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Deimos-Remus — U is for Ushi-Oni
#alphabet #bestiary #bull #cow #crab #demon #folklore #japan #japanesemonster #myth #oni #ox #seamonster #spider #ushi #creature #creaturedesign #japanese #japanesemythology #monster #mythologicalcreature #mythology #ushioni
Published: 2015-06-21 22:21:25 +0000 UTC; Views: 32411; Favourites: 766; Downloads: 0
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Description
Name: Ushi-Oni (Ox Oni), GyukiArea of Origin: Japan
The Ushi-Oni is a demonic creature found in Japanese folklore. There are various kinds that share the same name, but with Ushi meaning Ox or Cow, all the monsters appear to have a horned bovine-like head. One of the most well known Ushi-Oni is a massive sea monster that resides off the coast of Shimane Prefecture and other areas in Western Japan. It attacks fishermen, and is depicted with a spider or crab-like body. They seem to be connected to another creature, a yokai called the Nure-onna, who sometimes appear before an Ushi-Oni attack. The Nure-onna trick victims into holding their "child" which is actually rather something else entirely. The "child" grows heavier and heavier, and while stuck to the victim's hands, heavily hinders any chance of escape. It is unknown whether the two creatures work in tandem on purpose or not.
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Comments: 40
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Well that's not entirely pants crapping terrifying or anything.
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Definitely an inspiration for this piece!
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Since when do they have claws? Nevermind, artistic interpretation
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Well, I mean, if they're part crab and part bull, I was thinking pincers/claws would come with the territory.
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There are three forms, spider form, cat form, and human form (think minotaur)
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Gotcha! I've seen the spider/crab one the most I think, hence why I decided to do that one.
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The Japanese certainly have created their own terrifying Kaiju even in their ancient past. This "Giant enemy Crab" is definitely no exception. And the thought of going about your business only to be suddenly attacked by this thing is chilling.
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For sure! They've certainly got the most eclectic and visually creative mythology out there!
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a bull headed spider crab from Japan, and a type of demon. That's a Daedra design if I ever saw one. Even the coloration looks like the same art style in the class selection screen of Oblivion. This is beautiful. I wonder if Okami will ever have one of these as an enemy, or if Godzilla would fight some.
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It does resemble them a bit!
Thanks! Godzilla fighting a giant one of these guys would be pretty awesome.
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This is so beautiful! I love how you made it into a crab. I also like the description because it really shows you know your stuff! Great job!
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Thanks a ton, much appreciated!
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For Christmas this year I received a large, coffee-table edition book entitled, "The Ultimate Encyclopedia Of Mythical Creatures" written by Colin Dempsey, black and white illustrations by Paul Collinson, and design and layout by Emmett Elvin. It is the 2010 edition by Metro Books of NY, NY, but had the misfortune of being printed and bound in Malaysia and the spine is not aging well at all. These three gentlemen should have used an ordinary dictionary to look up the word "ultimate" before using it in the title of their somewhat slender tome. I have not back checked every one of your articles and I will not pretend to know enough about the Indo-Pacific occult and mythology is based on accepted traditions or not, but from what I have read of the several pages I have looked over, and from your beautiful artwork and calligraphy, you belong on my bookshelf. To publish a true bestiary you will need more than 26 creatures. I recommend the Native American culture as an excellent place to look for a few examples.
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Thanks for the kind words!
I am planning on doing another series of 26 in the future, possibly making it a yearly thing to do, not sure yet! I loved doing this series, and there's plenty of cultures and areas to draw from, so I'm sure there's no shortage of beasties I can find!
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So that's the "Giant enemy crab" that they're talking about only if you attack it's weak point for massive damage....
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All in all, Japanese yokai deserve separate alphabet, so bizarre they are.
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Yet again, how's that ghost with a giant eye in his butthole is called?
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Ha, the Shirime?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirime
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Ahh, I was hoping you would be the first to draw Ugjuknarpak of Inuit legends. Ushi-Oni is cool though, your artwork of it, not a fan of the real creature.
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I was going to at first, but couldn't find a whole lot of info on it unfortunately. I couldn't tell if it was a more recent myth or an older one that had a longer history, which is another aspect I've tried to keep through this project.
One other thing that made me switch to something else was even though the Ugjuknarpak is a creepy, interesting creature, it's more-or-less (for lack of a better word) kind of ordinary looking in terms of design. With the Ushi-Oni, there was room for making it a bit stranger looking. Plus, I'd been wanting to draw some sort of insect-like body for at least one of these, so the crab body was a nice avenue for that.
Glad you like the art though, much appreciated!
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