Onikirimaru – Legendary Japanese Yokai Sword Orthographic Reference

Folklore Episode – Onikirimaru

Onikirimaru is one of the earliest demon-slaying blades in Japanese folklore.
It is closely associated with Minamoto no Yorimitsu, the legendary warrior who led expeditions against monstrous oni during the Heian period.

In the most well-known tale, Yorimitsu and his retainers were commanded to eliminate Shuten-dōji, a fearsome demon lord who dwelled on Mount Ōe and terrorized the capital.
Although Dojikiri Yasutsuna is often credited with delivering the final blow, Onikirimaru appears in earlier cycles of oni-slaying legends as a sacred blade used in preparatory battles and protective rites.

The sword was believed to possess spiritual authority rather than brute destructive power.
It symbolized the legitimacy of the warrior’s mission — a divine sanction to cross the boundary between the human world and the realm of monsters.

Because of this, Onikirimaru became more than a weapon.
It represented the moment when folklore framed evil not merely as a physical threat, but as a spiritual imbalance that required ritual as much as steel.