Less than Gods?

Gods and Yokai in the Ushioni of Kikuma, Ehime Prefecture

Abstract

This paper attempts to reconsider the distinction between kami （gods） and yokai （demonical beings） by referring to a case study of the ushioni （cattle demon） of Kikuma, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. In an official statement, the ushioni is not an object of worship but an outrider for the procession of the portable shrine of the local Shinto shrine’s annual festival. However, in practice, it is difficult to explain the role the ushioni plays in the festival in terms of the outrider function, for the reason that there are quite few occasions in which the ushioni leads the portable shrine in actual processions. Indeed, god-like function is attributed to the ushioni in some occasions during the festival, and the ushioni itself behaves as if it were a god. In addition, the real motivation for the local people to bring the ushioni to the festival site is their fear of disaster anticipated to occur when the ushioni procession stops rather than its outrider function.