Oni Nenbutsu or “Demon Chanting Buddhist Prayers”, is a character popularized by simple folk paintings called Ōtsu-e, or “Ōtsu pictures,” from the town of Ōtsu outside of Kyoto.  They were sold as protective talismans to travelers and religious pilgrims passing through the town.

Dressed as an itinerant monk with billowing sleeves, this praying oni carries a gong around his neck, a striker (now missing) in one hand and a donor registry in the other hand and seeks contributions for the upkeep of his temple. The playful contradiction of a demon masquerading as a Buddhist monk would have amused the townspeople in the increasingly secularized urban culture of the Edo period (1615-1868). Is this sculpture mocking man’s hypocritical nature, or marveling that even a demon can be converted to Buddhism?

Toward the 19th century, “chanting oni” became the most recognizable of the Ōtsu-e folk characters who were represented in popular art and literature.  Large sculptures of this figure are unusual, indicating that he may have originally been placed in a temple or used as a signpost for advertising Ōtsu-e.