest, he holds a T-shaped striker in one hand and, in the other, a donation book marked hōgachō, the register in which temples recorded offerings. An umbrella is slung across his back, like a wandering monk on the road. But his bushy hair, his little yellow horns, his fangs, his claws and the tiger-skin leggings of the oni give him away at a glance.

Kyōsai draws him with obvious delight: the energetic brushstrokes of the robe, the hairy hands and feet, and above all that face torn between piety and mischief, with rolling eyes and a toothy grin. The bold signature and large red seals at the right add to the vigour of the composition.

The oni no nenbutsu, star of Ōtsu-e

Ōtsu-e were folk pictures sold to travellers in the town of Ōtsu, on the Tōkaidō road near Lake Biwa, from the 17th century onwards. Quickly painted and cheap, they featured a repertoire of familiar figures, and the demon reciting the nenbutsu (the prayer to the Buddha Amida) was the most famous of all. It mocks the hypocrite who pretends to be pious, and was also hung in homes as a charm, said to stop babies crying at night. Kyōsai, who loved popular imagery, revisits this classic with his own humour. Learn more about these demons in our guide to Japanese yokai.

• Artist: Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831-1889)
• Date: 19th century
• Technique: woodblock print
• Format: vertical
• Theme: oni, Japanese demon, Ōtsu-e, Buddhism, humour

A funny, characterful print for a hallway, a study or a lover of Japanese folklore. Pair it with Kyōsai’s The Long-Tailed Demon or Hokusai’s The Laughing Demoness, and discover more demons in our yokai print collection.