One of the Noh plays. The eponymous kanawa is a tripod-like object used to hold an iron kettle over a fire and is worn on the head in the Hour of the Ox Pilgrimage ritual.
A wife, resentful of her husband who deserted her and ran off to be with another woman, visits the Kibune Shrine, which is famous for fulfilling curses, and turns herself into an oni.
The husband, who suffered from daily nightmares, consulted the onmyouji Abe no Seimei, who told him that he would lose his life that very day because of the woman's resentment. That night, thanks to the efforts of Abe no Seimei, the demoness appears and vehemently expresses her resentment toward her husband, but is pursued by Seimei's guardian deity and, more importantly, by her love for her husband, and ultimately disappears into the darkness of the night without ever harming him.
This Kanawa play is based on the legend of "The Bridge Maiden of Uji (Uji no Hashi-hime)" found in the 11th volume, in the sword composition, of the "Tale of the Heike (Heike Monogatari)".
A certain courtesan had such profound jealousy that she confined herself in the Kibune Shrine for seven days, and when she tried to curse the envied woman to death, she received an oracle from the gods. Following the oracle, she tied her hair up into five horn-like buns, painted her face red with vermilion, put a kanawa on her head, lit a fire, and put a torch in her mouth. Once she had done so, she turned into an oni and ran off late into the night, according to the legend.
In this story of "The Bridge Maiden of Uji", one can see the oldest form of the Hour of the Ox Pilgrimage, which suggests that it was originally a ritual to transform into an oni.
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