Shuten-dōji 酒呑童子

Shuten-dōji (酒呑童子), the “Sake-Drinking Boy,” is the most powerful and infamous demon in Japanese history—the king of the Oni who ruled a fortress of monsters on Mount Ōe and terrorized the ancient capital of Kyoto.

Meaning and Origin

The name Shuten (酒呑) means “Sake-Drinking” and Dōji (童子) means “Boy” or “Child.”

His origin is a mixture of tragic humanity and monstrous destiny. One version says he was born as a human child with extraordinary strength and a violent temper. He was sent to a temple to become a monk, but on the night of a festival, he put on a demon mask as a prank. The mask fused to his skin, and his internal rage transformed his body until he became a true Oni. He fled to Mount Ōe, where he gathered a legion of demons and built a palace of iron and blood. He represents Chaos and Untamed Power, the ultimate threat to the civilization of the Heian court.

Characteristics

Shuten-dōji is described as a giant over fifteen feet tall, with a body as red as a setting sun and five horns protruding from his head. He had fifteen eyes—some gold, some silver—and a mouth filled with fangs that could crush stone.

His defining characteristic is his Addiction to Sake. He was said to consume hundreds of gallons of the strongest rice wine every night, yet he never appeared drunk—only more fierce. In his palace, he sat on a throne made of bones, surrounded by stolen treasures and abducted noblewomen. He possessed the strength of ten thousand men and could summon storms of black fire to destroy anyone who dared enter his mountain domain.

Legends

The most famous legend is the “Extermination of the Demon King” by the hero Minamoto no Raikō. The Emperor, desperate to end Shuten-dōji’s raids, sent Raikō and his “Four Heavenly Kings” to the mountain. Disguised as humble mountain priests, the warriors gained entry to the demon’s palace.

Raikō offered Shuten-dōji a gift of “Divine Sake” (Shinben Kidoku-shu), which was actually a magical poison. The demon king, charmed by the warriors’ apparent piety, drank the wine and fell into an enchanted sleep. Raikō then drew his legendary sword, Dōjigiri Yasutsuna, and beheaded the monster. Even after his head was severed, it flew through the air and tried to bite Raikō’s skull, only failing because of the hero’s multiple helmets. Shuten-dōji is remembered as one of the “Great Three” evil Yokai of Japan, a king of monsters whose shadow still looms over the mountains of Kyoto.